The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment, is celebrated by the church on October 4^th. St. Francis had his own challenges during the 13^th century in which he lived, but were he to address us today, he would certainly ask us why we have failed so miserably to do those things which would enable us to live in harmony with God’s creation, which he so beautifully praised in his canticles.

Our implicit trust in technology and “progress” has alienated us from the natural world. The overriding concern of the rest of the century, one our children and grandchildren will be wrestling with, are the effects of climate change and how it harms people (usually the most vulnerable), animal life, property and nature. We could say that climate change (global warming) is now a fact of life; it has become our “new normal”. Is it also the threat we refuse to face? For information on what you can do, go to www.climatecrisiscoalition.org.

With new resolve, on this feast of St. Francis, we pray:

Praise be to Thee my Lord for our sister Mother Earth, Who nourishes and sustains us all, Bringing forth divers fruits, And many-colored flowers and herbs…Bless and praise my Lord all creatures, And thank and serve Him in deep humility. - Canticle of St. Francis