Looking back on the early moments of Laudato Si’

By Sister Kathy Schmittgens

“When the program for your Gathering was drawn up and the organizers invited me to speak, Laudato Si’ had not yet burst onto the world scene. But what a difference three weeks makes! As you probably know, the PCJP (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) has been involved in the drafting and issuance of the encyclical, and it has occupied a great deal of our attention.” 

SSND attend Cardinal Turkson’s address to the Shalom Seminar in 2015 where he discussed the then newly announced Laudato Si'

These were some of the opening words of Cardinal Peter Turkson to the International Shalom* seminar held on July 11, 2015. The seminar included sisters and colleagues from every part of the Congregation who were focused on justice and peace.

This gathering was held just six weeks after the publishing of the encyclical Laudato Si’. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this amazing document.

The broad vision of Laudato Si’ includes these main points:

  • Humanity is not separate from the environment.
  • The accelerating change in climate is “undeniable, catastrophic and worsened by human activity.”
  • Indifference to the environment, consumerism and naïve confidence that technology will save us are adding to the gravity of the situation.

At the core of Laudato Si’ is the question: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up” (Laudato Si’160)?

Cardinal Turkson addresses the International Shalom seminar in 2015.

Our response from the seminar is:

  • Live the commitment to integral ecology proposed in Laudato Si’ that emphasizes the call to dialogue, conversion, reconciliation, healing and oneness with all creation.
  • Encourage study and integration of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly Laudato Si’, in our lives, ministries and institutions.

From the very beginning of its publication, Laudato Si’ has been a guide for us as School Sisters of Notre Dame and on May 25, 2021, we made a public statement committing to becoming a Laudato Si’ Congregation.

We don’t live it perfectly, but it is always a part of our discernment process. Year by year we try to deepen and integrate our response.

We invite you to follow along as we enter the fourth year of our Laudato Si’ commitment and learn more!

Read more about

Learn more what it means for SSND to be a Laudato Si’ congregation.

Discover the goals and supporting resources to live out Laudato Si’ in your life.

*Shalom is our SSND international network for Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation