News Post

Kascha Sanor, the director of social and environmental justice for the Congregation of St. Joseph, visited Baton Rouge in late January to present a day of reflection and formation on Laudato Sí, Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical published in May of 2015. Sanor’s presentation was hosted by the Lay Associates of the Congregation of St. Joseph in Baton Rouge. While she was in Baton Rouge, Sanor visited St. Joseph’s Academy, where she spoke with students about Pope Francis’ call to be good stewards of the earth. 

In addition to talking with students in several theology classes, Sanor visited science classes and the school’s Andrea Clesi McMakin ’74 STEM Lab to share the congregation’s generous promise to “recognize the reality that Earth is dying, to claim our oneness with Earth and to take steps now to strengthen, heal and renew the face of Earth.”

In Laudato Sí, Pope Francis calls for the entire global community to engage in dialogue about the care of our “Common Home.” He calls all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action,” saying that the science of climate change is clear and that the Catholic church views climate change as a moral issue that must be addressed in order to protect the planet and everyone on it.

SJA Pastoral Care Minister Sister Chris Pologa said Sanor helped the girls understand the gospel call to be responsible stewards of the earth’s resources. “She invited the students to brainstorm on ways that they could make a difference,” she said. “She invited them to act from their Catholic consciousness that calls us to right relationships to uphold the dignity of all creation.”

SJA Campus Minister Jade Spears said she enjoyed Sanor’s energetic presentation. “It was refreshing and made me more excited to see what God has planned for the future at SJA,” she said. “I look forward to seeing how we can transform our local environment.” 

Theology teacher Nadine Saunders said Sanor’s presentation was dynamic and informative, “offering a gentle invitation and provoking challenge all through a pastoral lens.”

SJA Operations Director Linda Thompson, a CSJ associate, said Sanor made a multi-faceted environmental concern easy to digest. “I’m proud of our SJA girls for understanding the concepts and goals of Laudato Si and desiring to be part of the solution by being involved in future planning with creative ideas,” she said. 

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director

Photos courtesy of Nadine Saunders