Celebrating the Earth: Resources for Earth Day
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Click above to view a recent webinar sponsored by
Holy Name Province and facilitated by FAN
on youth ministry Care for Creation resources
for Earth Day. |
Introduction 
Model Parishes
Resources
Advocacy
Introduction
April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. With support across political, social, and economic differences, the first Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 1990, Earth Day mobilized 200 million people in 141 countries, expanded recycling efforts around the world, and paved the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day 2000 used the internet to connect 5,000 environmental groups and hundreds of millions of individuals in 184 countries.
Earth Day is now the largest secular holiday in the world, observed by one billion people. In the spirit of their Founder, Franciscans and Franciscan-hearted persons add a distinctive voice to this celebration of God’s creation. Earth Day provides an opportunity for the laity to act on their call to transform the world. The Second Vatican Council stated that lay people are responsible for “the noble duty of working to extend the divine plan of salvation to all” (Lumen Gentium, 33). The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order reminds laity that “according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God's children” (11) and are called to material simplicity. “Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which ‘bear the imprint of the Most High,’ and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship” (18). Earth Day offers Franciscan parishes an appropriate moment to focus on living out God’s love for creation.
Model Parishes
Several Franciscan parishes in Holy Name Province share their ideas:
The CCD program at St. Mary Church in Obernburg, NY plans to distribute Blue Spruce saplings after Mass the weekend between the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 30). They also hope to show the video “The Man Who Planted Trees”, the story of a single shepherd who takes it upon himself to reseed an entire barren valley, to their CCD classes.
The Directors of Religious Education and Youth Ministry at St. Mary Church in Pompton Lakes, NJ developed care for creation CCD and youth ministry programs (PDF) for Grades 1, 4, 5, 6-8 and high school.
The Care for Creation Ministry and Franciscan School at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh, NC act on their care for creation through a variety of programs (PDF), from reducing waste and composting to science lessons and a school Social Justice Fair.
 Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, NC has developed a number of resources to educate youth about care for creation and their faith:
Resources
The National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry offers games and activities to engage youth in care for creation, as well as links to other helpful resources.
Earth Day is an opportunity to encourage youth and their families to take the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor. The Catholic Climate Covenant website suggests ways to pray, learn, assess, act, and advocate.
Education for Justice at the Center of Concern has a range of resources on Global Climate Change, including for Earth Day. Resources include:
- Bulletin Insert on Ten Things You Can Do to Care for the Earth (PDF)
- Earth Day Prayer Service (PDF)
- "Earth" Film Discussion Guide (PDF)
- Visual Meditation: "Our Sacred Earth" (PDF)
The Institute for Sustainable Energy created a printable worksheet (PDF) to calculate your Ecological Footprint, or the number of acres needed to sustain your lifestyle, complete with tips for a more sustainable lifestyle.
These instructions for a prayerful reflection (PDF) on the interconnectedness of creation and our dependence on it are adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peace is Every Step.
This interactive “Canticle of the Creatures” (PDF) is adapted from the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT.
For age-appropriate information on climate change, classroom activities, and printable pages from an Earth Day coloring book, consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
The Red Cross offers stories about climate change through the eyes of children around the world:
- Halima in Ethiopia (PDF)
- Jemery in Canada (PDF)
- Tui in Tuvalu (PDF)
 Advocacy
You do not have to wait for legislation to share FAN’s Message to Congress with your elected officials. Youth can adapt this message or write their own expression of concern for creation. Advocacy during the Easter season will follow FAN’s Lenten reflections on a New Creation.
The Catholic Relief Services Action Center facilitates electronic advocacy on many issues, including climate change and other care for creation issues.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (PDF file) applies Catholic Social Teaching to climate change legislative advocacy.
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