International Mother Earth Day |
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Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. You may learn more about the origins of Earth day here.
As Catholics, and especially as Franciscans, we hold a special place in our heart for our Mother Earth. We see God reflected in her beauty and remember the necessity of a balanced ecology.
Below are some resources and activities to celebrate Earth Day. You may participate and celebrate from home, online or in person!
As Catholics, and especially as Franciscans, we hold a special place in our heart for our Mother Earth. We see God reflected in her beauty and remember the necessity of a balanced ecology.
Below are some resources and activities to celebrate Earth Day. You may participate and celebrate from home, online or in person!
Earth Day Family Movie Night at IC!
Join us on Friday, April 2th at 7:30 pm for an outdoor screening of HOME a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket, some snacks and dinner* to the School Playground. Please wear a mask and practice proper social distance. *Due to the rain forecast for this Saturday, we've changed the screening to Friday. Unfotunately, the scheduled food trucks are not able to accommodate the new date. Join the Durham Bioblitz!
Help Keep Durham Beautiful celebrate Earth Month and catalog the great diversity of of species we have in Durham.
Collect what you find through the iNaturalist app and share what you find by joining our project. This project will run from April 15 to April 30 throughout Durham, NC. Join by exploring your own backyard, neighborhood, or local park. Please remember to follow CDC guidelines for protecting yourself and others from COVID-19 while you collect iNaturalist observations. Happy collecting! A Reflection by Katherine Seely S.N.D.
Catholic Social Tradition, the Environment, and the Option for the Poor
This reflection discusses environmental ethics and the option for the poor and vulnerable within Catholic social tradition and identifies key Church documents that addressed the environmental concerns of the time in relation to human suffering. Reflection questions, actions, and a prayer are also included. Access the reflection here. Catholic Climate Covenant Program
Celebrate Earth Day and/or the Sixth Anniversary of Laudato Si'
This year’s Earth Day program theme is “Restore Our Common Home”, a theme that addresses how as people of faith we must urgently act to not only protect but restore God’s beautiful gift of creation. The one-hour educational and prayer program is the perfect way for our families, parishes, schools, and religious communities to prepare for the Vatican’s launch of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform in May 2021 (during Laudato Si' Week). The program contains prayers, readings, discussion questions, a short video, and suggested activities. Download your Free Copy of our 2021 Program here! 
When Mother Earth sends us a messageMother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, as well as a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, have affected millions of people. Now we face COVID-19, a worldwide health pandemic link to the health of our ecosystem.
Let’s remind more than ever in this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. Let’s promote harmony with nature and the Earth. Join the global movement to restore our world! Visit the United Nations Webpage to learn how you can Join the global movement to restore our world! UN Secretary-General's MessageWe must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption. -UN Secretary-General António Guterres
UN Environment organized a creative workshop in Quito in 2016 under the motto "Dreaming up the city we want to live in". UNEP
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Five Easy things to do for Earth DayMake Earth Day Fun!!
Take a picture!!
Take a picture of yourself or your family with an Earth Day message or family Earth Day activity or project and post it to your own Instagram STORY. Be sure to mention Immaculate Conception and include "@ICDURHAM" in your post so we can share it on the parish IG.
Kids love to Care for Creation
Kids often are more in tune to Care for Creation than many adults. Visit one of these websites written especially for children. Ecological Examen: A Guided Prayer“‘The environment is part of a logic of receptivity. It is on loan to each generation, which must then hand it on to the next.’ An integral ecology is marked by this broader vision.” ﹣Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 2015, #159. 
Pope Francis has reminded us that everything is connected in God’s Creation, and we must be aware of the bigger picture and the connections that bind us closely to each other and our common home. The pope emphasizes all elements of ecology: environmental, economic, social, cultural, behavioral, and structural.
Use this two minute guided prayer to express gratitude for the gifts of creation and to reflect on where we have fallen short in our call to care for creation and, therefore, our sisters and brothers around the world. OFM Study Guide on ‘Laudato Si’
The Cry of the Earth and the Cries of the Poor, An OFM Study Guide on the Care of Creation
This resource booklet arises from an urgent concern that the Cry of the Earth and the Cries of the Poor are being disregarded and that, as Franciscans, we must be partners in dialogue, making our specific contribution to the healing of our world, and of the people who live in it. It includes and introduction by Minister General Michael Perry. Acces the study guide here “But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea declare to you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all the human race?” (Job 12:7-10) In these lyrical phrases, the Book of Job exhorts the human person to be open and ready to be taught by animals, birds, fish, and indeed, the earth itself. It is a passage that resonates with people of goodwill, and in particular with those who have been touched by the wonderful richness of the Franciscan tradition. Click here to read the full text of Laudato Si'. |