Inspired by our Marianist Founders’ global family vision, the Integral Ecology Team works in partnership with the Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) by animating MSJC members and our Marianist Family networks to take transformative action for a just and sustainable future. Embodying Mary’s responsive care for our common home, we collaborate in the Marianist Family Encounter Project by nurturing ecological conversion through prayer, dialogue, and education that promotes behavioral and policy change for the healing of our earth community.
Our Mission
Integral Ecology Team
Nurturing a Marianist spirit of integral ecology for a just and sustainable earth community.
What is Integral Ecology?
In Laudato Si (LS) Pope Francis emphasizes that everything is interconnected. “A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” (LS # 49) He invites us to deeper awareness of how care for the earth intersects with human systems and the quest for economic justice. “The protection of the environment is in fact ‘an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it’” (LS #141).
Our Vision
The Integral Ecology Team has developed reflection guides for each of the seven LSAP goals that support living the integral ecology vision of Laudato si through the lens of our Marianist charism. Designed for individual reflection or group/community discussion, each two-page guide includes brief background on the goal, inspiration from our Marianist Founders, mindfulness reflection, discussion questions and additional resources for action and sharing through the Marianist Family Encounters Project While guides each stand-alone and can be explored in any order, we suggest beginning with Ecological Spirituality.
- Response to the Cry of the Earth
- Response to the Cry of the Poor
- Ecological Economics
- Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles
- Ecological Education
- Ecological Spirituality
- Community Resilience and Empowerment
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato Si' Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Monthly Learning Community
Engaging With Marianist Encounters Group
Partnership with Marianist Environmental
Education Center (MEEC) Events
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
This project connects faith with sustainable and ethical food practices, rooted in the Marianist tradition of community and care for creation. Two key initiatives of this project include:
- Offering workshops like Eating For Tomorrow: How Care for the Earth calls us to transform our Habits of Food Preparation and Consumption recently facilitated Dr. Jennifer Dalton from the University of Dayton.
- Promoting a Marianist Meatless Mondays community challenge.
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
Monthly Learning Community
Engaging With Marianist Encounters Group
Partnership with Marianist Environmental
Education Center (MEEC) Events
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
Marianist Meatless Mondays E-Cookbook
The Integral Ecology team is a supportive learning community with members from all 3 Marianist Family branches, ages from young adults to wisdom years, and geographically located from Hawaii to the East Coast.
We meet monthly (currently the last Wed of the month from 8 - 9:15 pm Eastern time) by zoom. Each meeting includes time for prayer, educational input, interpersonal sharing of insights and action commitments. We work between meetings as sub-teams on projects which include planning the next monthly meeting theme, developing resources, hosting zoom and in-person events to advance the Laudato Si' Action Platform.
We meet monthly (currently the last Wed of the month from 8 - 9:15 pm Eastern time) by zoom. Each meeting includes time for prayer, educational input, interpersonal sharing of insights and action commitments. We work between meetings as sub-teams on projects which include planning the next monthly meeting theme, developing resources, hosting zoom and in-person events to advance the Laudato Si' Action Platform.
Monthly Learning Community
Monthly Learning Community
Engaging With Marianist Encounters Group
Partnership with Marianist Environmental
Education Center (MEEC) Events
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
The Integral Ecology Team is animating MSJC’s engagement in Marianist Encounters - a multi-year initiative empowering individuals, communities and ministries in the Marianist Family to live out the Laudato Si' Action Platform goals and the Global Compact on Education.
Engaging with Marianist Encounters Group
Monthly Learning Community
Engaging With Marianist Encounters Group
Partnership with Marianist Environmental
Education Center (MEEC) Events
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
The Integral Ecology Team collaborates with MEEC - the Marianist Environmental Education Center. MEEC's mission is:
In Mary's hope-filled spirit, we preserve and act in communion with the land and educate other communities in sustainability through ecology-based simple living, social justice and spirituality.
Our team has collaborated on many events and resources with MEEC, and you can find some of our favorite collaborations below:
In Mary's hope-filled spirit, we preserve and act in communion with the land and educate other communities in sustainability through ecology-based simple living, social justice and spirituality.
Our team has collaborated on many events and resources with MEEC, and you can find some of our favorite collaborations below:
- Lenten Reflection Series on Laudato Si' Goals
- Ecological Spirituality - Team members have presented at season spirituality retreats for MEEC
Partnership with the Marianist Environmental Education Center
Monthly Learning Community
Engaging With Marianist Encounters Group
Partnership with Marianist Environmental
Education Center (MEEC) Events
Marianist Reflection Guides on the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP) Goals
Food Justice & Marianist Meatless Mondays
Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Laudato Si' placed care for the earth in the Canon of the Church’s Social Teachings: “It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face.” (Par 15)
Our Founders also saw nature as integral to the mission of all Marianists:
Our Founders also saw nature as integral to the mission of all Marianists:
- “Should nature not draw our attention to the wisdom of the Creator? Look at the smallest blade of grass. Is there a human being skillful enough to make its life? Is there anyone else endowed with the power and authority to cause a grain of seed to multiply, as God does? Everything in nature sings of the grandeur of God.” – Adèle letter #3
- “Why do new needs require new and greater help? ...Who is the wise person who does not see that the old levers that once moved our moral world now somehow need another fulcrum?” William Joseph Chaminade, The Chaminade Legacy, Doc. 53, vol. 1, p 687.
Why is the Marianist Family called to work on this issue?
The Integral Ecology Team works closely with the Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC), a ministry of the Marianist Province of the United States (Society of Mary). MEEC stewards the Marianist Nature Preserve and other natural areas at Mount Saint John, and offers programs and resources on habitat creation, invasive species management, natural history, ecological spirituality, and environmental justice.
