Ignatian Social Justice: Viewing of “The Letter”

Nov 16, 2022

The premier New York City viewing of the film, The Letter, was shown in Wallace Hall on Sunday, November 13th. It was sponsored by Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, hosted by St. Ignatius Loyola, and was an inspiring event for those who attended. Rev. Brian McWeeney—Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of New York—offered the Invocation, and Rev. Mark Hallinan, S.J., Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola, offered the closing prayer.

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote about the environmental crisis to every single person in the world. Many people still have not “heard” about Care of Our Common Home, yet four voices that had gone unheard in global conversations were invited by letter to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawaii, they bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself and now to our wider global society.

After the film, participants dispersed into smaller round table discussions facilitated by Erin Lothes, Ph.D., an associate professor of theology at Saint Elizabeth University and senior manager with the Laudato Si Movement. Participants at each table discussed what was meaningful in the movie and what next steps we, as Catholics, can take to care for our common home.

If you missed our screening, you can view this film at home on YouTube by clicking here.

— Jean Santopatre, Pastoral Associate