Laudato Si Study Group

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
You are invited to join us this upcoming Season of Creation to learn more about Our Common Home, God’s Creation, and to join us in dialogue about various topics and issues which our Holy Father has so passionately expressed in the Laudato Si encyclical.
  
Description:       
The Encyclical Letter Laudato Si of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common Home is Pope Francis’ second encyclical, released in 2015, in which he addressed problems with the environment, Our Common Home.  In the encyclical, Pope Francis builds off of environmental and related messages from encyclicals by previous Popes, including:
- Pope Saint John XXIII,
- Pope Paul VI,
- Pope Saint John-Paul II, and
- Pope Benedict XI;
as well as the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, Catholic Church doctrine and social teaching, and biblical sources and narratives.  In the Laudato Si, the Holy Father calls our attention to humanity’s relationship to creation, the human roots of the current global environmental crisis, and the human suffering that it has caused and will cause to future generations.   The Holy Father asks us to engage in dialogue about this topic, to change our thinking and habits, and to take thoughtful and prayerful action together to preserve God’s gift of creation for the “Common Good”.
 
 The Season of Creation:
Every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the “Season of Creation”, which officially begins September 1^st and ends October 4^th, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology.  During that time, Pope Francis and the Vatican are asking parishes and dioceses to celebrate and reflect on Our Common Home through prayer, education and dialogue, and inspired actions.
  
Laudato Si Study Group:
To help familiarize the faithful with the message of the Laudato Si, a weekly group study of the Laudato Si is being organized during this Season of Creation for anyone wishing to learn more about the Laudato Si message and our Common Home.  The study sessions will be held Tuesdays from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Faith Formation Center, 3100 West Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, TX 75023 (Room #230) from September 3^rd to October 29^th.

Please see the outline of the readings below.  The readings will also include the Laudate Deum, the 2023 follow up Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis on the status of humanity’s progress toward caring for Our Common Home.  Each session will consist of a short summary and small group discussion of the scheduled readings.
 
 LAUDATO SI READINGS OUTLINE 
 
 
Registration:
If you are interested in joining us for prayerful and enlightening discussion of Pope Francis’ message in the Laudato Si, please fill out the form below. The exact format of the study sessions may change, depending upon how many people register for the group.  There is no cost.  
 
A digital copy or link to the Laudato Si and Laudate Deum are available on the Vatican website.
 
 God Bless you.  We hope to see you in September.