Skip Navigation

Back

Bringing Life to Laudato Si'

August 04, 2020
By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes

This article appears in the August Issue of Reflections and Connections.Sister Dolores with her Certificate

Retired Sister Dolores Lytle, CSA, was inspired to action when she saw the announcement that Sister Dulce María Rodríguez López, CSA, had received her Diploma in Laudato Si’ and Sustainable Development from the Universidad Centroamericana. Following Sister Dulce’s example, Sister Dolores sought out the Global Catholic Climate Movement and received recognition as a “Laudato Si’ Animator” in June of 2020.

Founded in January of 2015, the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) is a young non-profit that began its work six months before Pope Francis released his encyclical, Laudato Si’. In 2020, Laudato Si’ and GCCM both celebrated five years of coordinated efforts to care for God’s creation. During those five years, GCCM has been training people to be actively engaged in the work of Laudato Si’ by offering a “Laudato Si’ Animator” course among many other things.

The Latin root of the term “animate” is “anima,” meaning life or soul. Laudato Si’ Animators, like Sisters Dolores and Dulce, are charged with instilling life and soul into the message of Laudato Si’ and inspiring renewed vigor around caring for God’s creation.  The Laudato Si’ Animator class is open to any who want to come to a better understanding of Laudato Si’. Sister Dolores found that not only was the technology accessible and easy to navigate, but she left the experience feeling more hopeful, despite knowing that we are in the midst of a climate crisis. She believes that bringing the energy of the sacred to the acts of caring for creation is what will make climate activism sustainable. Sister Dolores hopes to help others realize that when one believes that creation is God’s self-revelation, “…their connection with their own creator is going to grow… How do we worship our God by attending to God’s creation? … It is a shift that people who take this class are going to make in their society.”

Learn More About Becoming an Animator by visiting catholicclimatemovement.global

Read the full issue of Reflections & Connections here.

Subscribe to Reflections & Connections here.

Invitation Only