In 2023, the Irish Bishops' Conference instructed Irish parishes to develop plans to restore 30 percent of their church lands to nature by 2030. 2030 marks the end of the United Nations' Decade of Restoration which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the alarming loss of natural biodiversity.
Pope Francis warned of the ecological and spiritual losses of declining biodiversity in Chapter I, Section III of Laudato Si. He wrote:
"Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost for ever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right."
The process of land restoration - specific practices undertaken to recreate a functioning ecosystem or help one recover - is critical to protecting and enhancing biodiversity. As people of faith, we have a special obligation to participate in this urgent global project at our own local level.
MEEC invites those with responsibility for stewarding land within the Marianist Family worldwide - leaders in communities, schools, universities, sponsored institutions and centers, parishes, individuals and families - to look at the land on which we teach, learn, worship, live and play as creation, loved into being by God, home to our brother and sister creatures and needful of our prayerful action. Then develop a plan - heal 30 percent by 2030.
MEEC can help. We've been restoring the land at Mount Saint John in Dayton, Ohio, USA, for nearly 30 years. The problems facing land in different areas of the world may vary but our goal does not - to live an integral ecology dedicated to the reconciliation of the land and the communities that share it.
The first step is filling out this interest survey. We look forward to hearing from you.