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By Jay Gilchrist For The Catholic Messenger St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville is rolling out a new parish Laudato Si’ Plan during the Season of Creation this year. The parish Green Team has been working the past few months to create an interactive online plan with simple goals that make it easy for parishioners and parish groups to participate (https://tinyurl.com/3rf6nmhd). The plan’s goals are adapted from “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home,” the 2015 encyclical of Pope Francis. The four goals call the community to Learn from the Earth, Hear the Poor, Live Simply, and Help to Heal the Planet. This 10th year of the Church’s Laudato Si’ mission is a wonderful time to renew our practices of care for creation, and what better time than right after we dedicated a new worship space?

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger BETTENDORF — Responding to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’’ (On Care for Our Common Home), St. John Vianney Parish has adopted a Laudato Si’ Action Plan to build on parishioners’ relationship with God, each other and all of God’s creation. St. John Vianney may be the first parish in the Diocese of Davenport to submit its multifaceted, seven-year plan to the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform. The Davenport Diocese submitted its Laudato Si’ Action Plan on the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi in October 2022, hoping to inspire parishes and other entities to do the same. The Sisters of St. Francis of Clinton and the Congregation of the Humility of Mary in Davenport previously submitted their own Laudato Si’ Action Plans to the Vatican platform.

Interfaith Power & Light is recognizing the Diocese of Davenport for its commitment to stewardship of God’s creation. The diocese is one of 125 “congregations” nationwide to earn honors as a “Cool Congregation” for 2024. It is the second honor in less than a year for the Davenport Diocese’s efforts to model stewardship of God’s creation. In July 2023, Catholic Climate Covenant honored the diocese with an honorable mention for the first “U.S. Laudato Si’ Champion Awards” (Diocese Category).

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — After replacing 1,400 incandescent light bulbs with 1,400 energy efficient LEDs at diocesan headquarters, Facilities Manager Rich Hatfield and co-worker David Houdyshell look forward to not replacing another light bulb for at least 10 years. That painstaking job, completed this fall, required hours on ladders, removing light ballasts and rewiring the fixtures for LED lights. It represents one component of the Diocese of Davenport’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform plan, introduced a year ago, Oct. 4, on the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Catholic Climate Covenant has recognized Burlington native Mary (Martin) Meyers for her “exceptional dedication” to peace and social justice efforts. Meyers, sister of retired diocesan priest Father Dennis Martin, is a lay leader at St. Jude Parish in New Lenox, Illinois and a member of the Joliet Diocese’s Laudato Si’ commission. She was one of four individual honorees in the inaugural Laudato Si’ Champions Awards, presented virtually earlier this year. The Diocese of Davenport received honorable mention in the diocesan category.

By Lindsay Steele The Catholic Messenger When it comes to facing ecological challenges in Iowa, exacerbated by climate change, “We know what to do; we just have to get going.” Ecologist and author Cornelia “Connie” Mutel shared this message during a virtual diocesan Lunch and Learn session April 6.

By Lindsay Steele The Catholic Messenger IOWA CITY — A few years ago, a group of St. Patrick Parish members studied Laudato Si’ during Lent. Pope Francis’ encyclical gave the group “a newfound respect for the interconnectedness of everything,” said Diane Platte, the parish’s social action committee chairperson. This Lent, the whole parish is celebrating that interconnectedness through ecological, stewardship, prayer and wellness challenges.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger When a young adult has needed a place to live temporarily while working at Project Renewal in Davenport, Sister Lynn Mousel, CHM, and her housemates make room in their home. When the 2022 elections approached, Sister Kathleen Henneberry, CHM, worked with Sister Mary Rehmann, CHM, to encourage citizens to vote. When Sister Lillian Stevens, CHM, longed to help protect God’s earth, she found an opportunity to share her ideas serving on the Laudato Si’ Committee of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (CHM). All of these seemingly dissimilar activities are connected, the sisters say, in the spirit of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’ to build relationships among God and people, people with one another and people with all of creation.

The 124-year-old St. Vincent Center in Davenport is getting an energy audit as the first step in the Diocese of Davenport’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan launched Oct. 4 on the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. It is a multifaceted, seven-year plan intended to inspire the people of the diocese to build on their relationship with God, each other and all of God’s creation.

Desiring a bright and abundant future for her grandchildren and all humanity, Jean Simpson prayed, listened to God and found guidance in “Laudato Si’” (subtitled “On Care for Our Common Home), an encyclical by Pope Francis. The Holy Father called for restoring relationships between people and God, people and each other and all of God’s creation.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In his 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, the Holy Father speaks of relationships: between God and humanity, among the peoples of humanity, and between humanity and creation, of which humanity is a part. In his message for this year’s Season of Creation, Pope Francis again speaks of the urgency in responding to these relationships — to the cries of the earth and the poor.