Season of Creation
Season of Creation unites the global Christian family from September 1 until October 4 in celebrating the wonders of Creation.
This year's Season of Creation symbol invites Christians to a spiritual immersion — praying together while contemplating water from rivers, sources, fountains, baptismal fonts, lakes and sea, inspired by the Spirit of God, working together for the renewal of Creation.
This symbol also encourages us to immerse ourselves in the tears of creation, that is allowing our hearts to be touched by our brothers' and sisters' suffering as well as the suffering of all creation. Indeed, the Season of Creation is also an appropriate time for familial closeness and solidarity with the vulnerable and the poor, chiefly those who suffer from environmental degradation. We can learn from their stories, from their resilience, from their commitment, and together keep hope alive. Visit the international Season of Creation page.
Join us at any of this year's Season of Creation events as we come together to create a global stream of hope!
Laudato Si'
On the World Day of Prayer for the Poor in 2021, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the launch of the next phase of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) played a key role in its development as a member of the Religious Order working group.
The Laudato Si' Action Platform is a key Vatican initiative to empower the universal Church to achieve total sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology. The human family faces increasing risks of hunger, disease, migration, and conflict due to climate change and environmental degradation, unfortunately, the most vulnerable suffer above all.
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform provides practical tools to address this socio-ecological crisis. Anyone who pledges to be part of the platform can access free resources to evaluate where they stand on the road to sustainability, reflect on the principles of integral ecology, and make a plan to take action.
From 2020-2021, CSA helped shape both the model and the content for this program. Through deep and sustained conversations with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and a global network of partners, the Holy Spirit has created a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, a shared space for action that offers new momentum to urgently address our socio-ecological crisis.
Read more about our seven year Laudato Si' commitment to action.
We invite you and all members of the universal Church to join us and the Vatican on this Laudato Si’ journey. The links below are great interfaith resources.
CSA Conservation Easement
On January 10, 2022, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) signed a Conservation Easement Document, in partnership with Glacial Lakes Conservancy (GLC), protecting 237 acres of Earth in perpetuity. CSA land, with its buildings, forests, prairies, wetlands, farm fields, cemetery, nature trails, and three stream channels running down the Niagara Escarpment will be protected from commercial development for all time.
We welcome visitors to the property for tours to learn more about the CSA property and the value of conservation easements.
Socially Responsible Investing
CSA employs a multifaceted approach to socially responsible investing, including avoiding investments that are inconsistent with our core values and mission statement, supporting companies aligned with our mission, and encouraging change through active ownership (shareholder engagement).
In the spirit of the common good, we believe a holistic approach is appropriate in evaluating a company’s benefit to society and the world. We use our position as an active shareholder to engage with companies to influence corporate cultures, policies, and decisions.
Additionally, we support and encourage investment in companies whose activities directly align with our values and those companies which have expressed and demonstrated an ability to change.
Finally, as shareholders, we have the right and responsibility to express our views to management through the annual proxy voting process. Our proxy voting practices are consistent with our mission, values, the teachings of the Catholic Church and reflect our environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) priorities.