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PRAY and REFLECT
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Issue 19: Spring 2022
Download the pdf version of this issue by clicking here.
The word ‘CATECHIST’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘to echo’. As Catechists or teachers of RE we do not proclaim our own word. We echo the message of Jesus Christ our Lord. This newsletter aims at providing parish catechists and teachers of RE in schools some support in terms of reflections, ideas, useful resources they can use and so on. Feel free to share with other colleagues and friends. There is also a pdf version which you can download by clicking on the thumbnail below.
| In this issue |
| Catechesis and the Environment |
| From the Laudato Sì |
| Laudato Sì Facts |
| Social Media platforms |
Catechesis and the Environment
The phrase ‘and he saw that it was good’ is repeated several times in the creation story in the book of Genesis. Looking around us and following the news about what has been happening to the created world however, clearly demonstrates that we are now living on a planet where, to put it mildly, not everything is as good as the creator intended it to be.
The issue of the environment has now been on the agenda of many groups and organisations for a number of years. It has become a debating point in all sorts of situations - from school children lessons to the COP22 conference recently held in Glasgow, Scotland. It has also been a theme the Church has tackled in different ways over recent years, not least through Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter ‘Laudato Si’.
It is therefore vital that in our RE teaching, catechesis and other conversations we also address the issue of being true stewards of the created environment and engage those we teach in deeper discussions on this theme that has become so crucial for our future and that of generations to come.
It is also our job to teach towards the ‘environmental conversion’ that Pope Francis and the wide Church are talking about and encourage others to tackle issues of respecting the environment in every way possible: reducing waste, taking action about all sorts of pollution and showing concern about the inequalities that ignoring the environment brings about for many people.
It is our duty to convince those we work with that doing our bit to look after the environment is part and parcel of being a Christian. It is our duty to truly respond to ‘both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (Laudato Si para 49).
For more resources on the Laudato Sì to use in school or parish catechesis visit the CAFOD website at cafod.org.uk/Pray/Laudato-Si-encyclical
From Laudato Sì by Pope Francis
We need to strengthen the conviction that we aer one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide - still less is there room for the globalisation of indifference.
Laudato Sì facts
Exploring the Pope's Encyclical
Published in 2015, Laudato Si’ is the second Encyclical Letter by Pope Francis. This letter is an invitation to everyone to take action and play their part in tackling the urgent concerns such as global warming, consumerism and other themes related to the care of the environment - OUR COMMON HOME.
The title Laudato Si’ (from the Italian ‘Praised be …’) was inspired by the words from the Canticle attributed to St Francis of Assisi, in which he refers to the sun as ‘sister’, the moon ‘brother’ and earth ‘our mother’.
Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see NATURE as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness.
from LAUDATO sÌ by Pope Francis
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