Friday, May 1, 2026

Caring for Our Common Home on Special Occasion: Laudato Si': Anniversary and Jubilee Year of Saint Francis

On May 24 2026, we will be celebrating the 11th Anniversary of Laudato Si' encyclical, written by Pope Francis as an invitation to all people of goodwill to ecological conversion.  This year is also designated by Pope Leo XIV as the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis starting from January 10, 2026 - January 10, 2027.  It is the 800th death anniversary of the Saint, a peace and dialogue advocate, who died in October 3, 1226.

Given the Laudato Si' Anniversary, it is important to highlight the works that the Laudato Si' Movement is doing which includes the formation of people around the world to care for Creation through Laudato Si' Animator program (www.laudatosianimators.org). Currently, there are 20,000 animators who are working tirelessly to incarnate the love of God through caring for our Common Home through prayer and action.  

The Laudato Si' Animator program started in April. It will end on June.17.  Laudato Si' Movement continues to train 6,000 participants from all over the world across Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese language groups. This will be a new group of people who will rise to their society to speak up and take actions to care for creation.  

It is more important than ever that we speak up for the vulnerable and take concrete actions everyday, and work towards ecological conversion.  The climate crisis only aggravates the situation of the impoverished and those who are forgotten.  Human beings depend on all of planet's natural resources to live and thrive.  The Creation takes care of all creatures.   How are we taking care of what takes care of us?

It is time to be grateful to God for the basic necessities that we receive such water to drink and air to breathe.  These are basic and yet so critically important.  If we cease to receive any of these, we can die. A few minutes without air can cause death while a few days without water can also cause death.  The purpose of Laudato Si' Movement is to raise awareness of our responsibility and invite the Catholic communities in particular (i.e. the movement is also open to people of goodwill) to take care of our resources and address the call for ecological conversion.  It is a gift that God has given to us.  It is best to put measures to protect, conserve, and provide provision to allow its growth and restoration.

Climate advocacy is important in ensuring that more people can get involved in climate actions.  The impact of climate crisis is enormous that everyone's part is necessary.  If my neighbor and the communities are not changing their habits, even if I am changing, the practices of my neighbor and my communities remain part of my responsibility and can affect my habits (e.g. styrofoam for take out in restaurants can cause an impairment on ecological person's practices, if a community is using conventional energy power source than renewable, then it contributes to fossil fuel proliferation).  If any of the society's way of business or operations are using unsustainable practices and remain fossil-fuel-run-business as usual, their practices are still part of one's practice.  How does one refuse to be part of that system?  

We need to advocate for sustainable practices and keep on encouraging people to take actions.  Unless people understand the reason why they have to do things, the people and communities will continue to participate in this throw away culture where we use plastics and disposable products easily.  The United States or modern culture is used to not fixing things, given the quality of the products that do not last after certain number of years.  People in this capitalist world throw things away when they look bad and look discolored or even slightly disfigured.

The fossil fuel and the attitude of the people unwilling to change are largely harming the geological state of our planet.  A lot of the products heavily rely on fossil fuel and also plastic-based.  This creates the climate injustice which eventually affects all creatures including human beings most specifically the vulnerable.  For the countries that produce so much carbon footprint like United States, it has more responsibility to mitigate its carbon footprint on the planet as it only impacts our Common Home that belongs to all.  The Global North owes its action to the Global South who has the most vulnerable parts of the society.

This is an invitation to do one action to Care for Creation, challenge yourself to do it for a week during the Laudato Si' Week May 17-24 and celebrate your work in caring for creation.   We also urge you to ask your parish priest to celebrate Mass for Creation during this week or have a prayer service.  



Send us photos of your acts of Care for Creation during the Laudato Si' Week through: jpic.office@amormeus.org.

Other Upcoming Dates by Laudato Si' Movement:

  • Circle Training: 
  • Laudato Si Week: May 17-24
  • Creation Care Commissioning on May 23rd 

    Vancouver 5:00 AM | New York 8:00 AM | London 1:00 PM | Nairobi 4:00 PM | New Delhi 5:30 PM | Manila 8:00 PM | Sydney 10:00 PM

    Join a global moment of prayer, blessing, and mission with hundreds around the world. Come with your efforts, your community, your initiatives—and receive a special blessing to carry them further.

    Register here

  • September 1 - October 4: Season of Creation website is being updated here - the theme for this year is Living Water



Relevant Topics:

Hundreds of Thousands Waiting for Mercy

The recipients of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) renewals are experiencing significant delays.

Do you want to be an instrument of peace to people?  You can give them the security of being able to feed themselves, their families and be a contributing member of this society.  Having any delays to justice is an injustice in itself.  The delays can only cause anxiety, fears and furthermore the reality that people will get deported as the DACA recipients will no longer have any legal document that can justify that they are still allowed to stay in United States.

For people who are comfortable having their jobs, shelter, able to attend school, and apply for other opportunities under the sun, it might be easy to disregard those who do not have that legal status, those who are waiting for legal status, those who are holding DACA papers.  How can people feel safe when at anytime, the people are still waiting for their papers to be approved?  These were used to be children who came with their families and were not able to apply for the residency for whatever reason.  

How many DACA renewals are delayed?  From what we know there are millions of lives who rely on the DACA renewals so that they can continue to remain the way things are for their stay,  and livelihood in United States while being able to support their families.

To support the call for the USCIS to work on the renewal backlogs:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/send-a-letter-to-dhs-secretary-mullin-and-uscis-director-edlow-end-daca-delays-now/?source=email.friend&

More:


Saturday, April 25, 2026

Multi-faith Letter Opposing Fossil Fuel Immunity

There is a bill that is being lobbied in the house and senate led by Harriet Hageman and Ted Cruz that will give legal immunity to oil and gas industries from any damages caused by their emissions.  Why people need to be aware of the Legal Immunity being introduced in Congress where  the fossil fuel companies will not be liable for any climate damages that are being done by the fossil fuel industries?

The cost of the climate crisis is staggering. About $160 - $250 Billions of dollars of property are lost in an instant.  Families are losing homes because of the wild fires, storms, floods, and natural disasters. An example of which is the wildfire in California in 2024 that could not be contained due to drought, dry weather and harsh winds.  

The natural disasters can be catastrophic to the families especially those who do not have any protection or savings.  By an instant, you can loose everything and the companies who are responsible for the damages will not be accountable for any damages.  There is no opportunity for any communities to seek justice in court.  The polluter pays laws will not matter.  The taxpayers continue to pay for the damages that are heavily imposed upon the unlimited damages done by the fossil fuel industries spewing dirty oil on the ground, water and pollution in the air.

Sign the multi-faith letter to Congress to stop this legislation:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/multi-faith-letter-opposing-fossil-fuel-immunity?source=direct_link&

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-not-to-let-polluters-off-the-hook-for-climate-damage?source=direct_link&

https://5calls.org/issue/big-oil-climate-crisis-immunity/

More on this:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/23/republicans-big-oil-climate-lawsuits


Nature and Spirituality in San Antonio on May 2, 2026 (Saturday) 10am - 12 noon


Nature and Spirituality in San Antonio

Our goal is to heal the planet and be peacemakers though education and community building.
The Laudato Si movement in cooperation with the Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Alamo Sierra Club and Pax Christi Texas promotes study and action to address 
and change the practices of destroying our planet and 
implementing ways to nurture our planet and ourselves toward health at all levels.

We seek to be an educational and communal resource for parishes, local groups, 
environmental advocates and others who can benefit from understanding diverse religions and other
cultural groups who have a tradition and practice of 
respecting nature. 

We are here to heal the planet and build community through education and interaction in programs of education and action.
 every other month.

Join us on May 2, 2026 10 am to noon at the Oblate School of Theology, Shaunessy Library Meeting Room, 285 Oblate Drive.

(The library is located at the back of the building which has a circular drive in front.)

The Beliefs and Practices of the Mennonite Community: 
 Care for Creation

by Rev. John Garland,
pastor of the San Antonio Mennonite Church

  and

The Physical, Mental and Spiritual Benefits of Being Part of Nature

by Bill Barker, FAICP, FITE
Member, Executive Committee, 
Alamo Group of the Sierra Club


For additional information, contact Arthur Dawes, MA (theology), MSW (Social Work)
arthurdawes@att.net   210-213-5919

Monday, April 20, 2026

Second Pax Christi Forum 2026: Blessed Are The Peacemakers on April 29 7pm CST


You are invited to the
Second Pax Christi Texas Forum of 2026

 April 29, 2029
7 pm CST 

Join Zoom Meeting

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

Passcode: 165967


Meeting ID: 857 2081 0846


"Blessed Are The Peacemakers"
The Role of the Catholic Church: 
Building a World Free from Nuclear Weapons


Presented by Danny Hall, Lead Capitol Hill Representative & Faith Community Outreach Coordinator for Back from the Brink, a coalition which includes Pax Christi USA and TEND texans ending nuclear dangers