We are called to grow in faith and hope in this time of increasing ecological and social crisis; and to develop new attitudes, habits and actions that care for our common home. A parish Creation Care Ministry team can help grow faith community witness. Watch the recorded online presentation below to learn more about forming a Creation Care Ministry that engages your parish in deepening ecological spirituality, awareness, practices and solidarity. Stories and examples are shared from Toronto parishes. Links to resources and networks highlighted during the presentation are provided at the end of this blog.

Watch recording of Introduction to Forming a Parish Creation Care Ministry

After six years, the Cultivating Care for Our Common Home program will end on December 31, 2023—with much gratitude for the generous support of Scarboro Missions and for other supporters over the years, as well as hosting provided by Faith & the Common Good. In 2024 and likely beyond, I will continue to offer a free presentation (where travel by TTC is feasible) to Toronto Catholic parishes that would like to start a parish Creation Care Ministry. I may be reached at creationcare1701 at gmail dot com which is the email for St. Joan of Arc Parish Creation Care Ministry which I coordinate.

A Toronto parish creation care network is starting to come together to share resources and activity possibilities, to learn from each other, and to provide mutual support. We hope your parish Creation Care Ministry or Eco Ministry will join us!

Links to resources and networks highlighted during the presentation

Catholic Social Teaching

• “You love all that exists… all things are Yours, God, lover of life”, A Pastoral Letter on the Christian Ecological Imperative from the Social Affairs Commission, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003.
• Laudato Si’ On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis, May 24, 2015.
• Laudate Deum, To all People of Good Will on the Climate Crisis, Pope Francis, October 4, 2023. Laudato Si’ Movement’s related resource website: https://laudatedeum.church/.
• World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation messages, Pope Francis, September 1, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.

Books, Guides and Courses to help form a Creation Care Ministry

• Greening Your Church, A Practical Guide to Creation Care Ministry for Parishes, Dioceses and Religious Communities by Norman Lévesque (Novalis, 2014), available to purchase through the Creation Care School or as an EBOOK version at Novalis.
• Creation Care School online courses by Norman Lévesque. Free thanks to the financial support of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM). Courses: Growing Your Creation Care Ministry (8 hours); Cultivating a Spirituality of Creation (12 hours); Greening Your Church (1 hour) and more.
• Guide to Developing a ‘Green Team’ in Your Faith Community, Faith & the Common Good, 2007, interfaith, free (Scroll down the list of guides to find it).
• Catholic Climate Covenant (United States) has a free online Creation Care Teams Resource Library among their many programs and resources. Also produce Homily Helps to help integrate Laudato Si’ and care for creation into every Sunday Mass (developed with the Integral Faith working group of the Association of United States Catholic Priests).

Catholic and Ecumenical Resources and Networks

• Laudato Si’ Movement, Catholic, international, extensive eco-spirituality, education, lifestyle, advocacy resources, campaigns and programs.
• Movement Laudato Si’ Movement Canada (MLSM Canada), Canadian chapter of Laudato Si’ Movement, join network by signing up for the quarterly e-newsletter Laudato Si' Dialogues.
• Season of Creation (Sept. 1 - Oct. 4), ecumenical, website has a free online ecumenical Celebration Guide, links to Catholic resources, and other prayer, liturgy and action resources. Sponsors include the Vatican.
• Laudato Si Week in May to celebrate progress in bringing Laudato Si’ to life and to commit to further prayer and action for our common home; annual theme and resources. Sponsored by the Vatican and facilitated by Laudato Si’ Movement.
• The Letter– A Message for our Earth is a Laudato Si’ film produced in 2022 by Off the Fence and Laudato Si’ Movement with Vatican collaboration. Film is free to watch on YouTube, with subtitles and dubbed versions in several languages. Parishes and groups are encouraged to host a screening (registration required) to facilitate dialogue and action on care for our common home.
• For the Love of Creation, a Canadian faith-based initiative for climate justice. Events, advocacy activities, and resources including Faithful Climate Conversations small group guides to facilitate dialogue on climate change. Read online or sign up for their newsletter.
• Jesuit Forum for Social Faith and Justice (Toronto) produced two dialogue guides for purchase or download: On care for our common home-A dialogue guide for Laudato Si’ and Listening to Indigenous Voices-A Dialogue Guide on Justice and Right Relationships.
• Green Churches Network, a Canadian ecumenical organization and network with many spirituality, education and action tools available in English and French.

Buildings, Audits, Gardens and Funding

• Faith & the Common Good has a free online “Do-It-Yourself” Faith Building Energy Audit Guide (2018) which is being updated for 2024, as well as Green Audit options for a fee. They have several other practical educational resources to help reduce a faith community’s ecological footprint and numerous gardening resources for native plant gardens, pollinator gardens, community food gardens, etc.
• Save On Energy Small Business Program is currently offering incentives of up to $3,000 for eligible lighting equipment and up to $2,500 for eligible non-lighting equipment (refrigeration and smart thermostat upgrades)—parishes can apply and process is relatively simple; see website for details.
• Enbridge Gas—worth asking them about any incentives they have for boiler upgrades or other retrofit incentives.

Some Examples of Catholic Creation Care Ministries in Canada

• Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall Care for Creation Ministry.
• Diocèse de St-Jean-Longueuil, Longueuil (Québec) and Creation Care Ministry: English; En français.
• Creation Care Ministry at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Toronto.
• EcoAnselm: Ministry of Ecology at St. Anselm’s Parish in Toronto—see article by Iseult Hayden and Marilyn Grace, and look for the green EcoAnselm logo in their parish bulletins for faith-inspired messages relating to care for our common home.

Indigenous Peoples—wildfire news articles, Grassy Narrows, mining

• https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-a-multilayered-affront-indigenous-communities-face-harsher-effects/
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/wildfires-are-disproportionately-harming-indigenous-communities-1.6479874  
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/fire-land-connection-indigenous-communities-canada-1.6890768
• Grassy Narrows and forming an alliance with other First Nations in northern Ontario to defend their land and waters due to concerns over mining; further updates here.
• Background on the energy transition and mining impacts including on Indigenous Peoples; (and the importance of living more simply in the Global North). Produced by Environmental Justice Atlas and MiningWatch Canada.

Other references

• Pope Francis’ speech to the Conference of Parties to the United Nations
  Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), December 2, 2023.
• Archdiocese of Toronto example of a past election resource on the environment to help discern one’s vote and with questions for reflection or to ask candidates.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 report including short summary video, and press release.
• Phytoplankton, critically important tiny organisms that produce as much oxygen as all land plants.