On the occasion of the third World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) published a new resource entitled Living Out Laudato Si': A Commentary and Practical Resource for Canadian Catholics. The preface of the document, written by the Honourable Graydon Nicholas, CM ONB, former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, from the Tobique First Nation, states that this new resource not only presents Catholic Social Teaching but "also raises many of the environmental difficulties facing Canadians today and challenges us to discuss them frankly."
The Canadian Catholic Bishops hope this resource would "help Catholics, whether individually or in groups, to engage more deeply with the challenge of Laudato Si'." The resource is organized into six chapters, each based on one of the six chapters of the encyclical. Each chapter concludes with a series of reflection questions and resources for action, organized under the headings See, Learn, Pray, Act.
The Bishops also express their desire that "this resource may allow both individuals and groups to take up Pope Francis' invitation to engage in an open and honest conversation about our current crises concerning the environment, our economies and our societies." They continue in expressing the wish that the use of this simple resource will be "a small part of your journey to a deeper faith and a life of greater solidarity with those who share our common home."
The 30-page document, which is available only online, can be accessed on the CCCB website at http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/Living_Out_Laudato_Si_En.pdf.