Patrick Tunnell, Director of Fellowship and Life, was recently appointed to be the diocesan representative for the Laudato Si’ Leadership Cohort organized in January by the USCCB and supported by the Catholic Extension Society.

Could you give a brief overview of Laudato si’?

A: Laudato si’ is an encyclical written by Pope Francis in 2015. The theme is “On Care of Our Common Home,” the first encyclical primarily focused on the care of the Earth. Interestingly, the title is not Latin – it’s medieval Italian, specifically the Umbrian dialect: “praised be you.” It comes from the refrain of the “Canticle of the Creatures” (or “Canticle of the Sun”), written by St. Francis of Assisi shortly before he died: “Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon.…through Brother Wind.…through Sister Water.…through Brother Fire,” etc.

When Laudato si’ came out, there was a lot of controversy about it because ecological issues are so politically divided in the world. I tend to shrink from certain controversies, but when I began to approach the document with an open mind and an open heart, I saw that seeing it as just a climate change document would be extremely reductionistic. Our primary concern is truth. There’s a real danger of us missing something really meaningful when we react (as opposed to respond) to someone we perceive as (or who actually is) abusing the truth. I’ve been blown away by how rich this document is. Laudato si’ responds to the chief complaints I’ve heard from Catholics in all circles over the last few years. Most are really lamenting the death of culture in our country and in our world, and I think one of the chief things that Laudato si’ seeks to do is speak to forming a good culture, a Catholic culture. It’s been extremely meaningful to me in that regard.

What makes the Catholic approach to caring for creation unique?

Catholics are known for occupying a middle space, the Golden Mean of Aristotle, that says virtue is that mean between two extremes. Laudato si’ mentions St. Francis’s use of the words brother and sister, referring to elements of nature, and how this is not just a romanticized ideal, but a reality that Catholics should believe. We can’t forget that it’s a beautiful creation, and God’s command is to care for it. St. Paul talks about how God’s invisible nature is seen through creation, and there is this real sense in which not only is creation a great good, because God gave it to us, but it’s also our best way of naturally coming in contact with him, to come to know him. And I think we can get so caught up in what’s going on in the culture and people who are abusing that, that we forget that it’s good to be like Jesus and go on a boat or go up a mountain to pray or to have a simple meal with friends.

One of the things that the document is most aggressively against is consumerism and a world dominated by technology. All the Catholics I know, no matter which Mass they go to or which theologians they read, are concerned about these things. I can be with my homeschool dads group where everybody’s talking about how we need to camp more, read more classical literature, and go hunting, or I can hang out with the Laudato Si’ Leadership Cohort lamenting the amount of plastic being used (actually, everybody I know is talking about microplastics right now). It’s been powerful to me to see that something like composting and gardening can be important to different cultures within the Church, transcending politics, culture, and liturgical preferences. Even how the shift, in some ways, toward more naturalistic living – for me, as someone who works with people 
in the area of Catholic teaching on human sexuality – has brought people to become more interested in Natural Family Planning. The document talks about how we as a culture have become slaves to technology. It uses the word rapidification, and that there’s a need to build human community, human culture, to see God in creation. There are no ex cathedra statements in it, but it’s presenting general truths that Catholics already know. It condemns abortion: If we can’t recognize the value of an embryo, we’re in a bad way to recognize the beauty of everybody else, because we can’t see the poor and the needy. Modern man is not good at using power well. Instead, we hide behind technologies for security and utilitarian motives. This document came out before many of the AI debates became mainstream. The document could equally be coming from a conservative, philosophical manifesto or Beatnik poetry; I see unity here because I think everybody’s nervous about technology. A lot of times, these ecological conversations can turn into everybody screaming and panicking. I’m not judging either way on that, but I am very sympathetic to the idea that maybe we should just have dinner with our neighbors and just see what it is to be human. Sin disintegrates us. We’re called to integrate ourselves, cooperate with Christ, grow in virtue and holiness. We all have these dualities in us, where we think one way, but then we also entertain this completely different way of thinking and behaving. And so I imagine there is something about this topic that ultimately is such a clash, because it’s a hylomorphic issue – a body and soul issue. Maybe the better way of saying it is that it’s sacramental, the sign of the invisible. When Aquinas talks about how humans are made in the image of God, he also says that all of creation has a trace of God in it. God’s image for us, he would say, is because of reason and free will. But when we speak of all other created things, they have traces of their maker in them; he thought them up and spoke them into being. A great part of the document says that the way we treat animals has a different moral weight than the way we treat human beings, but that the way we treat animals can tend to show how we actually treat human beings. The way I treat my dog might show more about me than I’d like to think it does. And the same thing could be true about, say, cups: It’s taking the few seconds to wash a cup, as opposed to just grabbing one out of the pantry that I can throw away. It might seem like nothing, and I’m not saying it’s sinful, but it might actually indicate more about reality than I care to admit.

Catholics shouldn’t be afraid of science, but we shouldn’t reduce everything to it either. We should encourage science to do its job, which is to reveal an aspect of truth. Several times in the document it warns against a reductionistic Scientism, which can be present with regards to ecological issues and the general social fear that tends to be adopted by a less believing crowd. They tend to be very focused on science as a complete explanation of reality. The document constantly warns against settling for an incomplete vision of the cosmos; the complete vision involves both the visible and the invisible, the natural and the supernatural. I imagine that’s why there’s so much fighting, because it’s where everything collides.

What are some ways our diocese is focusing on Laudato si’? What are some examples of parishes, schools, and organizations implementing practices to care for creation?

The Laudato Si’ Leadership Cohort is in its beginning stages on the diocesan level. It’s put on by the USCCB and we have collective monthly meetings and one-on-one meetings with leaders of the program as mentors. And we’re working on action plans for the future. So there is a sense in which the task force or cohort that I’m a part of is the beginning of what’s going to be a long-term action plan. So in one way it’s small in the beginning, but the goal is to make this something lasting. It’s been inspiring to see some dioceses who are in advanced stages of this program. And there are other mission dioceses like ours who have a small staff, but they’re coming up with plans. I’m trying to build my contacts, so if you are doing something related to creation care, please reach out to me. I know there is a Laudato si’ ministry at Sacred Heart, Warner Robins, that’s doing good work. Here at the pastoral center in Savannah, we’ve been replacing the fluorescent lights with LED lighting. Our Office of Construction and Properties is doing a great job there, as well as by creating opportunities for parishes to look into what’s possible for them. And I know there have been parishes already working with the Director of Construction and Properties, C. J. Bennett, on that. A lot of these energy initiatives for a parish or a house are not only good for the environment, but can be good for your wallet, as well. There can be a lot of expenses up front with making changes, but there are companies out there trying to help people navigate the complicated costs.

What are some ways we can try to live Laudato si’ in our daily lives?

Iron sharpens iron, and it requires humility. We want to be inspired by people and also to be merciful and patient with people. If there’s anything I’ve realized since leaving home for college – and especially since getting married and having kids – is just that, wow, life is really hard. I don’t know how other people have their dishes done all the time. I feel like I’m barely holding it together. And the good news is that that can help us be merciful.

I’ve never been someone good at gardening, but these neighbors of mine, a Catholic homeschool family, they have taught me so much about what you can do in your own backyard. It turns out you can grow an insane amount of zucchini in your backyard in Savannah, GA. Thinking also of people like the King family, who run Farm to Jesus – a Catholic-based farm-to-table supper club – I mean, they’re practicing the definition of Laudato si’. They have a farm here, they invite people over and have community and talk about Jesus, and it’s local food, and everybody’s kids are playing in the dirt, and there are chickens and goats. They’ve even offered to teach people how to kill a chicken and that will teach you where your food comes from. I’m not someone who grew up with farm animals, and 
I didn’t grow stuff, and the Kings are willing to let people into their home with no judgment, and they just want to share. When you’re borrowing from neighbors and sharing, you may have less, but you receive so much; there’s something profound when someone helps you and you help someone. We live in a world where we’ve just been flooded with goods, and we’re unhappy. And it’s really crazy how sometimes in giving away certain things or giving up certain things, we discover that we actually feel more alive.

What about when it seems like the problems are too far beyond our control?

There is a bit of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Laudato si’, in that idea that a small act of love is much more profound than we realize – that small acts, even just reusing things, are profound acts of love that can change you and change your environment – literally, the environment, but also your social environment. I would also stress the importance of appreciating the wonder of, and having wonder before, reality. This sensible, natural world reveals to us that God is present to the world, right now. You wouldn’t want to destroy that world if it’s the thing that translates this message. God uses natural materials, after all, to give us his Body and Blood, right in the Eucharist.