Environment

At the Stuart Center we firmly believe that all members of the human family are called to be stewards of the earth. As stewards we are called by God to care for one another and all forms of life. Stewardship reminds us of our fundamental characteristic of relationship as God’s children: Relationship with God, the earth, other people and future generations. For us, environmental concerns, including climate change, are as much spiritual, ethical and moral concerns as they are social, political and economic ones. Greed, consumerism and a series of “smaller” reckless behaviors have disrupted the ecosystems of our planet which, in turn, have triggered a chain of events leading to dramatic disruption of people’s lives, particularly in rural and indigenous communities. The Stuart Center discerns its choices very closely to ensure that our operations reflect socially and environmentally responsible practices. This is particularly evident in the improvements made in our facilities over the last several years as well as through the operations of the Conference Center. Through education, advocacy and social action we seek to reflect on our own practices; encourage socially responsible actions in others; and work toward the healing and restoration of creation.

  • Laudato Si’ Week: May 16-25

    Laudato Si’ Week 2021, to be held May 16-25, will be the crowning event of the Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year, and a celebration of the great progress the whole Church has made on its journey to ecological conversion. Laudato Si’ Week 2021 will also be a time to reflect on what the COVID-19 pandemic…

  • 21-Day Catholic Environmental Justice Challenge

    21-Day Catholic Environmental Justice Challenge:  Learn, Pray, and Act for Environmental Justice April 23, 2021-May 16, 2021 21-Day Catholic Environmental Justice Challenge The Environmental Justice Challenge invites us to pray, learn and act in order to:  enter into the complex work of understanding the connections between environmental injustices that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and people…

  • Discovering Our Kinship With Earth and All Her Creatures

    Everyone loves family first. But too many of us have forgotten that as children of one Father, we are bonded in a kinship relationship with every created being. The Incarnation reveals definitively that the Heart of God beats at the center of the entire network of life.  Discovering this ecological spirituality orients us toward reverence for all life,…

  • Covid-19 Actions

    During the last weeks we all have been invited to mourn and pray for the over 100,000 people in the United States and over 7,000 in Canada, who have died as a result of Covid-19. We have seen the unequal suffering of those impacted by the pandemic, particularly our black and brown brothers and sisters, the elders of all communities, the First Nations people, prisoners, the homeless, the unemployed, refugees, and those who have found themselves on the front lines of service.

    The Society of the Sacred Heart in United States and Canada upholds human dignity, especially the most vulnerable, through a focus on several significant issues: racism, immigration, human trafficking, and environmental sustainability. Covid-19 has implications for each of these priorities.

  • Laudato Si Week and Catholic Climate Covenant

    “I renew my urgent call to respond to the ecological crisis, the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor cannot continue. Let’s take care of creation, a gift of our good Creator God.” ~Pope Francis Laudato Si offers a vision for creating a more just and sustainable world, a vision made even more timely…

  • COVID-19 funding priorities

    The Society of the Sacred Heart joins 150 other Catholic organizations in urging Congress to direct COVID-19 funding to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable as well as care for God’s creation.

  • Statement in support of the Global Climate Strike

    Led by teenagers who recognize the potential threat of the global climate crisis on future generations, especially those living in poor communities most affected by climate change, the movement is striving to raise awareness to the urgency and scale of the current climate crisis.