Since his 2015 encyclical on care for creation, Pope Francis has been calling people to an ecological conversion, said John Mundell, director of the Vatican’s global Laudato Si´Action Platform.
Mundell will be in Louisville Jan. 20 to help people explore what that conversion means from a practical standpoint. “Acting Locally to Sustain Our Earthly Home” will be presented at Epiphany Church, 914 Old Harrods Creek Road. The workshop is open to all parishes and members of the wider community.
The event will offer “inspiring but practical” lessons and “many good examples of those who’ve begun the journey to ecological conversion,” Mundell said in a recent interview. He’s hoping Archdiocese of Louisville parishes will send at least three representatives.
“I want to make sure people know (care for creation) is an integral part of our Catholic faith,” said Mundell. “The pope is calling all of us. We as a church need to be the arms, legs, heart and soul at the parish level to give authentic witness to the world.”
“Authentic witness comes down to action and changes in behavior,” he said, noting that can prove to be challenging.
To help people take action, the Vatican launched the Laudato Si´ Action Platform in November of 2021. The three-hour workshop planned at Epiphany is intended to provide further help. By the end of the workshop, the goal is for parish teams to have a written plan of action with practical steps to take with them. Participants will explore how to:
- Form a creation care team.
- Register on the Laudato Si´ Action Platform as an individual, a family or a parish.
- Find resources available to individuals, families, parishes and the archdiocese.
Mundell said participants will also learn how care for creation fits into the Catholic faith and why it’s part of Catholic social teaching.
“It’s bigger than just the environment; it is how everything is tied together — we’re all connected,” he said.
Pope Francis appointed Mundell in 2022 to direct the Laduato Si´ Action platform.
“I had to reflect and say I’d been prepared in a unique way for the task,” he said. “Maybe it’s a special calling from God. When your background intersects with your passion it’s where you can do the greatest good.”
Mundell is president and senior consultant of Mundell and Associates, Inc., an earth science, environmental and water resources consulting firm based in Indianapolis. He is a civil and environmental engineer and has spent the past four decades investigating and cleaning up contaminated sites around the world, he said.
He served as a consultant to the Vatican in launching and implementing Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Sí: On Care of Our Common Home.” He’s also involved with the Global Catholic Climate Movement, whose mission is to help Catholics take action on climate issues.
Mundell said it’s clear from the pope’s most recent document on creation, “Laudaute Deum,” that “things are getting worse” and urgent action is needed. He noted that the pope points to individuals in the U.S. and North America as those who could have the biggest impact on the care of creation.
“It’s a personal challenge he’s offering, saying, ‘If you change, things can change dramatically. It’s a personal message to us,” Mundell said.
To register for the free event, visit https://epiphanycatholicchurch.org/. For more information, contact Mark Reilly at markreilly789@gmail.com.
