Catholic Conference of Ohio
Friday, March 29, 2024

Care for Creation - Catholic Conference of Ohio

Call to Care for God's Creation

The Catholic Bishops of Ohio invite you to study the issues related to the stewardship of God’s creation. Care for the environment is a fundamental principle within Catholic Social Teaching. We applaud efforts already underway in many Catholic homes and institutions that help conserve energy, protect the environment, and advance a greater understanding of faithful stewardship. We hope that Catholic families and institutions around the state will continue in such efforts.

Environmental issues and concerns are increasingly at the forefront of public debate. For example, news concerning hydraulic fracturing is an almost daily occurrence in some parts of Ohio. While these issues are often complex, certain ethical principles apply. Stewardship, prudence, care for the poor, and promotion of the common good are but a few. Public advocacy promoting such principles of environmental justice is a worthy and needed action.

Our church teachings regarding environmental stewardship are rich and challenging. Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2010 World Day of Peace message entitled If you Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation, urged us to renew and strengthen “that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying” (no. 1). This web resource provides timely information to help us in this task. It links to Catholic teachings and offers resources helpful for individuals, families, parishes, schools and other institutions.

As you examine these many resources, we encourage you to prayerfully reflect upon the following questions:

  1. How are we to fulfill God's call to be stewards of creation in an age when we may have the capacity to alter that creation significantly, and perhaps irrevocably?
  2. How can we as a "family of nations" exercise stewardship in a way that respects and protects the integrity of God's creation and provides for the common good, as well as for economic and social progress based on justice?
  3. What steps will I take to better promote and live out care for God’s creation?

May God bless us in this journey of justice.

Catholic Bishops of Ohio

Read Entire Statement

 

Encyclical Letter and Apostolic Exhortation

Social Teachings

  • Papal Statements related to the Environment
  • Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church...Chapter Ten: Safeguarding the Environment
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church...The Ten Commandments: Article 7: The Seventh Commandment
  • United States Conference of Catholic Bishop Statements (USCCB) related to the Environment
  • Catholic Bishops of Ohio Statements related to the Environment

View Social Teachings

School Resources

  • Catholic Climate Covenant
  • National Catholic Rural Life Study Guides on Climate Change, Food and Justice
  • Catholic Health Association Resources on the Environment
  • Catholic Relief Services Lesson Plans on Care for Creation
  • Catholic Youth Care for Creation Program, National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
  • Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
  • Environmental Checklist for Individuals & Families

View School Resources

Issue Topics

  • Climate Change
  • Energy Conservation
  • Food and Agriculture
  • Hydraulic Fracking
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Land Use
  • Renewable Energy

View Issue Topics

General Resources

  • Web Resources
  • Ohio Diocesan Links
  • Environmental Checklist

View General Resources

Ohio Diocesan Contacts

Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Catholic Social Action
Care for God's Creation/Climate Change Task Force

Diocese of ClevelandCatholic Charities/ Diocesan Social Action
Climate Change Resources

Diocese of Columbus
Office for Social Concerns

Diocese of Steubenville
Office of Family and Social Concerns

Diocese of Toledo
Catholic Charities

Diocese of Youngstown
Office of Social Action

Byzantine Eparchy of Parma

Romanian Eparchy of St. George in Canton

Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat

 

EasyDNNNews

Laudato Si' Week is May 22 to 29

Educate, reflect, pray and act on our relationship with Creation and the Creator.

Laudato Si’ Week 2022, is being held May 22-29, marking the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on creation care. This global celebration will unite Catholics to listen and respond together to the cry of creation, rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and intensify our efforts through the dynamic Laudato Si’ Action Platform, walking the “Synodal” path. Sponsored by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and promoted by the Laudato Si' Movement in collaboration with around 150 Catholic organizations. During this week we seek to educate, dialogue, promote and act for our sister Mother Earth: our Common Home, joining the canticle of Saint Francis of Assisi: "Praise be to you, oh, my Lord, in all your creatures!" (“Laudato Si, o mio Signore, per tutte le creature”) which is the title of Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si”: for an ecological conversion.

USCCB Expresses Gratitude for Restoration of Regulatory Provisions for National Environmental Policy Act

Statement from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City

On April 19, the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality issued a rule restoring three regulatory provisions implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that were amended under the previous Administration, reinstating the requirement for federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of infrastructure projects and giving communities directly impacted by such projects greater input in the approval process. In response, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the following statement:

Action Alert: Support Families and the Environment

Ask Congress to Expand the Child Tax Credit and Invest in the Climate

According to Catholic teaching, the family is "the most basic form of human community," and therefore is "intimately linked" to the long-term future of our nation. The Child Tax Credit is an economic and social policy that supports the strength and stability of family life. Last year, more than 36 million families received a monthly payment through the expanded Child Tax Credit program to help make ends meet. Join us in asking Congress to continue the Child Tax Credit so that our economic and social policies reflect our desire to promote the family.

The call from Pope Francis to address the cry of the earth through sustainable climate investment requires our action. Join us in supporting tax incentives to support existing and emerging technologies in clean energy, resilience investments focused on protecting low-income and minority communities, and incentives to decarbonize the economy. 

See more information and contact your federal officials HERE. The Catholic Conference of Ohio advocates for more support for Ohio families and policies to promote care for our common home.