A Proposal: Our Mother of Sorrows Parish Care for Creation Initiative

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August 2008


Background:

This proposal has emerged from a confluence of factors, each of which has highlighted the
need to promote a deeper awareness of the gift of Gods creation, and to transform that awareness
into a praxis of active, parish-wide environmental stewardship:

The invitation and challenge from our Popes and Bishops to engage in Renewing the Earth
by both reflection and action as faithful stewards of the environment (see last page).
An increasing need and desire to address as a parish Care for Gods Creation as a key
theme of Catholic Social Teaching, and to become authentic witnesses of this effort.
The concern and call to action that emerged from the recent J ustFaith program titled J ust
Matters: Gods Creation Cries for J ustice Climate Change Impact and Response.
The participation of a 5-person team from Our Mother of Sorrows Parish at Sustainable
Tucsons Earth Day Interfaith Workshop on Environmental Audits, held April 22, 2008.
The development of a Peace with All Creation vision (by parishioner and LEED certified
architect Hank Krzysik) that outlines a four-step Creation Assets & Resource Evaluation
(C.A.R.E.) program for implementing this vision.
A new parish Environmental Stewardship Fund that has been donated as a stimulus to
begin moving the parish toward a more energy efficient and creation-friendly environment.
The awareness, motivation, and commitment of many individuals in the parish who have
personally embraced a spirituality that honors Gods creation and have made lifestyle choices
that support this spirituality.

Proposed Steps for Implementation of the Initiative:

We recommend that OMOS participates as one of the pilot parishes in a four-step Creation
Assets & Resource Evaluation (C.A.R.E.) program currently being launched in Tucson by Hank
Krzysik (see box, next page). To organize and oversee the program in our parish, a Care for
Creation Committee (CFC) will be established (Step 1a). For organizational purposes, the
committee will be designated as one of the ministries in Area IV (Solidarity and Social Change) of
the Christian Life Commission. However, we propose that the committee be structured to involve
representatives of each of the other parish commissions to facilitate parish-wide integration of
the Care for Creation goals via responsibilities unique to each commission (see suggestions in
the table at the end). The committee should also include one or more parishioners-at-large.
________

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Respectfully submitted by the ad hoc Care for Creation Committee of the Christian Life Commission:
Rich Sherwood, Hank Krzysik, Katie Hirschboeck, Carl Harlan, Sr. J eannette Mariani, OSF, & Laura Stehle
The purpose of this proposal is to outline a plan for the establishment of a formal
Care for Creation Initiative (CFCI) at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish.

The goal of the CFCI will be to invite, stimulate, and sustain a Care for Creation awakening in
both spirit and practice at multiple levels in the parish. The desired outcome of this awakening is
a gradual transformation and conversion of the parish into a prayerful, environmentally sensitive and
committed community that serves as a loving witness to the gift of Gods Creation, and an advocate
for sustainable practices that will protect this gift for future generations.
Once the Care for Creation Committee is established, it will proceed with its formation
and education as needed, leading to the development of a Mission Statement (Step 1b). The
next phases of the initiative will involve an evaluation of the parish plant and practices via two
audits. The Environmental Audit (Step 2) will develop an environmental profile of the current
state of the parish based on its assets defined as the quantitative assessment of physical plant
properties (e.g., equipment, fixtures, appliances, electricity, water, etc.) and parish practices
(paper usage, recycling, etc.). The Resource Audit (Step 3) will identify where the parish
stands with respect to environmental awareness and involvement, from the perspective of its
human resources, attitudes, programs, ministries and outreach activities. By the end of Step 3,
the intent is to know who we are, what we have, and what were doing now so that we
can develop an Action Plan (Step 4) for where we want to go.

Proposed Completion Timeline for Each Step Proposed Date

Step 1 Care for Creation committee established . . . .
Mission Statement developed . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aug 31, 2008
Sep 30, 2008
Step 2 Environmental Audit completed . . . . . . . . . . . Dec 31, 2008
Step 3 Resource Audit completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mar 1, 2009
Step 4 Action Plan created . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Action Plan adopted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 1, 2009
J une 1, 2009

After the Action Plan is developed, presented, reviewed, and adopted, the focus of the
Care for Creation Initiative will shift to the task of implementing the Action Plan. The
implementation of the Action Plan will involve a parish-wide effort, coordinated by the CFCI
Committee in collaboration with the Pastoral Staff, the Parish Council, and its Commissions.
The table on the next page suggests responsibilities, tasks, and activities that each of the
Commissions might engage in with respect to the Care for Creation Initiative. Note that many of
the activities listed could begin as early as Step 1 to start moving the initiative along and begin
raising environmental awareness in the parish (e.g., monthly building walk-through to prepare
for audits, establishment of Environmental Stewardship Fund oversight, creation- themed
scripture series, etc.) The CFCI Action Plan will be viewed as a living document that is
designed to evolve and change with the parish, as needed, over time.
Brief Overview of the C.A.R.E. Program (Creation Assets & Resource Evaluation)
www.peacewithallcreation.org (future website)

Step 1: Establish a Care for Creation (CFC) Committee of commission and parish representatives (1a)
- Develop a Mission Statement (1b)
Step 2: Set in motion an Environmental Audit of existing physical plant conditions, equipment, energy use,
practices, policies, etc. to establish a baseline
- Organize and evaluate results
Step 3: Conduct a Resource Audit of current environmental involvement/activities/programs to provide a
snapshot of parish attitudes and involvement and to serve as a reference tool
- Organize and evaluate results
Step 4: Create an Action Plan
- Identify areas for improvement and investigate options to address these
- Recommend and prioritize both short-term action items and long-term capital investment needs
- Establish benchmarks for progress and develop an assessment plan
- Develop a realistic time line (e.g. 1-year, 5-year, 10-year projections)
- Develop a plan for regular reporting and accountability to the parish
- Submit proposed Action Plan for review and adoption by parish; get feedback, revise, adopt
The overall vision of the Care for Creation Initiative is a gradual transformation of the
parish into a prayerful, environmentally sensitive and committed community that serves as a
loving witness to the gift of Gods Creation, and an advocate for sustainable practices that will
protect this gift for future generations.



Proposed Areas of Responsibility, Possible Tasks, and Suggested Activities
for OMOS Commissions and Groups with Respect to the CFCI

Commission / Group Area of Responsibility / Possible Tasks & Suggested Activities
Christian Life
Oversee CFCI via CFC committee, raise environmental awareness & link w/
Catholic Social Teaching, promote stewardship in each CLC ministry, promote
lifestyle changes as part of ministry of everyday life, promote Fair Trade (via
Caf J usto and Catholic Relief Services program), sponsor J ust Matters
Creation program, examine ways to link creation care and the least among
us; model good stewardship
Christian Education
Formation
Facilitate formation for CFC committee, Staff, other parish groups; sponsor
creation-themed faith enrichment and education opportunities for the parish-at-
large, e.g., creation-themed scripture series, care-for-creation retreat, film
series, etc.; model good stewardship
Building & Maintenance
Conduct facilities audits; link environmental issues to monthly walk-
through, make recommendations; implement repairs, installations, etc.;
facilitate parish-wide recycling program; model good stewardship
Human & Financial
Resources
Partner with the CFCI Committee to oversee the Environmental Stewardship
Fund,
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guide financial decision-making re: environmental sustainability, assist
in prioritizing of long-term capital investment needs; model good stewardship
Liturgy & Worship
(with priests & deacons)
Preach environmental stewardship and care for creation in homilies;
incorporate it as appropriate into prayer and worship at weekend and daily
Masses (e.g. songs, symbols, Prayers of the Faithful, church environment,
witness talks), evaluate pros and cons of resource use and practices (e.g.,
yearly purchase of workbooks, missalettes, song sheets, etc.); model good
stewardship
School / School Board
Present educational programs for parents and students, promote ideas for
environmentally positive actions that engage students and families (e.g., parish
community garden; composting project); evaluate school resource use and
practices (e.g., food waste at lunch); model good stewardship
Parish Staff / Office
Integrate pastoral staff efforts with commissions, conduct audit of office
supply purchases and practices; evaluate resource use; model good stewardship
Pastoral Council
Link with and/or participate on Care for Creation Committee, evaluate
resource use and practices within Council; raise awareness (personal & parish-
wide), actively promote environmental care practices within and beyond
parish, model good stewardship

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The Environmental Stewardship Fund was established by donated seed money as a stimulus to begin moving
the parish toward a more energy efficient and creation-friendly environment. Its function and use will be
determined by an oversight process to be established by the CFCI in partnership with the Finance Committee.





Faithful Stewardship of the earths resources demands that the Church be a partner in the
development of a sustainable architecture. Materials, construction methods, and procedures
that are toxic to the environment or that are wasteful of the earths resources should be
avoided. Providing heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and lighting systems that are energy-
efficient is financially sound practice, and, at the same time, environmentally responsible. It is
an exercise in parish stewardship.

Built of Living Stones Art, Architecture, and Worship
Guidelines of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) 2000
www.usccb.org/liturgy/livingstonesind.shtml
No peaceful society can afford to neglect either respect for life or
the fact that there is an integrity to creation.

PopeJ ohn Paul II Peace with God the Creator,
Peace with All of Creation 1990

Grateful for the gift of creation . . . we invite Catholics and men and women of good will in
every walk of life to consider with us the moral issues raised by the environmental crisis. . . .
These are matters of powerful urgency and major consequence. They constitute an exceptional
call to conversion. As individuals, as institutions, as a people, we need a change of heart to
preserve and protect the planet for our children and for generations yet unborn.

We ask the members of our Church to examine our life-styles, behaviors, and policies
individually and institutionallyto see how we contribute to the destruction or neglect of the
environment and how we might assist in its protection and restoration.

The task set before us is unprecedented, intricate, complex. No single solution will be
adequate to the task. To live in balance with the finite resources of the planet, we need an
unfamiliar blend of restraint and innovation. We shall be required to be genuine stewards of
nature and thereby co-creators of a new human world. This will require both new attitudes and
new actions.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Renewing the Earth 1991

Humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the links between
natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that disregard
for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and
more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among
men. Both of these presuppose peace with God.

Pope Benedict XVI, The Human Person, the Heart of Peace 2007