Watering seeds of faith and hope in God’s creation
By Wendy Shaw
Schools and parishes taking part in the annual Laudato Si’ days are on a ‘transformative journey’ to care for our common home.
That’s the view of Jacqueline Remond, co-convenor of the Laudato Si’ schools and community day on 18 and 19 September, hosted by St Aloysius Catholic College junior campus, Kingston Beach.
Ms Remond is an integral ecology expert from Australian Catholic University who has been a convenor at all three annual Laudato Si’ days. She is the only Australian among 12 new consultors appointed by Pope Leo in August to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The days take their name from Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You), the second encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled ‘On Care for Our Common Home’.
Some 150 Catholic school students and 30 staff took part in a day of faith, friendship and learning about making a positive difference in caring for their communities and the wider world. About 50 people attended the following day.
Ms Remond said afterwards: “My sense is that the schools and parishes that have participated in these days—this year and in 2024 and 2025—are on a transformative seven-year journey with Laudato Si’ guided by the seven Laudato Si’ goals and Catholic social teaching to care for all in our common home and future generations.
“On both days, students and parishioners were ‘drawing new maps of hope’ by participating in a creative dialogue process inspired by Erica Bernard’s artistic contribution in the book ‘Hope Unfinished Business’.
“Each person named the roots that hold them strong and identified seeds of hope as God’s creation within an ecological community of life.”
The events had a ‘living water’ theme and participants experienced this through blessing and prayer, with a focus on seeing ‘our lives as living water within Creation’, Ms Remond said.
The school program included outdoor activities with First Peoples storytelling, creative arts such as weaving and dancing, scientific sampling, planting and growing food, as well as indoor experiences such as walking the Chartres labyrinth with Laudato Si’, and stepping into the shoes of climate migrants and refugees.
“The key message emphasised relational kinship within creation, with our loving Creator, coming to know our place and embodying our role as responsible carers,” Ms Remond said.
Participants engaged in ‘weaving yula’ with Aboriginal artist Bianca Templar, learned about the life cycle of the yula (mutton bird) on Boronia Beach with Aboriginal writer and co-convenor Adam Thompson, experienced whale storytelling and learned the whale dance and song with Aboriginal Catholic educator Theresa Ardler, took part in gardening and seed planting with event organiser and retired principal Luch Brighella, connected Laudato si’ with climate refugees with Aine Toman (St Virgil’s teacher), experienced the message of Laudato Si’ while walking the labyrinth with teacher Leanne Prichard; and hunted for mini beasts (insects) with Sr Majella Kelly PBVM.
This year an archdiocesan Laudato Si’ steering group helped plan the two days, a move welcomed by both Ms Remond and Mr Brighella.
“This is a significant step that I hope will continue to deepen relationships across the Archdiocese including with First Nations leaders in Tasmania,” Ms Remond said.
“It was a deep honour to work with Adam Thompson, Bianca Templar, Anthony King and his team at the Tasmania Catholic Education Office to bring Laudato Si’ to life during the Season of Creation in 2026.”
Mr Brighella said there were lots of highlights over the two days. He praised the interactive program that engaged and inspired students and parishioners, and thanked all who played a part in making it a success including Archbishop Tony Ireland, who concelebrated Mass with Fr Mike Delaney and Fr Ben Brooks at the Church of Christ the Priest at Kingston on the Saturday.
In his homily, Archbishop Tony said: “There is something wonderfully bold about St Francis of Assisi calling the sun his brother and the moon his sister.
“Brother Sun. Sister Moon. Sister Water. Brother Fire.
“Francis was not being sentimental about nature. He was saying something profoundly Christian. He understood that creation is not a collection of things which happen to surround us. Creation is a family because everything that exists comes from the hand of the one Father.”
He said that the ecological crisis which Pope Francis addressed in Laudato Si’ is a spiritual crisis as much as an environmental one.
“The ecological crisis … begins somewhere much closer than a smokestack or a polluted river. It begins in the human heart …
“Christ has come not merely to rescue isolated souls from a damaged world. He has come to reconcile creation.
“So when we come to the water, we remember the water of our Baptism. We remember that we belong to Christ. And when we hear all the works of God summoned to praise him, we recognise that our voices belong within that great choir of creation …
“The conversion Laudato Si’ asks of us today is to look again at this beautiful world, to recognise the fingerprints of God upon it, and to join St Francis in the song which creation has never ceased to sing:
“Praised be to you, my Lord.
“Laudato si’.
“Praise the Lord, all you works of God.”