Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Chapter 10: Safeguarding the Environment
Presents Catholic Church teaching on stewardship for the environment within a variety of headings: I BIBLICAL ASPECTS, II MAN (sic.) AND THE UNIVERSE OF CREATED THINGS, III THE CRISIS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND THE ENVIRONMENT, IV A COMMON RESPONSIBILITY a. The environment, a collective good b. The use of biotechnology c. The environment and the sharing of goods d. New lifestyles.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
”Respect for the Integrity of Creation”
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P8B.HTM
This subsection comprises four articles that address respect for creation’s integrity. This link will take the reader to the section within which these articles are found: Respect for Persons and Their Goods, which has useful information on stewardship in a wider sense, as well. Here is where these articles are found in the Catechism:
Part III (Life in Christ), Section II (The Ten Commandments), Chapter II (You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself), Article Seven: The Seventh Commandment, Section II: Respect for Persons and Their Goods. Nos: 2415-2418.
Diocese of Calgary Stewardship Resources
Excellent collection of resources on stewardship - for personal gifts, for community, parish and creation.
http://www.rcdiocese-calgary.ab.ca/stewardship/
Forum on Religion and Ecology
http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/religion/
This site offers a rich variety of the perspectives of the major world religious traditions on the present ecological crisis.
Catholic Conservation Center
http://conservation.catholic.org/
The mission of the Catholic Conservation Center is to promote ecology, environmental justice, and the stewardship of creation in the light of sacred Scripture and living Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Their goal is to help bring about the ecological conversion called for by Pope John Paul II. His World Day of Peace Message, Peace with God - Peace with all of Creation announced, "There is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts, and continued injustice among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of due respect for nature.... Moreover, a new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge which, rather than being downplayed, ought to be encouraged to develop into concrete programs and initiatives." The Catholic Conservation Center is one such initiative. Site’s 7 Themes for Ecological Responsibility are a good senior elementary and secondary level discussion piece, as are many of their other resources, which are geared to promote stewardship and reverence for God’s gift of creation.
http://www.faith-commongood.net/index.asp
Seeking the common good in Canada is a tradition long-lived by peoples who have struggled to be a community in the rugged beauty of this land. The harsh climate, the distances, and the inter-mixing of peoples have challenged us, yet we have also been sustained by the belief - still valid today - that this land and people have tremendous opportunities ahead. The world community, and Canadians themselves view this northern place as a land of opportunity and tolerance; a place to create a home where peace, fairness, democracy, ecological well-being, economic opportunity, and seeking the common good are a way of life. Yet we increasingly live in a competitive era of brand-name consumerism and mega-market homogenisation. Faith & the Common Good is an initiative asking Canadians what values we believe should form our communities - small and large. Faith & the Common Good is intentionally being inter-faith and inter-cultural in its organization and objectives because this is Canada now, and increasingly will be in our future. To live inter-faith/inter-culturally in a spirit of the common good is our vision for Canada. Of particular interest with regard to stewardship is the organization’s Green Rule poster and related resources.
Catholic Stewardship
http://www.catholicstewardship.com/
A very well developed site that includes descriptions of many Catholic publications on stewardship and development as well as conferences, news and other activities. Very much from the Catholic perspective.
The Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship
http://www.cornwallalliance.org/articles/read/the-cornwall-declaration-on-environmental-stewardship/
A declaration on environmental stewardship which emerges from the Judaeo-Christian tradition. This document calls all the earth’s peoples to reverence the human person as image and likeness of God and to assume their biblical role as stewards over God’s creation.
“We Are Still Betraying the Mandate God Has Given Us”
http://conservation.catholic.org/declaration.htm
Joint Declaration on the Environment by Pope John Paul II and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholemew of Constantinople. A very solid declaration on the need for humankind to respond to the ecological crisis with conversion, prayer and cooperation.
Catholic Conservation Center
http://conservation.catholic.org/
The mission of the Catholic Conservation Center is to promote ecology, environmental justice, and the stewardship of creation in the light of sacred Scripture and living Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Their goal is to help bring about the ecological conversion called for by Pope John Paul II. His World Day of Peace Message, Peace with God - Peace with all of Creation announced, "There is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts, and continued injustice among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of due respect for nature.... Moreover, a new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge which, rather than being downplayed, ought to be encouraged to develop into concrete programs and initiatives." The Catholic Conservation Center is one such initiative. Site’s 7 Themes for Ecological Responsibility are a good senior elementary and secondary level discussion piece, as are many of their other resources, which are geared to promote stewardship and reverence for God’s gift of creation.
Kairos - Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiatives
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/index.asp
KAIROS unites churches and religious organizations in a faithful ecumenical response to the call to "do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). We deliberate on issues of common concern, advocate for social change and join with people of faith and goodwill in action for social transformation.
Catholic Church on Ecological Degradation
http://faculty.theo.mu.edu/schaefer/ChurchonEcologicalDegradation/CatholicChurchonEnvironmentalDegradation.shtml
This site features links to a variety of texts, many of them from official Church sources, as related to environmental issues. Very useful for locating specific references to Catholic Church teaching.
Walking on Water
http://www.rclondon.ca/wow
A Guide for Groups Exploring Faith and Justice designed with young adults in mind and open to faith groups of all ages. This useful and user friendly resource is a free, 94 page download, much of it classroom and/or retreat ready. It was prepared in collaboration with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace and the Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario.
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
http://www.devp.org/
Development and Peace is the overseas development office of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Materials related to their ongoing development and relief campaigns provide an opportunity for Catholic educators to teach students about compassion to the less fortunate, and to exercise this compassion through fundraising that will help the poor in the developing world live with hope and dignity.
Celebrating an Education for Justice and Peace
http://www.occb.on.ca/english/celebrating.html
A letter from the Ontario Bishops to Ontario’s Catholic secondary school students. This letter provides a helpful overview of how we can educate for justice and peace and become involved in related efforts.
Canada, Continuity and Change. Catholic Values Supplement. A Guide for Use By Teachers in Roman Catholic Separate Schools
http://www.fitzhenry.ca/Download/guides/CanadaContCatholicValues.pdf
This resource contains lesson ideas for instructing elementary and secondary level students in a number of different areas, including stewardship. Lessons are linked to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ICE Catholic
The Otesha Project
http://www.otesha.ca/
We know that our current way of life is harming the planet and its inhabitants. Only hope and action will remedy this. For a better future, we each must re-evaluate our own actions and BE the positive change we want to see in the world. A dream born in Kenya has become a charitable organization of hopeful young people uniting as the Otesha Project. Otesha, which means "reason to dream" in Swahili, was created to mobilize youth to create local and global change through their daily consumer choices. We believe that there are alternatives to our culture of overconsumption, and that each one of us has opportunities to have positive impacts every single day. We aim to demonstrate the positive effects our everyday choices can have, by living sustainably, changing the world, and having loads of fun--all at the same time!
Forum on Religion and Ecology: Official Christianity Statements
http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/religion/christianity/statements/
This site features the original texts of official statements by a variety of Christian churches related to ecology.
Introduction to Religion and Ecology: World Religions
http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/religion/
This site features articles dedicated to explaining the ecological positions of a variety of religious traditions.
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
http://www.ncrlc.com/
The National Catholic Rural Life Conference is a membership organization grounded in a spiritual tradition that brings together the Church, care of community and care of creation. It also contains resources around the ethics of eating as well as spirituality.
Earth Day Canada
http://pub.earthday.ca/pub/index.php
This is an important website dedicated to Earth Day in Canada. It contains a wide variety of resources for schools and communities, as well as many useful links.
Earth Day Kit
http://schools.alcdsb.on.ca/social_justice/Environmental%20Documents/Earth%20Day%20Kit.pdf
The Committee for Social Justice of the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board has created this diverse collection of curricular and liturgical resources, links to relevant web sites for teachers, and suggested social action projects. Many of these are ready for use in classrooms or school assemblies. A CD of the complete kit, which also features a video presentation prepared by WaterCan, is available upon request (contact information available at http://schools.alcdsb.on.ca/social_justice/)
Prayers for Creation: An EcoSchools Resource
Environment Canada
http://www.ec.gc.ca/regeng.html
This is the official site of the Canadian Ministry of the Environment. Of particular interest is its "Green Lane" page (http://www.ec.gc.ca/envhome.html) which is Environment Canada's Internet resource for weather and environmental information. The Green Lane helps connect Canadians, exchange information and share knowledge for environmental decision-making.
Learning for a Sustainable Future
http://www.lsf-lst.ca/
Learning for a Sustainable Future is a Canadian non-profit organization whose mandate is to work with educators from across Canada to integrate the concepts and principles of sustainable development into the curricula at all grade levels.
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/
This is the official web site of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. It is particularly useful for accessing information on current environmental issues in Ontario.
YouthCan
http://www.youthcanworld.org/
This site, which features projects for and by youth, invites you to consider starting your own project or linking up your students with another classroom across the world.
WaterCan
http://www.watercan.com/
This Canadian charitable organization provides much useful information about Canadian and global water and sanitation issues, how WaterCan is helping to improve the lives of people in developing countries by increasing their access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education - and how you can help! It's "Kid's Section" features many classroom ready activities. Web links to related sites are extensive.
Top |
