Saint Francis of Assisi Ministry

Climate Change

  • Earthrise

    Last week I shared a TED Countdown talk where Pope Francis spoke of our moral imperative to act on climate change. Also reciting her poem, Earthrise, at TED Countdown, was poet Amanda Gorman. (You may recall that Amanda recited her… Continue reading

  • Our Moral Imperative

    Pope Francis begins his TED Coundown talk with: The world is shaken by the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlights another global challenge: the socio-environmental crisis. And this requires us, all of us, to face a choice. The… Continue reading

  • Countdown on Climate Change

    TED is a conference that features short but powerful talks from scientists, entertainers, teachers, and other thought leaders. Those giving TED talks have included luminaries such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Madeleine Albright, Bono, and many notable speakers.  Countdown is… Continue reading

  • A life on our planet

    I just finished watching a powerful documentary on Netflix that I wanted to share with you and urge you to watch as well. The name of the film is David Attenborough: A life on our planet. In this 1 hour… Continue reading

  • On the Path to Caring for Our Common Home

    It’s been five years since Pope Francis’ encyclical on Climate Change, Laudato Si, was released. To mark its anniversary, back on June 18, the Vatican presented a new document entitled “On the Path to Caring for Our Common Home: Five… Continue reading

  • Working for Environmental Justice

    In the first chapter of Laudato Si, Pope Francis addresses global inequality: The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation. In fact,… Continue reading

  • Earth Day

    Happy Earth Day! Back in 1969, peace activist John McConnell proposed the idea to celebrate a day each year to honor the earth. The first Earth Day was celebrated on March 21, 1970 and later moved to April 22. Today… Continue reading

  • Reflections on Covid-19

    By Luke Henkel. It’s safe to say we’re all feeling a little unsafe lately. The coronavirus has taken over everything.  We’re all aware of the latest statistics, and we’re all watching them grow.  Downtown Seattle is eerily empty, metro buses… Continue reading

  • Eating More Plants

    We make many decisions in our lives each day that impact our carbon footprints. Surprisingly, one of the most significant decisions to affect climate change is the food on our plates.  The food on our plates you say? Yes, and… Continue reading

  • I Can’t

    By Luke Henkel I can’t. Several weeks ago, I found myself saying these two words as I sat talking to a colleague about the fires that have charred vast swathes of Australia over the last six months.  I was trying… Continue reading