2025-02-07
Dear Jerome,
These days, I'm thinking about how to practice faithful resilience. Between 2025 being a Jubilee Year of Hope, the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si', and the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, there is so much to celebrate and find faith in. And yet, thousands of people were displaced, and at least 28 individuals lost their lives in the Los Angeles wildfires, and days later, the White House began issuing executive orders retracting environmental protections shortly after the inauguration.
Catholic Climate Covenant remains committed to recognizing the science-backed link between climate change and intensified weather events, as we noted in our Statement on LA Wildfires (https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/press-releases/statement-praying-for-those-impacted-by-wildfires-in-los-angeles-and-southern-california/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9cd98387-ec97-46c7-a3fc-02898ef39c0c). We also call upon our elected officials to promote the common good of all. As we said in our Joint Statement with Laudato Si' Movement (https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/press-releases/protecting-our-common-home-a-catholic-appeal-to-the-trump-administration/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9cd98387-ec97-46c7-a3fc-02898ef39c0c), "We call on the Trump administration to face the climate reality and reverse these decisions [of retracting environmental protections]. We call on Congress to hold firm on commitments to domestic and international climate programs and financing."
Faithful resilience in this time of climate emergency requires, I think, the courage to act with prophetic hope and the ability to still find God's presence in all of creation. In this newsletter, you'll find resources to care for your well-being (such as this Wildfire Health/Mental Health Resources (https://docs.google.com/document/d/10NrdL-qaje2JEK8EyY70j24Hzf78kiGPm3ltWszrV-U/edit?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9cd98387-ec97-46c7-a3fc-02898ef39c0c&tab=t.0) from the University of California's Center for Climate, Health, and Equity) and opportunities to celebrate the Jubilee Year .
Will you practice faithful resilience with us?
In hope,
Diana Marin
Program Manager, Young Adult Mobilization
Catholic Climate Covenant