Feast of St. Francis

Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, marks the end of this year's celebration of the season of Creation under the theme “listen to the Voice of Creation” from Exodus 3:1-12. The Feast of St. Francis invites us to celebrate our interconnectedness to nature as a university. Pope Francis tells us that nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it, and thus in constant interaction with it. Therefore, we harm ourselves as humanity whenever we harm nature or our environment with toxic chemicals and unhealthy anthropogenic activities.

The Feast of St. Francis calls us to realize that the quality of human life depends on the quality of care given to Our Common Home. As a university, we believe that God entrusted the earth to humanity so that it can be protected, preserved, and kept safe for future generations. Pope Francis, in his ecological encyclical Laudato Si’ invites us to an ecological consciousness of integral ecology where the dignity of the human person is reflected through our care for the earth. Pope Francis reminds us that the earth is a common good, and her resources must be equally shared and preserved for future generations. As a university community, how often do we speak about the current ecological degradation and prudent ways of using natural resources? For example, what is our paper usage as a university, given that the more paper we use, the more deforestation and pollution occur.

Ultimately, as we conclude the celebration of the "Season of Creation," recall Pope Francis's words about ecological conversion. Pope Francis writes that an ecological conversion can inspire us to greater creativity and enthusiasm in resolving the world's problems and in offering ourselves to God "as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable" (Romans 12:1). We do not understand our superiority as a reason for personal glory or irresponsible dominion, but rather as a different capacity which, in its turn, entails a serious responsibility stemming from our faith. We pray through the intercession of St. Francis to awaken the ecological consciousness within us so that our university can be a place where our environments reflect the image and person of God.

Fr. Hector Kalaluka, OMI

University Chaplain and professor of Environmental Theology and Ethics