EarthBeat

In a small border town between Kenya and Tanzania sits Savelberg Mixed Day and Boarding Primary School, founded in 2012 by the Little Sisters of St. Joseph to provide the community with a learning institution.

St. Benedict writes, "Let those who receive the clothing not complain about its color or coarseness, but accept what is given them." That's a hard teaching in a world like ours, where we're told to consume constantly.

Daughter of Charity Sr. Denise LaRock is one of the many people working tirelessly with Catholic groups to help Texas Hill Country residents affected by the deadly July 4 floods.

Amid a humanitarian crisis, program teaches women sustainable farming practices. 

"The women problem" in Laudato Si' is nothing new. The failure to centralize, regard and learn from women and their experiences abounds in Catholic theology and ecclesial realities. In the next decade, the church must fill this gap.

"No puedo desenvolverme en mi lengua materna, que es el kichwa; utilizo muy poco mi vestimenta originaria y no sé relacionarme con la creación. Como muchos jóvenes indígenas, crecí creyendo que alejarse de las raíces era el camino para una 'vida digna', atrapada en un sistema que nos pide adaptarnos pero rara vez nos acoge", reflexiona la Hna. Jenny Castañeda, quien estima que su "identidad indígena herida" no necesita perfección sino reconocimiento. 

We asked panelists: What can we learn through, from and for nature? What kind of threat does climate change pose to peace? What are you doing to change it? Responses reflect the living legacy of Pope Francis' love for creation.

Pope Francis was a prophet for the earth. It was through his teachings in "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," that I came to see farming as a sacred calling. Laudato Si' also inspired collaboration here in Kenya.