Our Focus

  • Ecological Education
  • Sustainable Practices
  • Solidarity with the Poor
  • Advocacy & Public Witness
  • Community Conversion


“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life

of virtue.” 

(Pope Francis LS #217)

Our Commitment:

As Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Associates, and partners in ministry, we believe care for creation is an expression of who we are. Rooted in the Gospel and inspired by the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare, we recognize the earth as gift, sacrament, and shared home. Listening to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, we commit ourselves to ongoing ecological conversion through prayer, education, and action.


To give this commitment concrete expression, we created the Laudato Si’ Committee as a dedicated forum for thoughtful discussion of resources and ongoing education within our community. The Committee meets regularly to reflect together, explore Church teaching and ecological resources, and discern practical steps that align with the goals of the Laudato Si' Action Platform. For 2026 we are focusing on ecological economics to see how everything in creation is connected and how our everyday choices affect the larger web of life. We believe that small, faithful decisions, made with awareness and reverence can help renew our common home.



Living Waters

September 1 - October 4


Our 2026 Season of Creation Journey

During the 2026 Season of Creation, people and communities throughout the world came together in prayer, reflection, and action, united by the theme Living Waters. Inspired by this global invitation and in solidarity with all who participated, the FSSH Laudato Si’ Committee offered a journey of contemplation and discovery, encouraging us to pause, reflect, read, listen, and become more attentive to the precious gift of water.


We have brought this journey to our webpage in the hope of extending that invitation to others. Whether you spend a few moments or linger a little longer, we invite you to explore these reflections, deepen your awarenes of our interconnetedness and discover how the gift of water calls us to gratitude, care and action.


“Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live.”  — Ezekiel 47:9

REFLECT | Water Is Life

We began our Season of Creation journey by simply noticing water. Water surrounds us and sustains us. It flows through creation and through our own bodies, connecting us with one another and with all living things. The first week we invited our Sisters and Associates to reflect on the gift of water.


Praised be you, my Lord, for Sister Water, which is so life giving and life sustaining. Maybe you have a favorite body of water such as the ocean, Lake Witmer, a quiet lake or pond, or maybe a waterfall. Just being near water can provide emotional and spiritual benefits. Water has numerous references and much symbolism in the Bible. There are images of cleansing and healing. Just being near water, meditating on

it, and thinking of the many ways it enriches us can lead us closer to God.


In his book, “The Hidden Messages in Water” by Masaru Emoto, he states that, ‘We have seen through the crystal photographs that water is the mirror of our souls. What do our souls look like – and how should they look?’ In addition he says, ‘Water has a message for the world: The world is linked together by love and gratitude.’


Take some time near a body of water and allow it to speak to you. Recall enjoyment you have received from water, its myriad number of used, its necessity for all living things, including the many many creatures that live in it, and its spiritual meaning. Let your heart feel love and gratitude for water and the Creator. Praised be you, my Lord, for Sister Water!

RECEIVE | A Glass of Water — A Gift from God




Our journey continues with a simple, everyday act: drinking a glass of water. Something we often do without thinking can become a moment of awareness, gratitude, and prayer. As we pause to receive this life-giving gift, we remember that water sustains not only our own lives but all of creation.


To drink mindfully is to recognize our dependence on God's generosity and our connection to others who share this precious resource. With each sip, we are invited to give thanks, become more attentive, and consider how we might care for the waters that sustain life.

CONSERVE | A Mindful Shower



GATHER | Living Waters in Community


Our Season of Creation journey moved from personal reflection and mindful practices to gathering as a community, where awareness of water as a precious gift became an invitation to learn, share, and respond.


On September 27, following the 9:30 a.m. Mass, more than 40 people gathered to learn about Water By Women, an international initiative that helps women provide clean water for their families in communities where access is limited.

Mary Myers demonstrated how a simple water filtration system, using the same equipment shared with women around the world, can provide families with clean water.


An interactive display highlighted the contributions of Stitches and Blessings, whose members handcraft essential accessories, including protective covers that extend the life of Sawyer water filters and hanging loops for the syringes used to clean them. The gathering included a hands-on look at the filtration process, an informative question-and-answer session, and a closing prayer.



Together, we were reminded that care for creation and works of neighborly love are deeply connected.


CONNECT | The Life-Giving Waters of the Amazon

Reflection on Water: The Amazon, a Source of Life

The waters of the Amazon River are a source of life, nourishing people, animals, plants, and the vast rainforest. For communities living along its banks, the river provides food, transportation, and a connection to one another. Just as the river does not keep the water for itself, we are called to let the life of God flow through us. Its flowing waters remind us that all creation is interconnected and that life flourishes when we care for what sustains us. Where there is water, there is hope; where there is care life flourishes.


A LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE AMAZON RIVER


It is said that a boy from the riverbank once asked his mother:

“Mother, why is the river so important?”

She replied, “Because, my son, the river doesn't just give water. It gives food, a path, work, joy, and life.” 


And perhaps that is the great lesson of the Amazon: the water that flows through the river reminds us that life only remains alive when it is cared for and shared.  The Amazon River  connects families and communities, provides nourishment and livelihoods, and shapes the rhythms of everyday life. For those who live along its banks, the river is woven into their relationships, traditions, and expressions of faith.


Faith Along the River: A Palm Sunday Procession

In Marajó, Brazil, where Sr. Iodete and Sr. Edinalva minister, the Palm Sunday procession offers a beautiful glimpse into the life of the local faith community. Carrying palm branches, the faithful make their way along elevated wooden walkways above the water, remembering Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.



“The Amazon River flows carrying life. May our hands care for the water, so that life may continue to flow.”

These photographs remind us that faith is lived within the circumstances of everyday life. The walkways connecting homes and neighbors also become pathways of prayer and communal celebration. Here, the waters of the Amazon are not simply a backdrop but part of the environment in which people live, worship, and care for one another.


Perhaps this is one of the great lessons of the Amazon: life flourishes when the gifts we receive are cared for and shared. The river reminds us of our interconnectedness with creation and our responsibility to protect the waters that sustain life.


Pray | Learn | Act

Pray

Ecological conversion begins in prayer. As we contemplate creation, we grow in gratitude, reverence, and responsibility.

Text titled

Learn

Formation deepens awareness and strengthens our response to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

A golden sunset glows over a calm body of water, framed by tall stalks of grass in the foreground.

Act

Small, faithful actions matter. Our everyday choices shape the well-being of our common home.

A crowd of people stands at a city intersection, one person holding a sign that says,

Resources for the Journey

  • ● Laudato Si' – Full text and summaries

    Learn More Here

  • ● Laudato Si' Action Platform – Goals and practical resources

    Learn More Here

  • ● Catholic Climate Covenant – Educational toolkits and parish programs

    Learn More Here

Our commitment to the Laudato Si' Platform

The actions listed below reflect how we sought to live out our commitment to the Laudato Si’ Platform in concrete and meaningful ways.


Ecological Economics (2026)

Ecological economics helps us see that how we live, consume, and conserve affects the whole web of life. We strive to continue providing resources to increase our awareness of thoughtful choices that care for both people and planet trusting that small actions matter.


Cry of the Earth & Cry of the Poor (2025)

We recognized that the suffering of the earth and the suffering of the poor are deeply connected. We committed ourselves to growing in awareness through education, prayer, and concrete action.


Sustainable Lifestyles & Ecological Spirituality (2024)

We embraced the call to adopt sustainable lifestyles rooted in simplicity, gratitude, and mindful stewardship of creation. We deepened our awareness of God’s presence in the natural world, allowing prayer and contemplation to shape the choices we made each day. We offered a regular InnerCom "Did You Know" column highlighting practical steps and thoughtful product choices that invited greater awareness of our consumption habits.


Ecological Education (2023)

We began by strengthening our understanding of integral ecology through study, dialogue, and shared reflection. By educating Sisters, Associates, and partners in ministry, we laid a foundation for informed action rooted in faith.


Ecological conversion begins in the heart, we place special emphasis on educating and accompanying Sisters and Associates as we grow together in awareness, responsibility, and hope.

Laudato Si’ Week
 Each May, Catholics around the world join in Laudato Si’ Week, a time of prayer, reflection, and action to commemorate the anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Held from May 17–24 in 2026, this week highlights joy, hope, and renewed commitment to caring for creation and the most vulnerable, inviting communities to grow together in faith-driven ecological response.

Season of Creation
From September 1 through October 4 each year, Christians around the world celebrate the Season of Creation, a time of prayer, reflection, and action for our common home. Beginning with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and concluding on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the season invites us to deepen our awareness of God’s presence throughout Creation, give thanks for its beauty and abundance, and respond with compassion and care to the cry of the Earth and the needs of our neighbors.