The Congregation of St. Joseph is dedicated to caring for our common home, including taking steps to strengthen, heal, and renew the face of Earth. We work to care for all creation in a number of ways:
Laudato Si’ Action Platform
The Congregation of St. Joseph, sisters, associates and employees, has pledged to participate in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Pope Francis invited all to this Vatican-sponsored effort, facilitated by the Laudato Si’ Movement, to achieve sweeping environmental sustainability. As part of making this pledge, we have developed an ambitious seven-year plan of actions to address the cry of Earth, cry of the poor, ecological economics, adoption of simple lifestyles, ecological education, ecological spirituality and community engagement and participatory action, among ourselves and in collaboration with the global Catholic community.
We urge others to join with us in supporting the actions named in Laudato Si’ that demand halting and reversing climate change as part of the unity of all creation and because we recognize that the crises of humanity and the crises of Earth are intertwined and must be addressed in a comprehensive and wholistic manner. Click here to learn more.
Sustainability
The Congregation is committed to sustainability. We recently completed a multi-year downsizing initiative at four of our centers around the country in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Many of our properties use solar power and vehicles that are eco-friendly. All recycle, have discontinued the use of bottled water and plastic straws, use cloth napkins and glass dinnerware, and compost. Whenever possible, fair trade products are used, not only to help producers in developing countries, but also to promote sustainable farming.
Systemic Change
The Congregation supports and takes part in initiatives that work toward systemic environmental change. This includes issuing public statements such as our statement denouncing U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, voicing our position to elected officials and the media, attending relevant marches and United Nations Commissions, and responding to other calls to action. We also work to raise awareness about the plight of our planet by sharing stories in our magazine, imagineONE, in our eNewsletter, and on our social media channels.
Supporting Ministries
The Congregation supports initiatives that work to alleviate food deserts and those effected by them, such as Grow Ohio Valley in Wheeling, WV, and Grow Dat Youth Farm in New Orleans, LA. By providing these ministries with our time and talents, we’re not only helping encourage sustainable local farming, but also helping bring healthy foods to those in need.
Partnerships
The Congregation of St. Joseph sponsors EarthBeat, an initiative of National Catholic Reporter (NCR), an online Eco-Crisis hub and comprehensive resource which tells stories of how people of faith are taking action on climate change.
