As Mercy people, we are called to live and serve our world by following the eight corporal works of Mercy:
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Visit the imprisoned
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick
- Bury the dead
- Care for our common home
Yesterday (1 September, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation), we began The Season of Creation, and it ends on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations. Individuals and communities are invited to participate through prayer, sustainability projects and advocacy.
At OLMC, we take this call seriously. In addition to structural responses such as solar panels used to power our school and water capturing used for toilets and gardens, our Eco-justice groups work, promote and seek ways to care for our planet and the earth’s poor. Pope Francis says
"…for believers in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who became man for our sake, “the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us” (Laudato Si’, 216). The ecological crisis thus summons us to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to “an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them” (ibid., 217). For “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (ibid.)."
Pope Francis, in his letter to Cardinals Turkson and Koch establishing the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”
“Praise be to you my Lord, with all your creatures,” prayed St. Francis of Assisi, well before the Season of Creation began. With this simple but profound prayer, he has encouraged believers of many generations to recognize creation as the fruit of God’s eternal Love.
What are you able to do during this 2022 Season of Creation?