2025 Laudato Si' Conference:
Creating a Hope-filled Future Together
Saturday, October 11, 9:00am – 4:30pm
Xavier University, Health United Building
1723 Cleneay Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45207
This conference is available for CEUs
Contact Jillian Foster at [email protected] for more information.
Schedule:
9:00am – Welcome and Prayer
9:15am – Keynote (Gale Worcelo)
10:40am – Workshops
12:00pm – Lunch
1:15pm – First Breakout Sessions
2:10pm – Second Breakout Sessions
3:05pm – Sector Sessions
4:15pm – Closing Prayer
WORKSHOPS (1 hour 15 minutes)
(Attendees will choose one)
Green Projects at Xavier University (CEU eligible)
Take a tour with Tim Sundrup of all the steps Xavier University has taken towards sustainability. From opportunities to engage in eco-spirituality, enhancing infrastructure to be more energy-efficient, and guiding the student body in environmental initiatives, there is a lot for XU to show.
Growing Community Gardens (CEU eligible)
Fresh food is extremely important to the health of individuals and families. Community gardens are becoming the best ways to ensure healthy food to the poor and vulnerable in our communities. Join this workshop to learn from folks who took on the work and now not just feed their neighborhood, but teach others how to grow and manage their own garden.
Advocating for Our Community (CEU eligible)
One of the tenets of Catholic Social Teaching is Care for Creation and now is a time for action. This workshop includes opportunities for advocacy and a panel of individuals engaged in environmental advocacy through interfaith organizations, schools, parish, and religious groups. Learn how you and your community can raise you voice and make a difference.
Reaching Across Pews: Interfaith Collaboration
Faith communities have a powerful voice to offer as the world confronts the climate crisis. Religious organizations and communities can become strong allies in the fight for climate action. All traditions emphasize the moral and ethical imperative to care for creation. Individual efforts are important, but collaboration within and among congregations can bring about much greater change.
(CEU eligible)
FIRST SESSION BREAKOUTS (45 minutes)
(Attendees will choose one)
Engaging your Students and the Great Outdoors (CEU eligible)
How do we engage our students in caring for creation? Learn how to bring the classroom to the outdoors and the lessons and skills children can learn from it.
World Concerns and Global Movements (CEU eligible)
Learn about the Laudato Si’ Movement’s global work to sustain all life by caring for Earth’s ecosystems, addressing climate change, advocating for the right to clean water and committing to ecological conversion.
This presentation is given in the second session breakouts as well.
Processing Climate Anxiety and Finding Joy (CEU eligible)
For all those adults and young adults struggling to find hope in the midst of environmental disaster, come learn how to find joy in the anxiety of today.
Sustainability Central
Learn more and get involved in Sustainability Central! This hub is being planned as a place where local nonprofit organizations (and a few for-profit organizations) can increase collaborations and impacts. By implementing the “7 Rs of Sustainability” — Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and “Rot” (i.e. compost) — and teaching others to live with less “stuff”, we decrease the demand for new items created from “scratch”. That helps minimize the amount of greenhouse gases that would have been created in the production of new items, which in turn helps minimize the impacts those gases could have had on our climate, our environment, and all of the inhabitants of this planet.
SECOND SESSION BREAKOUTS (45 minutes)
(Attendees will choose one)
World Concerns and Global Movements (CEU eligible)
Learn about the Laudato Si’ Movement’s global work to sustain all life by caring for Earth’s ecosystems, addressing climate change, advocating for the right to clean water and committing to ecological conversion.
This presentation is given in the first session breakouts as well.
Native Plants and Biodiversity (CEU eligible)
Using native plants – plants that were found in our region prior to European settlement – in your home landscaping protects biodiversity, supports wildlife by providing food and shelter, and preserves our natural heritage. Being adapted to our local environment they are drought tolerant, over-winter well, and come back year after year. They can help reduce the time and energy you spend mowing, are low-maintenance once established, can add reliable blooms to problem areas, and replace invasive species on your property.
Energy (CEU eligible)
The Sisters of Mercy’s aspirational goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2045. They strive to achieve this goal by addressing issues related to energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, transitioning the Mercy fleet to more fuel-efficient vehicles, and reducing the reliance on plastic, with particular focus on single-use plastic. Their projects range from large-scale solutions that affect many sisters long-term to smaller projects that can be addressed individually on a daily basis.
Adopting a Sustainable Lifestyle (CEU eligible)
With Mackenzie Doyle and Liliana Sierra, we will look at how being people of faith calls us to live a sustainable lifestyle. We will focus on one aspect of a sustainable lifestyle, reducing single-use plastics, and will help attendees set personal goals.
SECTOR SESSIONS (1 hour)
(Attendees will choose one)
Towards the end of the day, please join one of these sector sessions! These are meetings to get connected with other folks in a similar setting about what is happening in your own sphere and help and inspire each other towards action.
Sectors:
- Religious Communities
- Parish
- College Faculty/Staff (CEU eligible)
- College Students
- High School (CEU eligible)
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SPEAKERS
Keynote – Gail Worcelo, SEC
Gail Worcelo is a co- founder along with Bernadette Bostwick and the late Passionist priest and cultural historian Thomas Berry, of Sisters of the Earth Community.(SEC)
Co-Founded in 1999, SEC is the first community of Catholic sisters worldwide founded specifically for the healing and protection of Earth and its life systems. Sisters and co- sisters are located in Indonesia, Kenya, Italy and USA.
Gail began her studies with Thomas in 1983 during her novitiate with the Passionist nuns of St Gabriel’s monastery and continued study until his passing in 2009.
In 1994 , Gail was a founding member of the network: Sisters of Earth.
This historic gathering mobilized Catholic sisters and women worldwide to take seriously our responsibility for the fate of Earth.
Gail is also the editor of the recently released book entitled: Shamanic Journey to Earth’s Wisdom: Reflections on the Cosmovision of Thomas Berry, in which members of the sisters of earth network share their reflections on specific writings of Thomas Berry.
SInce 1994 Gail has been leading retreats, conferences and programs around the world weaving art and dance within topics such as: The Mysticism of Thomas Berry, Laudato Si and the Great Work of our Time, Women who have Shaped Our Galactic Consciousness, and Exploring a Cosmo- Theology for the 21st Century.
For the past ten years, Gail has co-led Continual Blossoming an emergent path of feminine wisdom and awakening with women from around the world.
Gail is a liturgical dancer and has Master Degrees in Clinical Psychology and Christian Spirituality.
SPONSORS
Earth Co-Creator
Earth Activist
Earth Organizer
Earth Advocate
