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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque has launched an environmental action plan, joining an international movement focused on caring for the Earth and God's creation.
The archdiocese's Laudato Si Action Plan draws from Pope Francis' 2015 pastoral letter "Laudato Si," which calls on Catholic parishes and dioceses to take steps to achieve environmental and social sustainability through grassroots efforts.
The pastoral letter outlines seven goals of the plan, including addressing environmental concerns, protecting life, supporting ecological economics, adapting more sustainable and healthy lifestyles, providing environmental education, promoting creation-centered liturgy, and encouraging community involvement.
Deacon Brian Logan is leading the diocese's effort and attended the first national Laudato Si Leadership Cohort meeting in January.
The meeting in Washington, D.C., gave Logan a chance to learn what other dioceses were doing and get advice on starting an action plan, he said.
The archdiocese is laying the foundation for the plan by assessing what parishes are already doing and what additional initiatives should be addressed, Logan said. It hopes to start implementing initiatives that support the letter's goals in 2028.
From there, archdiocesan leadership and parishes will assess the plan and work to adapt it based on what has worked, he said.
The plan focuses on small steps parishes and their members can take to better care for the Earth and its people, such as installing energy-efficient lighting or incorporating the plan's goals into evangelization efforts, Logan said. Larger capital investments are also possible in the future, he said.
The goal behind the plan is to help make the Earth a better place for everyone, Logan said.
"It's not just the Catholic Church that has a particular care for this part of our evangelization," Logan said. "It affects everybody, whether you come from a traditional faith or not."
Other Iowa dioceses pursue Laudato Si plans
The Archdiocese of Dubuque is not the first in Iowa to adopt a Laudato Si action plan or similar initiatives.
The Diocese of Davenport has had its own official action plan for several years, said Deacon Kent Ferris, director of social action and Catholic Charities for the diocese.
Through this plan, the diocese has conducted energy audits of its churches and schools to save money and energy, he said.
The other two dioceses in the state, Sioux City and Des Moines, have not officially adopted a Laudato Si plan but have implemented sustainability-related changes.
The Sioux City diocese has an online resource for its parishes and schools that suggests simple changes parishioners can adopt to help meet Pope Francis' goals, including avoiding single-use plastics, defending human life from conception, helping local immigrant or refugee groups, and growing their own vegetables.
Within the Des Moines diocese, St. Thomas Aquinas church in Indianola has developed a Creation Care team that spreads the message of "Laudato Si" to other churches and shows others how caring for God's creation can deepen faith.
St. John the Apostle in Norwalk installed solar panels on its roof in 2017. At the time, it planned to use the estimated $2,000 in annual savings to invest in charitable work supporting organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Meals from the Heartland.