Pope Francis' compelling encyclical Laudato Sí in 2015 issued a clarion call. "Our common home cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her." But the response has been inadequate. We continue "our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her."

Kat Doyle, Director of Justice & Peace Ministries for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, has considered what we can do, what works, lessons learned in parishes in Georgia. Doyle has helped groups assess the impact on long term planning in the Sustainable Creation Care Ministry. Her work helped her see how to break through what holds us back from taking action and implementing Laudato Si’.

In addition to her archdiocesan efforts, Kat Doyle advises the Bishops around social concern and Catholic Social Teaching. She educates on, raises awareness of, and advocates for social justice issues including Care for Creation. In 2021 she was appointed as the U.S. representative for the Vatican’s Dicastery of Integral Human Development tasked with creating and maintaining a Vatican Laudato Si’ Action Platform for the global Catholic Church. 

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In preparation for Kat Doyle's presentation, the APP recognizes that there is a strong disconnect between the Pope's letter and the failure of our Church and society to embrace it. For this reason, it offers some support activities as well.

First, we encourage any concerned citizen to watch the Pope's latest movie, The Film, you can see it here .

The Film effectively details the similarity between man's abuse of God's creation (climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity), the abuse of his fellow man, and the decline in the quality of our human life. It underscores how this encyclical is meant for each and every one of us, personally. It calls for a change in our culture, but also a change in ourselves.

Finally, following Kat's presentation, we will sponsor a post-talk, practical Workshop on "How to move forward on Laudato Si." That session will be at 7:00 PM, ET, on Zoom, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.  It is designed to transform the lessons we learn from Kat into practical steps, to be taken together or alone.