JVC Northwest is proud to share that we have adopted the St. Francis Pledge, an initiative to “get Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change”. Read on to see what the pledge entails and how JVC Northwest continues to strive for social and ecological justice.
The St. Francis Pledge was developed by the Catholic Climate Covenant. The Catholic Climate Covenant is a campaign of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change (CCCC), an organization founded by FJV Dan Misleh (Fairbanks, AK ’82-83) as a way to “take responsibility for our contribution to climate change and, be advocates for those who will be left out of the public policy debate on climate change”. From that Climate Covenant, the St. Franics Pledge was born. It is a simple commitment that calls on the individual or group to act on each of the five elements of the pledge:
- PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.
- LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change.
- ASSESS how we-as individuals and in our families, parishes and other affiliations-contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption, waste, etc.
- ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change.
- ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.
As an organization, JVC Northwest already implement these elements into our office culture through a variety of personal and communal practices. However, we are continually striving to lessen our environmental impact and make informed decisions that protect our planet as well as the poor and marginalized. By signing onto the St. Francis Pledge, the Board and staff reaffirm JVC Northwest’s commitment to pursuing ecological justice. To learn more, or make the pledge as an individual or organization, go to the Catholic Climate Covenant website.
