GREEN TEAM
Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.- Pope Francis, Laudato Si
GREEN TEAM
“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’
We are parishioners dedicated to education, service, and advocacy on behalf of the natural world, following the teachings of Pope Francis. While our backgrounds are diverse, we all believe in the interconnectedness of our natural environment and our human family. We’re committed to having a positive impact on our parish, school, and across our neighborhood now and for future generations.
WELCOME
We invite you to join our ministry to learn, network, and accelerate action on climate change and social inequalities. As recent unprecedented storms, droughts, fires, and rising temperatures attest, now is a critical moment to respond. You can make a difference, and we would love to have you with us on this journey of hope and renewal.
Our parish Green Team invites you to celebrate World Environment Day and to help plan our fall Season of Creation activities.
Please join us in the parish center on Tuesday, June 6, at 6:30pm.
If interested, please fill out the jot form at the bottom of this page.
We keep mentioning Pope Francis’ Pastoral Letter Laudato Si’ – On the Care of our Common Home. Well, we have some exiting news! This month, YouTube Originals releases the grand documentary film, The Letter, telling the story of Laudato Si’ and the unfolding ecological emergency. The film features Pope Francis and so many others. You will hear from a teenage youth activist from India, an indigenous leader from the Amazon, a climate refugee from Senegal, and scientists from Hawaii. The list goes on. We hope you have a chance to watch the film with your family. See the trailer at:
Would you be interested in watching the movie with your Green Team?
We had great success a few months ago, when we hosted our first movie night,
maybe it is time to meet again!
Please email us, as we would love to hear from you.
2021 Year in Review
2021 was a difficult year in many respects, but it was also a year where we came together and did some good work on behalf of our Common Home. The Green Team has been meeting monthly via Zoom, and we look forward to transitioning to more live events this coming year as safety allows. All are welcome to join us in 2022! Below are some of the past year's highlights from your St. Monica's Green Team.
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We held two Laudato Si prayer walks in Central Park, one in June and one in October.
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We co-sponsored a Climate Briefing for NYC Candidates for candidates running for local city offices in 2021.
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We incorporated Pope Francis's Laudato Si into Family Faith Formation.
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We sold St. Monica's branded re-usable bags to make it more convenient for people to avoid single-use plastic or paper bags at the store.
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We worked with Father Baker and Monsignor Ivers to incorporate intentions for the natural world and the environment into the Prayers of the Faithful on a regular basis.
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We met with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to advocate for better climate policies.
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We had a follow-up call with one of the Congresswoman's staff, this time joined by parishioners from St. Francis Xavier, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Francis De Sales to advocate for specific measures around clean energy, electric vehicles, and regenerative agriculture.
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We submitted a proposal for a gardening project at St. Stephen's School.
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We signed the Catholic Climate Petition (Healthy Planet, Healthy People) ahead of the UN Climate meeting in Glasgow.
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We participated in the 2021 Catholic Climate Covenant Conference sponsored by Creighton University.
Because of COVID, we have had to postpone our movie night scheduled for Friday January 28 at 6:30, but if you would like to join us and participate in our activities this year please email us at greenteam@stelmo79.org or visit https://www.stelmo79.org/green-team to fill out a registration form. All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing you in 2022!
Please fill out this form if you have questions or would like to join us. No prior experience is necessary. While we currently meet monthly via Zoom, individual time commitments on projects and their scope are up to you.