Virtual Conference: Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church

A Conference Series on Our Common Home

Note: Conference website reflects start and end times based on Central Time Zone; times reflected in the event description below have been converted to Eastern Standard Time.

Sponsored by Creighton University and Catholic Climate Covenant

“Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church: A Conference Series on Our Common Home” is a biennial conference series to convene, equip, and inspire Catholics who can more deeply integrate Laudato Si’ and its climate change teaching into the U.S. Church.

The 2021 conference will open on July 13 with a keynote event featuring His Eminence Blase Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, and Maureen Day, PhD, Assistant Professor of Religion and Society at the Franciscan School of Theology. The event, “A Bold Embrace of Laudato Si’ By The U.S. Catholic Church,” will assess why the U.S. Catholic response to Laudato Si’ has not been commensurate with the urgency and gravity of the climate crisis.

On July 14-15, the conference will feature interactive breakout sessions facilitated by teams of ministry leaders working to more faithfully incorporate Laudato Si’ into eight areas of the U.S. Catholic Church:

• Advocacy
• Colleges/Universities
• Communications/Media
• Creation Care Teams (especially at parishes and dioceses)
• Environmental Justice
• Preaching for Creation Care
• Parochial School Education
• Youth & Young Adults

Each ministry leadership team will share the strategies, plans, and resources being developed with members of their working group. Presentations will be followed by discussion with conference participants.

The conference is free, but registration is required, and a freewill donation is encouraged to offset costs that include Spanish language interpretation.