Celebrating Laudato Si&#039; Week

Laudato Si’ Week
The encyclical letter, Laudato Si’ On Care for Our Common Home was given to the World on May 24,2015 by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. In Laudato Si’, our Holy Father looks to the teaching of his predecessors and the traditions of the Catholic Church to “remind us that all who dwell on this good earth are interconnected and interrelated” and “invites us to a dialogue about the present ecological crises and the contribution Roman Catholicism can offer.” (Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin in the Introduction to Laudato Si’) As we celebrate the 8^th anniversary of this timely encyclical, please take a moment to reflect on YOUR place in the beautiful web of life and pray:

A Prayer for Our Earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the Poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey toward your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
(Laudato Si’ 246)