The theme for Catholic Schools Week this year is:
Catholic Schools: Learning with Pope Francis to Care for Our Common Home.
It is hoped that this theme will help schools to gain an understanding of the Pope’s encyclical letter Laudato Si’. This means ‘Praise be to you’ and it has the subtitle On Care for Our Common Home.
The encyclical letter, published on 24 May 2015, discusses the harm humankind has caused on earth and calls on ‘every person living on this planet’ to make necessary changes in our lives to protect our planet. Laudato Si’ deals with many environmental issues including pollution, climate change, drought, loss of biodiversity and the decline in the quality of human life.
Pope Francis is asking us to work together to create a better world for future generations and to take care of, respect and value our common home. Pope Francis addresses his letter to ‘every person living on this planet’ in order to start an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis calls on the Church and humankind to acknowledge the current environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path.
As Catholic schools, we can play an essential role in shaping the future of our planet by working together to care for our common home. Our world is a gift from God and we are called to act as both stewards and protectors during our time here. It is our responsibility to care for our world and make it a better place for the next generation. Through the encyclical letter Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us of the necessity and importance of caring for our common home.
The daily themes are as follows:
Monday: Seeing the beauty of our common home
Tuesday: Caring for our common home
Wednesday: Grandparents: Watching over our common home
Thursday: Protecting our common home
Friday: Sharing our common home