A fantastic gathering of our Laudato Si’ formation experts as pic-tured above, came to Sydney October 23rd to listen and share. This gathering is a prelude to a planned Convocation in Melbourne in September 2020.

 

Twenty parish and religious leaders from 12 parishes across the Archdiocese of Melbourne and Ballarat and Sandhurst dioceses met at St Ambrose Centre, Catholic Parish of Brunswick and Brunswick East on Saturday 14 September 2019 to celebrate the Season of Creation and identify practical actions families and parishes can take to respond to the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si’. It was a rich, informative and encouraging encounter.

 “… the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion”  Pope Francis, 2015

Parish leaders and members are invited to join other parishes in considering how we can all better care for our common home, the Earth. Catholic Social Services Victoria is hosting a parish forum, Living Laudato Si', on Saturday 14 September at St Ambrose Community Centre, 259A Sydney Road, Brunswick, 9am-1pm. This practical and interactive forum will assist participants and parishes respond to this summons, and will also identify practical actions that can be taken by individuals, families and our parishes.
 

"My hope is that our parish forum on Caring for our Common Home prioritises action over introspection, be that personal, or of Pope Francis’s abstractions.  Whatever reason a person comes for, it’s enough. Just an inkling, a spark, even of the most profane nature, might start a journey that will continue beyond our imagination, for a lifetime and beyond." David Moloney reflects on the link between personal spiritual formation and social transformation on the particular issue of ecology.

Save the date for our 'Care for our Common Home' (Laudato Si) Parish Forum to be held at St Ambrose’s Centre, Brunswick on Saturday 14 September. Taking place in the 'Season of Creation', this forum is part of our ongoing series to assist parish communities to respond to Pope Francis' call to take better care of our common home and the poor. 

Environmental and human spirit educator, Pat Long will lead a seminar for parishioners, visitors, teachers and students of Our Lady of the Assumption Primary School.

All welcome, entry free.

The former President of Kiribati, Anote Tong is one of leading voices in climate change.  He will be in Melbourne for one evening to present the challenges facing Kiribati and his vision for a more just and sustainable future.

 

A group of people have been meeting to discuss ways in which the principles contained Laudato Si might be implemented within the Melbourne Archdiocese.  

Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) is supporting a coalition of groups calling for more humane asylum policies ahead of the Wentworth by-election.

Monday, October 15, 2018, 6:15 PM - 8:30 PM ACMI, Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne

The film follows the endeavours of Kiribati’s then-President, Anote Tong, to bring international attention to the Pacific nation’s calls for action. With indomitable spirit, gentle strength and charm, the Kiribati people have become the face of climate change, imploring us to contemplate the crisis of rapidly submerging nations, and the associated impacts on cultural identity. 

Join us to celebrate LIVING THE CHANGE together: creating a flourishing world for all. We gather as members of diverse faith communities and those who care for our planet to share our stories of change, transformation, and regeneration. We tap into our deepest values to find the inspiration to address climate change and support each other in the journey.

On Saturday 15 September 2018, more than 30 people from 12 parishes gathered at St Francis Xavier and St Clare Combined Parish of Greater Box Hill to share insights into how parishes might respond to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ on care for our common home, the earth.

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote “an urgent letter” to “everyone on the planet” to express his concern for the devastation that humans are causing to our Earth and its climate, and to ask all people to change the way we treat the Earth, each other and the poor. How are you and your parish responding to the Pope’s urgent request?  

 

The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation across the globe.  The season begins 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through to 4 October, the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology in several religious traditions. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘walking together” and will be celebrated by Christian and other faith traditions as brothers and sisters on a pilgrimage of shared reflection and action to better care of creation.