Care for Our Common Home becoming the norm

Jesuit ministries are making rapid progress at embedding Care for Our Common Home into their ‘business as usual’.

Jesuit ministries are making rapid progress at embedding Care for Our Common Home into their ‘business as usual’.

“When Pope Francis says that care for our common home is ‘everyone’s responsibility’, we hear this as applying to all of our ministries”, said Fr Quyen Vu SJ, Provincial of the Society of Jesus in Australia.

Care for Our Common Home is a priority found in the Jesuits’ Universal Apostolic Preferences (2019-2029) and in the Apostolic Plan (2019-2025) of the Australian Province of the Society of Jesus.

In June 2021, the Society of Jesus in Australia Ltd (SOJA) released a Laudato si’ Action Plan Framework to assist its ministries plan, work and report on their efforts to care for our common home. After just six months: 

• 91% of ministries had appointed a contact person;

• 68% had a developed a Care for Our Common Home team; and 

• 41% had an action plan to progress Care for Our Common Home.

Fr Quyen also said “2021 was a difficult year with the impact of COVID and decreasing income and numbers of volunteers. It is the passion of our staff and volunteers to care for our common home that is the most significant ingredient in our ministries progress.

The 2021 findings show that a few ministries are well advanced while many are just starting out on their care for our common home journey. I believe that with support all will be able to make a meaningful contribution to caring for our common home.”

Feature photo by Paul Macallan on Pexels.

Article published on Australian Jesuit website.