News Detail
CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME!
"It may be a little messy...but it will certainly be fun!"
That was the promise of a special Ignatian Values Day (IVD) session at Saint Ignatius College Prep.
That particular session (one of 32!) challenged students and adults on campus to think about what they throw in the garbage by inviting them to participate in a trash audit. The overarching objective: To learn how well the school reuses, repurposes and recycles in the name of caring for our common home.
It made an impression. Ryan Allen '23, who worked on improving the sorting of garbage hauled in from the cafeteria, said, "It's teaching us how to better protect the environment for the future...so we don't screw up the earth for the generations that come after us."
Janean Edmond '23 added, "This shows we need to do better with conserving and not being so wasteful."
It made an impression. Ryan Allen '23, who worked on improving the sorting of garbage hauled in from the cafeteria, said, "It's teaching us how to better protect the environment for the future...so we don't screw up the earth for the generations that come after us."
Janean Edmond '23 added, "This shows we need to do better with conserving and not being so wasteful."
In fact, Pope Francis has called on all Catholics and people of good will to pay attention to the health of the planet. In his Laudato Si from 2015, he encourages the reader to see all creation as interconnected.
That is one reason Saint Ignatius College Prep dedicated its third Ignatian Values Day of the year to harnessing the *positive power* of values including faith, justice and education of the whole person, to answer the call to care for our common home.
In addition to the trash audit, students took to the streets to pick up garbage, and led discussions. Guest speakers helped the campus population explore racial injustice in city planning and the environmental toll it can take on communities of color. They also offered lessons in fair trade and clothing choices that protect the planet. And that's not all: The performing artists on campus, the Harlequins, used the visual arts to take folks on an environmental journey. In all, nearly 1,500 students and adults on campus pre-registered for two of the 32 sessions available.
It's exciting to see four months of planning come together in this dynamic and interdisciplinary day of prayer, education and action around care for the earth," said Director of Student Formation and Ministry, Peter Corrigan, "Sometimes conversations around the environment can be discouraging. What was really exciting about today was that we got creative and constructive. We talked about concrete ways each of us can make a difference."
The faith aspect of the day lived large. Corrigan explained, "Caring for our Common Home flows out of the best of our Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Connecting with nature can be a special way of recognizing the presence of the Divine in our daily lives. We have a special responsibility to preserve the sacredness of the natural world for future generations, and today was a step in the right direction."
A.M.D.G.
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Saint Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit Catholic school in the heart of Chicago, is a diverse community dedicated to educating young men and women for lives of faith, love, service and leadership.
