EcoPhilly Blog

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, January 11, 2026 Laudato Si’   ( Praised Be ) On Care for Our Common Home  is the title of the Encyclical Letter written by Pope Francis in 2015. In his letter, Pope Francis draws inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi. “He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.” ( Laudato Si’  10)

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, January 4, 2026 “In his Message for the 2026 World Day of Peace , Pope Leo XIV addresses the escalation of war, rearmament and fear in international relations, and reiterates the Church’s opposition to deterrence based on military force. He calls for disarmament, dialogue and the conversion of hearts as necessary conditions for a lasting and unarmed peace….  Pope Leo warns tha

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, December 28, 2025 “Our nation has some of the greatest environmental laws in the world — but they are only as good as their enforcement. Otherwise, they are just words on paper.” –Tim Preso, Managing Attorney, Biodiversity Defense Program “ The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the single most important shield wildlife has against extinction ” (Earthjustice, 12/12/25). “To date,

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, December 21, 2025 In the last months of his life, Pope Francis was preparing an Apostolic Exhortation on the Church’s care for the poor, Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You) , as if Christ speaks those words to each of them, saying: “You have little power,” yet “I have loved you” (Rev 3:9). Pope Leo added his own reflections to the document and issued it at the beginning of his pontif

"For almost 25 years, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has protected millions of acres of wild forest from road construction, logging and mining."

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, December 7, 2025 At the United Nations’ 30th climate summit — COP30 (Council of Parties), held in Brazil from November 10-21 — world leaders from 190+ countries met to discuss action on the climate crisis.  “These COPs are an important forum for world leaders to gather annually to advance action to address the global climate crisis, as they have committed to under internationa

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, November 30, 2025 For this Advent, Catholic Climate Covenant* asked a diverse group of 26 U.S. Catholics, of all ages and from all walks of life, to reflect on Romans 8:19: “For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God…” The reflections provide an ecological Advent prayer resource to inspire us in our daily prayers as we anticipate the birth

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, November 23, 2025 Recent legislation has ended the 43-day government shutdown. Resumption of funding includes “the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the child nutrition programs, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) through fiscal year (FY) 2026 (September 30, 2026) in the event that there is another government s

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, November 16, 2025 Native American Heritage month honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous people and their ancestors who lived, and continue to live, on the land which is now known as North America.  Although there have been proclamations to honor the contributions of Native Americans since 1916, “in 1990 Congress passed and President George H. W. Bush s

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, November 9, 2025 The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. We learn from the story of the good Samaritan that we are called not only to love those who are like us or with whom we are comfortable, but all whom God places in our path.  People who come to the U.S. without permission face numerous barriers in attempting to secure legal status.  Accordin

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, November 2, 2025 “After years of fierce grassroots advocacy from communities harmed by chemical plants, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enacted the 2024 HON rule—Hazardous Organic NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants)—and projected that it would reduce air pollution-related risks for communities living near these facilities by about 96 per

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, October 26, 2025 World Food Day is observed globally every year on October 16, marking the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. The day raises awareness about global hunger, food insecurity, and sustainable food systems. It alerts us that hunger is an everyday challenge for many people in our local communities and across the globe. “W

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, October 19, 2025    The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred, and that the dignity of the person is at the core of a moral vision for society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. ( Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice ) At the 2025 Warsaw Hum

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, October 12, 2025 A key Catholic Social Teaching principle is   Participation . All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community. Conversely, it is wrong for a person or a group to

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, October 5, 2025 This weekend we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. The following reflection and artwork are provided by Bill Stigliani, artist and parishioner at Old St. Joseph’s Parish in Philadelphia.  Boy in Poverty Gazing in Wonder at Firefly Magic on a Starry Starry Night Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care of Our Common Home  teaches us the

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, September 28, 2025 Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Solidarity means that “loving our neighbor” has global dimensions in an interdependent world.  “We may all be one, but we’re not exactly experiencing the

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, September 21, 2025 Catholic teaching...

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, September 14, 2025 “ Sun Day,...

STEWARDS OF   OUR EARTH All of God’s Creation Social Justice Committee, Holy Cross Parish, Mt. Airy, September 7, 2025 Pope Leo XIV in...

The Universal Church celebrates the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1. That date marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, set aside by the Church until October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, to reflect on the goodness of God’s creation and the responsibility for humanity to honor and protect it.