In celebration of the Feast of St. Francis, the office of Campus Ministry and the departments of Catholic Studies and Mission & Identity will join hundreds of other Catholic parishes, schools, and colleges in a program titled “From St. Francis to Pope Francis to You: Creating a Climate for Solidarity.”
2014 marks the 35th anniversary of St. Francis’s naming as the Patron Saint of those who promote ecology by St. John Paul II. Pope Francis, the first pontiff to take his name from St. Francis, has repeatedly highlighted how the poor are disproportionately harmed by environmental degradation.
Rooted in the life of St. Francis and animated by Catholic teaching on climate change, “From St. Francis to Pope Francis to You: Creating a Climate for Solidarity” is a 90-minute multimedia presentation that combines short video testimonials with group reflection. The program highlights the impacts of climate change on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and offers concrete ways that Catholic individuals and communities can respond.
Canisius College will offer this program on Thursday, October 2 at 7 p.m. in OM 214. A discussion of the film will include steps you can take in response—steps that are based in authentic Catholic teaching.
The event provides a concrete example of responding to Pope Francis’ words, which urge us to make care for Creation and care for the poor significant parts of our Catholic witness: Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
(March 19, 2013)
The program is sponsored by the Catholic Climate Covenant, a national Catholic partnership organization whose members include, among others, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. For more information about this event, contact Sarah Signorino at signoris@canisius.edu and visit CatholicClimateCovenant.org.
Submitted by: Sarah Signorino, associate campus minister, Campus Ministry
