In commemoration of the Church’s celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September, Caritas Singapore has included a leaf above the ‘i’ in Caritas. This leaf symbolises our growing efforts, nurtured by the motivation and commitment of staff to care for our common home.

Our efforts to care for our common home started years ago, with recycling paper and using reusable containers. At our General Assembly in Rome this year, themed One Human Family, One Common Home, one of the calls to Caritas organisations around the world is to embrace the vision of Pope Francis in caring for Mother Earth.

Prof Tan Cheng Han, who represented Caritas Singapore at the General Assembly shared, “[Being at the GA] has given me a greater appreciation of the profundity of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato SiꞋ which has made care of the Lord’s creation a pillar of Catholic social teaching. With research showing that damage could be irreversible by 2030¹, it’s time for us to strive to do what we can to reduce the strain on our God-given resources.”

1 United Nations. (2019, March 28). Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage from Climate Change, Speakers Warn during General Assembly High-Level Meeting. Retrieved from www.un.org/press/en/2019/ga12131.doc.htm

“We are the only stewards of the Earth. We must take responsibility for the Earth not because the Earth or the animals have rights, but because we have responsibilities and duties toward other people in poorer countries who suffer even more the devastating consequences of climate crisis, and the future generations.” — Fr David Garcia, OP
(as published in Caritas in Mission (Sept)

What’s happening now?

This beautiful illustration is our Caritas in Mission. Read about why we can do more, and how your actions can help create ripples to save our planet.