Together let’s care for our common home
In loving response to Pope Francis’ global call for compassionate care for all creation, the Wheaton Franciscan community has committed to a seven-year action plan to support the Laudato Si’ goals to achieve real and lasting solutions. In unity, we collaborate to protect God’s creation for future generations, embrace a lifestyle of simplicity, and care for people in need. The Laudato Si’ encyclical inspired the seven goals.
Laudato Si’ Survey Report—In the fall of 2023, our community responded to an online survey about caring for Mother Earth and her people. We invite you to review this easy-to-read report. It is full of current practices and ideas about how engaged our community is in earth-friendly and helping-hand lifestyles.
We are also sharing the Laudato Si’ 2023 report on how the Wheaton Franciscan community is bringing our Laudato Si’ Action Platform to life. Please share these reports with friends and family. We are all in this together. Thank you for your continued support!
Season of Creation 2023
From September 1 through October 4, Christians worldwide will be celebrating the Ecumenical Season of Creation. In preparation, visit our Season of Creation page with resources, videos, prayers, and events during the coming season.
Care of Creation Updates and Reflections
“Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”
Pope Francis
How we embrace Laudato Si’
- Promote a healthy habitat on our campus.
- Continuously explore energy savings in our buildings and vehicles.
- Engage in wise planning for future uses of our land.
- Connect with other communities, especially the young and people interested in eco-spirituality.
- Extend a helping hand through our seasonal donation drives.
- Seek justice and pray for peace wherever there is violence, discrimination, or scarcity.
What we are embarking on is a response to the question, ‘What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?’ The Wheaton Franciscans have lovingly cared for our land in Wheaton and people in need for 75 years, and we are now redoubling our efforts to demonstrate regenerative living in collaboration with all who seek a healthy and safe community, especially the young.
S. Melanie Paradis, Regional Directress, Wheaton Franciscans
Statement of Commitment to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform
On the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4, 2021, the Wheaton Franciscans made a formal commitment to protect our common home and address the climate crisis:
Our Wheaton Franciscan charism calls us to be a blessing in the heart of the world. Therefore, we, the St. Clare Regional Community of the international congregation of Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, joyfully and humbly pledge our commitment to develop and implement a seven-year Laudato Si’ Action Plan as we seek a flourishing future.
We believe that all creation is one. As people of God, we are called to live in harmony and to recognize that all is sacred. Our presence conveys the values of simple living, compassion, and integrity of creation. Our charism, history, and vision compel us to respond to the critical needs of our times.
We commit to open our minds to learn from Creation’s diversity and move beyond sustainable stewardship to transformative kinship.
We commit ourselves, our ministries, and our resources to creative actions that demonstrate resilient living and community-building.
We commit to living a life of connectedness by:
- creating spaces for nurturing community and the practice of contemplation and action;
- fostering a culture of care for our common home;
- listening to and engaging the young;
- embodying radical hospitality;
- promoting nonviolence;
- working to recognize and eliminate systemic injustice in all its various forms.
We commit to collaboration with others who desire to create healthy and safe communities where all of God’s creation can thrive.
We embark on this journey for the sake of Mother Earth and for the sake of future generations.