‘No man is an island, entire of itself.’ —John Donne One of the most beautiful teachings the Catholic Church has to offer to an as-ever polarized and divided world is the idea that we are all connected to each other. Embedded in our Eucharistic doctrine is the concept that it is metaphysically and spiritually possible to be connected to people we have never met, and never will meet—and although in the Sacrament this is believed to be true—in a specific and concentrated way—as it relates to Christ and Christ’s Body, it reveals a fundamental understanding in the Faith about the kinship of all hu ..read more

It’s summer and it’s hot! Time to clean out my closet, transfer my tank tops and shorts from the basement to the bedroom, and sort through my sweaters. Typically, this results in a large pile of clothes destined for my local thrift store or the trash. I never thought much about these piles of clothes until I started volunteering at the thrift store. Unbeknownst to me, there were four huge refrigerator boxes of clothes marked “mission” in the back. What I soon learned was that thrift stores don’t resell every donation. They can sell only what’s in season, still fashionable and in good shape. Co ..read more

In the first chapter of Genesis God looks at everything he made—oceans, lands, plants and animals—and finds it “very good.” Then, he rests, admiring the beauty of creation. This creation—Earth—our common home, is at risk. Forests and oceans are suffering from the effects of climate change, and in turn, plants and animals that make these places home are facing extinction. In addition to plants and animals, vulnerable humans often do not have the infrastructure or resources to withstand dangerous storms or droughts brought on by climate change. As stewards of the Earth’s resources, we are called ..read more

The principles of Catholic social teaching have shaped my life and my decisions. My introduction to fair trade was through coffee and chocolate, which I imagine is the gateway for a lot of us. I was at a fair trade market at my parish and our social justice office explained why it’s important to support fair trade coffee even though I never had a cup of coffee in my life. It’s hard to believe, right? But it’s the truth (even though I grew up with coffee around me as my dad loves his coffee)! The first bag of coffee I ever purchased was a gift to him and made him a believer in the benefit of fa ..read more

As I read these heartfelt letters to the Church from our leaders, I developed an even deeper admiration for and commitment to Holy Mother Church. I’ll never forget it. Seventeen years ago I was offered a position as the Director of Social Ministry for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Shortly after I took the position, I was asked to teach 15 men studying to be Deacons about the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum written in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII. Even though I grew up in the Church and was actively practicing my faith, the closest formal social ministry training I had was “clown ministry.” You know, C ..read more

I want to make sure we do what we can to keep this world clean and safe for the next generation. I’m a busy mom of 4 little loves and over the past 2 years or so I have been moving our family to a more sustainable lifestyle.  For me, as a parent, I see the importance of being aware of what is happening in the world around us and I want to make sure we do what we can to keep this world clean and safe for the next generation. Take Care of Those Who Make What We Use I was first made aware of the importance of living ethically when I heard about the tragedy of the earthquake in Indonesia at the te ..read more

I’ve tried to be more intentional in both my purchasing habits and reducing the amount of waste I was creating. My interest in living a more sustainable lifestyle began ten years ago, when I spent a year living at an all-girls orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The funny thing is that the girls, and the Catholic sisters who ran the orphanage, wouldn’t have described their lifestyle as “sustainable.” It was just their way of life. Handwoven totes made of recycled plastic bags were used for the weekly groceries. Cloth napkins with everyone’s name on them were kept in the dining room and washed on ..read more

As a missionary, I had access to less…less funds, less clothing, less options. I find that I miss that simple lifestyle. I began learning about fair trade and sustainability when I was in business school. Attending a Jesuit University, I had the opportunity to take business ethics and social justice classes where I learned about poor business practices and the effects they had on stakeholders and the world. On the flip side, I also learned about companies who were changing their business practices to be more sustainable for the environment or who were investigating their supply chains to make ..read more

Catastrophic storms. Extreme temperatures. Spread of disease. The effects of climate change impact millions of people every day, yet it can be easy to feel immune from the effects when they don’t impact our daily lives. While we may not feel the impact today, climate change has the ability to affect physical and mental well being—our health. As humans we rely on safe drinking water, clean air and healthy food to live abundant lives. Climate change compromises these resources and poses health risks to wealthy and vulnerable populations. It is vital that we become better stewards of our environm ..read more