October 5, 2025 Essay: St. Ignatius Loyola — Moving Forward with Laudato Si’
The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola is a Laudato Si’ Action Platform Parish embodying the goals articulated by Pope Francis ten years ago in his landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’ – Praise Be – Care for Creation, Our Common Home. The encyclical is a compelling document founded in theological convictions that are grounded in scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, and previous papal documents. It speaks to Creation as a source of spirituality inspiring awe, gratitude, reverence, and of all right relationships. Moreover, it addresses how climate, environmental ecology, and related poverty are moral imperatives in addition to being scientific and societal ones.
The principles of Laudato Si’, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all God’s creation, were woven into the preamble of the 2015 Paris Agreement and presented by Pope Francis in his historic address to the UN General Assembly on 15th September 2015, urging world leaders to work for the common good, prioritize peace and justice, and uphold the dignity of every person. Pope Leo XIV continues the ever more urgent call of action. Pope Leo XIV inaugurated and celebrated a new formulary of the Roman Missal Mass designated as Care for Creation on July 9th, 2025. In his homily, Pope Leo called for ecological conversion, drawing from the legacy of Pope Francis and his encyclical. He reminded us that “We must pray for the conversion of many people, inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.”
Our archdiocese has used this new Mass in its annual celebration of the Season of Creation and this 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’. On October 5th, all the Masses at St. Ignatius Loyola will also be using this new liturgy in celebrating the Season of Creation that concludes with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Season of Creation will culminate with Blessing of the Animals after 11 am Mass.
Our paradigm of Church requires us to transform ourselves in reverencing God’s creation and contributing both individually and as a community for a sustainable future. Adding a faith and spiritually based dimension to the scientific and societal ones strengthens the understanding of what we owe God and one another in working toward a better and more just future for all. Our parish will continue to accomplish this by our adopting a parish-wide focus on the seven goals of Laudato Si’. Within the next several weeks, we will present a revised St. Ignatius Loyola Action Plan and offer future programs to embrace the vision of an integrated ecology.
Inspired by Pope Francis, the Laudato Si’ Movement has designed a roadmap of action by establishing seven goals for Catholic and other institutions and individuals, which we will use. The goals are as follows:
Response to the Cry of the Earth
- Response to the Cry of the Poor
- Ecological Economics
- Adoption of a Simple Lifestyle
- Ecological Education
- Ecological Spirituality
- Emphasis on Community Involvement and Participatory Action
In conclusion, it is the hope that our entire parish community of parishioners, together with their families and friends, will embrace the call of Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV to work together toward an integral ecology that is reflected in our personal lives and the lives of our parish activities and schools.
| Geraldine Rizzo and Nicholas Naccari, Laudato Si’/ Care of Creation Ministry