In this issue, The Tidings begins periodic presentations of Catholic News Service's "Faith Alive" series of articles for reflection on issues of faith and life. This week, the subject is care and respect for the earth and environment.

A letter from the pope on climate change

By Rev. Herbert Weber

In a September 2007 letter to the symposium of the Religion, Science and Environment Movement, Pope Benedict XVI made some bold statements. He wrote that disregard for the environment would be a threat to humanity and "betray human dignity and violate the rights of citizens." In addition, the pope connected the ecology of the human person with the ecology of nature.

What the pope basically stated was that, as humans are called to respect each other and the common good of all people, this cannot happen unless the environment is also respected. The quality of people's relationships with each other and with their environment also influences their relationship with God, the creator.

Several important points in the letter must be noted: People truly form a global village. What happens in one country affects others. With rapid and instant communication, international trade and corporations, and frequent interaction with people of other ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, most people are becoming aware of the rest of the world in a way never known before.

The sense of a planetary unity elicits a need to pay attention to other people and nations, to be aware of the responsibilities people have for each other. This can also be a providential opportunity for building a healthier world where natural resources are shared more justly and equitably.

There are still those, of course, who either deny global warming or want to relegate it to a minor role, thus assuming it has little to do with them. However, such responses do not change the reality of global warming and its impact on the environment.

Last year I traveled to Alaska and visited ice fields and glaciers. Hearing the glaciers creak and groan as they moved made me think they were talking to me. I admit I wondered what they might be saying, especially as I saw posted signs that indicated where the glaciers had been five, 10 or 20 years ago. The distance they had receded was a clear notice of change.

More recently, there have been news stories about ice melting in Greenland and Antarctica losing its ice mass. These stories are real, but, as the pope indicated, it is up to people to admit there is a problem, one that will have serious consequences for all humanity.

"Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family," Pope Benedict said. Human response cannot be based on political popularity or corporate financial gains. Rather, dealing with global warming is an ethical issue that goes beyond any one person.

How people use resources, support environmentally-sound enterprises and sacrifice for something greater are the new issues.

Among those embracing these issues wholeheartedly are Beth and Doug, a couple in our parish. As we met and discussed their values when planning their marriage, they spoke about their concern for the wellbeing of the planet to be inherited by any future children.

While many young people express concern for the environment, theirs was not a passing fancy. Doug was finishing a doctorate in environmental science, planning to teach at a college. Beth just completed graduate work in environmental education. Both made a commitment to protect the earth; together they planned a life that would live out that commitment.

While planning the wedding liturgy, Doug and Beth looked at all the options through a lens of gratitude for God's gift of creation. They wanted their marriage ceremony to reflect God's ongoing covenant with humanity, thus readings about creation, God's call for unity and reverence, and inclusion of all people were selected. Among their songs was a version of St. Francis' "Canticle of the Sun" and a well-known version of the prayer of peace.

Not every couple connects their marriage ceremony or their married life with a relationship with the environment. And certainly not everyone realizes the depth of the interconnection between human life and the life of the planet humans live on. Yet more and more Christians and other people of good will are being called to make that connection.

In Genesis, God says to the first humans, "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth" (1:28). Sadly, there have been times when this passage was used to justify the destruction of the earth and its animal or plant life.

In the context of the same story, however, humanity is also created in the image of God, who is the source of life with a tremendous love for the world which God finds to be good.

The moral response from humans, therefore, is to share in the creative force that God has begun, a force that works to maintain the health of our planet.

Father Herbert Weber is the founding pastor of Blessed John XXIII Parish, Perrysburg, Ohio.

Looking out for the planet ---
and the poorest among us

By Teresa Odle

Throughout the U.S., communities are showing their care for God's creation by first looking out for one another.

In St. Louis the Rosati House will open in September to welcome 26 of the city's chronically homeless people to quality housing that's also green. A combined project of a Catholic Charities subsidiary, St. Patrick Center, and Enterprise Community Partners, Rosati House was developed in response to Mayor Francis Slay's 10-year plan to end homelessness.

Dan Buck, chief executive office of St. Patrick Center, says that for more than 20 years agencies have tried to tackle homelessness by providing services that help people with sobriety, employment, finances and mental health before providing a home.

"But they were trapped in a cycle of support," Buck said. "We're getting housing ready as a first step" so that "homeless people move into a life of self-sufficiency and dignity."

Porous pavement will line Rosati House's sidewalks and driveways instead of concrete and asphalt. All units are equipped with Energy Star rated appliances, including independent heating and air conditioning. Motion sensors will turn lights off when not in use. Native grasses and a rain-capture system will help reduce water use. The design includes heat-reflecting steel panels, and there are plans for recycling.

Enterprise Community Partners supports community efforts around the country similar to Rosati House, said Pamela Coaxum, Enterprise's director in St. Louis. One such effort is New Shiloh Village, a four-story, 80-unit building in Baltimore offering quality, affordable housing for low-income seniors. From energy efficient windows to paints with low toxicity, it offers several green advantages.

In San Francisco, the Hotel Essex is being converted into 84 single units for the homeless with disabilities. Green-certified carpets, low-flow water fixtures and Energy Star lighting fixtures are some of the green features of the project that is a joint effort of Mercy Housing Development and Community Housing Partnership.

Back in St. Louis, the Catholic Charities Housing Resource Center has submitted a plan to rehabilitate foreclosed single-family homes in cooperation with the city and investors. They'll also provide financial literacy training for homeless families.

Karen Wallensak of Catholic Charities says if the new project is approved, they'll do even more that is environmentally friendly.

Using the earth's overlooked, renewable resources and taking better care of nonrenewable resources is becoming the cause of more communities and people such as "Wildman" Steve Brill. Brill leads field walks in parks throughout a Tri-state area.

Brill is known for foraging, harvesting and delighting in edible native plants. He teaches people how to recognize plants, collect and use them.

"If you can actually see the environment and interact with it, you have a more visceral basis and desire to protect what we have," said Brill. This is especially important for today's children who seldom interact with nature.

"Don't kill all the weeds and spray the environment to death with chemicals. Enjoy nature more and you'll take better care of the planet."

Teresa Odle is a freelance writer in Albuquerque, N.M.