In our 2018 Chapter Direction, The IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan articulated our belief that, “The Spirit is inviting us to enter more deeply into the liberating mission of Jesus Christ as we come to understand it anew through the mystery of the Sacred Universe. Our spirituality and our shared humanity compel us to respond collaboratively with others to the challenges of our beautiful, yet fractured world, especially through our commitment to social, economic and ecological justice.”
In this spirit, IHM Leadership Council announces our pledge to participate in the Vatican initiated Laudato Si’ Action Platform, named after Pope Francis’ groundbreaking 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home). We join in the seven-year journey towards integral ecology, the term Pope Francis used to articulate the inextricable link between – as well as the need to fully integrate our approach toward – social and economic justice, peace and non-violence and care for Earth and all its inhabitants.
This is not a new commitment but rather a deepening of our community recognition over the past 27 years of the sacredness and interdependence of all creation and our place in the web of life. This is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to developing and acting out of an ecological consciousness both individually and corporately. This renewed commitment is especially critical given the urgent need to address the global climate crisis.
Therefore, we commit to discerning how we can better respond to both the cry of Earth and the poor; how we can further integrate ecological economics, education and spirituality into our community life; how we can adopt simpler lifestyles; and how we can more effectively collaborate with the global Catholic community and all people of goodwill in participatory action to bring about systemic change. To learn more and to join us on this journey, go to www.laudatosiactionplatform.org.
The IHM Leadership Council
Margaret Chapman, IHM – Treasurer, Mission Councilor
Marianne Gaynor, IHM – Vice President, Mission Councilor
Mary Jane Herb, IHM – President
Patricia McCluskey, IHM – Mission Councilor
Ellen Rinke, IHM – Mission Councilor