Justicia, Paz y Tierra / Justice, Peace and Earth: Laudato Si Movement Local Community Encounter in San Antonio

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Laudato Si Movement Local Community Encounter in San Antonio

A day after the election, Laudato Si Animators gathered for the “Encounter” to share stories, pray, reflect, and encourage each other to continue building a more sustainable world by working on our local communities, and the organizations we belong to. The meeting was held on November 6 at 6:00-8:30 pm.

We started with a prayer and closed with a prayer especially chosen for this event. We had a pizza as a prize given to UIW Laudato Si for being a good contributor to advocacy for Care for Creation.

Through this community where we belong, we brought hope that everybody was learning about building a more sustainable society through educating ourselves, reflecting our lifestyle, and bringing others into the awareness. Some are grieving due to the lack of interest in Climate Action from the upcoming leadership in the United States. Some were learning what actions to take. We centered our hearts in contemplation and pondered the joys, surprises, and challenges. One shared about the abuse of natives by taking away their lands and now working towards reconciliation of these families or individuals wounded by the past. Some projects were about care for creation beyond gardening.

How could we support renewable energy in concrete actions while having a just transition away from fossil fuels? This contemplation moved us to share our own individual hopes and communal dreams. The Laudato Si Movement's new executive director stated that "it is through our Catholicity that we embrace universality, diversity, and unity and bring the mission of the organization for the care of all in creation."

There is a lot more work to do. However, in the community, it makes the work collaborative and not seemingly daunting and overwhelming. Through the stories and works shared, we have become a container of information for the inspiration of the animators. We need each other to restore the creation to a healthy state.

The last item on our agenda is to live in hope. Working for justice is knowing that it is a continuous effort of collaboration and education. We raise awareness about resiliency amidst the uncertainty of the coming year.

Next year is the 10th anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si. We look forward to our collaboration together for creation, making space for the future generation.