A Morning of Recollection: Responding to Laudato Si’ as Missionary Disciples in Leadership

During this morning of recollection, our speakers will guide us in the type of reflection Pope Francis is asking us to exercise in his call for ecological conversion. Together, this Franciscan and Jesuit duo will offer some spiritual fertilizer for our discernment and implementation of the Laudato Si’ action platform goals.

What does it mean to be missionary disciples in the Anthropocene (age of humans) and Eremocene (age of loneliness)? How does one cultivate the ecological dimension of our faith life? In what ways can we begin living out catholic ecology at home, at the parish, and in our communities? Where do we begin?

Continental breakfast will be served starting at 8:30 AM. The program will commence shortly thereafter.

To register, click here. Registration is required.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Nate Cortas, S.J., is a Jesuit scholastic living in the Bronx and studying in the MA program in philosophy and society at Fordham University. Originally from Kentucky, he graduated from the University of Kentucky, where he studied English and music while also working on the implementation of the university’s climate action plan and the student-run campaign for fossil fuel divestment. As a Jesuit, he has collaborated on several climate justice initiatives, including work with Minnesota 350 and the Catholic Climate Covenant. He is a contributing writer at The Jesuit Post, where he has written on Catholic perspectives on climate justice and ecospirituality. His latest project is coordinating the crafting and implementation of a Laudato Si’ Action Platform at the parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx.

Hailing from the DC metro area, Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., is a Conventual Franciscan of the Our Lady of the Angels (East Coast) Province. Prior to entering religious life, Friar earned a B.S. in Environmental Biology, did field ecology work for the US Department of the Interior as well as with other organizations like the Organization for Tropical Studies, and taught high school science. He is a religious brother with a Master’s degree in Theology, Religion, and Culture studies from Catholic University, specializing in Franciscan ecotheology. Currently, Brother Cristofer is an outreach officer at Franciscans International and a pastoral assistant at Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He also serves on his province’s JPIC commission.