In his encyclical Ladauto Si’, Pope Francis calls on Catholics, especially young Catholics, to be catalysts of environmental change.
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis wrote: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
Earth Day, celebrated this year on April 22, serves as a reminder of the faithful’s responsibility to protect and preserve the environment as stewards of God’s creation.
Around the Archdiocese of Newark, young climate advocates have been celebrating Earth Day with a variety of projects, including participating in climate demonstrations, attending environmental mission trips, participating in national discourse, cleaning up their communities, and crafting creative projects out of recyclables.
At St. Michael School in Newark, students came to school dressed in green shirts to celebrate Earth Day. (St. Michael School)Students at Visitation Academy in Paramus created artwork to express their love for the earth and concerns about conservation. (Visitation Academy)Students at Our Lady of Mercy in Park Ridge created Earth Day wind chimes from recyclables. (Our Lady of Mercy)Students from Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle and Saint Joseph’s Regional High School in Motvale traveled to Esopus, NY for a 3-day ecology retreat with the Marist Brothers. There, they planted trees and learned about Laudato Si’. (Saint Joseph’s Regional High School)Students at the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest participated in a community clean-up to celebrate Earth Day. (Academy of the Holy Angels)Student at Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Kaitlyn Ferris, was a contributor to a nationwide Zoom discussion on Earth Day, led by Sr. Honora Nolty, O.P. The webinar explored the theme of “Planet vs. Plastics: Making a Material Difference in a Material World.”
Students at Lacordaire Academy in Upper Montclair created signs advocating for conservation and marched outside of the school, a lesson in environmental stewardship and civics. (Lacordaire Academy)Students in the lower grades at Christ the Teacher Academy in Fort Lee celebrated Earth Day by collecting litter around the schoolyard. (Christ the Teacher Academy)The Ladauto Si’ Club at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell organized an assembly featuring a guest speaker from Java Compost, a local startup headquartered in South Orange. Java Compost specializes in community composting, facilitating residential composting in North Jersey through subscription-based compost pick-up services. (Mount Saint Dominic Academy)
Featured image: The sign, decorated by a student at Lacordaire Academy, reads “Be Kind to Our Earth.” (Lacordaire Academy)
