The Archdiocese of San Antonio has long endeavored to walk alongside the poor and most abandoned in our community. In response to an invitation from Pope Francis, the archdiocese has announced its commitment to join the international Laudato Si’ Action Platform, which originates from the 2015 encyclical by the Holy Father on Care for Our Common Home.
A plan will be developed in a synodal style of discernment to address seven goals, which include: Response to the Cry of the Earth, Response to the Cry of the Poor, Ecological Economics, Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles, Ecological Education, Ecological Spirituality, and Community Resilience and Empowerment. “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed,” the pontiff stated in Laudato Si’.
Each year, Catholic Charities delivers more than 50 programs and services addressing the needs of the poor and vulnerable, including creating organic gardens in the most economically challenged areas of our community and also operating the Migrant Resource Center/Centro de Bienvenida to honor the dignity of those fleeing danger and poverty.
The commitment by the archdiocese to the Action Platform brings a new depth and breadth to these efforts while responding to the pope’s plea in the encyclical that we recognize “the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.”
“I invite all the People of God in the archdiocese to join me in reflecting on how we hear and respond to the Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth,” stated Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS. “Together, let us proceed in faith toward the fulfillment of God’s divine plan for us and for all Creation.”
Archbishop Gustavo signed commitment documents in Spanish and English regarding the Laudato Si’ Action Platform on July 28 at two Masses at San Fernando Cathedral.
“Our planet is a gift from God, entrusted to us to steward with love and care. The call to protect our common home is not merely an environmental issue, but a spiritual and moral imperative,” said the archbishop in his homily. “By adopting renewable energies, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable agriculture, we participate in the divine act of creation, sustaining life as God intended. When we see the beauty of creation, we see a reflection of the Creator’s glory.”
Archbishop Gustavo emphasized that eco-justice reminds us that the well-being of the earth is intimately connected to the well-being of humanity — especially the most vulnerable — and that promoting solidarity and defending human life from conception to natural death are essential components of this call.
“Our economy must serve the common good, respecting the limits of nature,” he said.
