Laudato si'

Laudato Si' (Praise be to you, my Lord) is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle "On Care for Our Common Home". In it, the Pope calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action" to support the earth - our common home. 

SMA engagement in "Our Common Home"

In October 2019, a few grades 9 and 10 students participated in a workshop hosted by Development and Peace. This was a leadership workshop on Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical about caring for "Our Common Home", with a focus on Amazon Indigenous communities. Students learned the main messages of the papal document and how it pertains to all nations. Inspired by what they learned, students wanted to pass on their knowledge to their peers at SMA. Our Campus Ministry Club and Green Team collaborated and offered a"Think Fast" session during Lent. "Think Fast" is a period of fasting and community building that helps youth experience the challenges of poverty and injustice in concrete ways. Teacher, Ms. Marasco, was also inspired by Laudato Si' and engaged her grades 9-1 and 9-3 Religion classes in learning about the encyclical. Students took time to reflect on their learning and created a poem, letter or art piece. Below are samples of their reflections - click image to enlarge.