Caring for creation is a mission shared by every Catholic, which is why the call to protect our common home is a focus of one of the Sandhurst Formation Institute seminars.
Presenters Michael McGirr and Kerry Stone aim for attendees to find space within themselves to connect more deeply with what they already have. “This is not about loading everyone up with more information; it is about creating space to appreciate the depth of our own engagement with God and Creation,” explains Michael McGirr. “I’ve never known anybody who has a real relationship with God who didn’t have a sense of awe and wonder for Creation,” he says.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclicals, Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, the “Mission to Care for Creation” seminar will focus on the work of Catholic Earthcare and the Laudato Si’ Movement, exploring how we can respond to the call to ecological conversion through prayer, reflection and practical action. Kerry and Michael will consider what it means to see ‘care for creation’ not only as an environmental issue, but as an expression of faith and a responsibility flowing from our relationship with God, one another and the world we share.
The seminar is promoted as follows:
Mission to Care for Creation
Of all the recent Popes who have written about human responsibility to care for creation (Francis, Benedict VI, Saint John Paul II), Pope Francis has written the most extensively, especially in his two encyclicals, Laudato Si’ and Laudato Deum. Catholics should be in no doubt that care for our common home is a mission in which we all share and have a responsibility, individually and communally. It’s a mission in which each of us can and must do something meaningful.
Pope Leo XIV supports Pope Francis’ teachings and is a champion of the concept ‘integral ecology’. Recently, Pope Leo has emphasised the moral and religious dimensions of environmental protection. Those who believe in a Creator, he says, are called to assume an even greater responsibility to care for nature.
“Catholics all understand our mandate is to love one another. Laudato Si’ has opened our eyes to see that everything is connected,” says Kerry Stone. “To love one another is to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. That’s our mission!”
To start understanding this mission, Michael suggests we look at the world around us, rather than read encyclicals. “There are eight billion people on this tiny planet. You don’t need a document to start asking questions about how we can all flourish. And we cannot flourish without a just, caring and respectful relationship with our natural environment. Start by looking at our reality.”
“If Pope Leo was in the room, he’d say, ‘Be human’, and part of being human is that we are creatures,” says Michael. “When we ask people where their faith is nourished, most, within a sentence or two, will start to talk about connection with creation.”
“With our news full of dire predictions, we can be left feeling despairing and overwhelmed. My involvement with Earthcare, a passionate, committed, active community, inspires me and fills me with hope,” says Kerry. “ If you’re looking for inspiration and hope, then come and join us.”
The “Mission to Care for Creation” seminar is one of the seminars offered at the Sandhurst Formation Institute in Shepparton on 21 and 22 August. All are welcome to this free event. Registration is essential.
Kerry Stone is the Diocesan Caritas Coordinator and Social and Ecological Justice Coordinator. Kerry’s work includes promotion, educationand campaigning on a broad range of justice issues. Driven by a deep belief in the centrality of justice to living the Gospel, Kerry has developed and supported a network of parish justice representatives; presented workshops on Catholic Social Teaching and global justice; led annual Just Leadership Days and the Justice Matters Camp for secondary students, in collaboration with Catholic Education Sandhurst. Kerry is Convenor of the Sandhurst Care for Creation Team, promoting the Laudato Si’ Goals across diocesan parishes and schools. Kerry is part of Caritas Australia's Catholic Earthcare Team, coordinating Earthcare’s National Parish/Diocesan Community.
Michael McGirr is Mission Facilitator at Caritas Australia. He is a writer, reviewer and educator who has published books on philosophy, literature, spirituality and ethics, as well as hundreds of articles, essays and stories, in publications including The New York Times and The Tablet. He has reviewed many books for publications such as The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, and he was previously the fiction editor of Meanjin and publisher at Eureka Street.
Prior to joining Caritas Australia, Michael was a teacher and, most recently, worked as Dean of Faith at St Kevin's College in Melbourne. He also worked on faith formation with the boards and staff of schools and other organisations. Through all his work, he is motivated to connect faith, culture and community, and to champion an expression of a faith that encourages justice.
The Sandhurst Formation Institute 2026 brings together parishioners, clergy and ministry leaders from across our Diocese to explore what it means to be a Church of mission – a Church that welcomes, forms and sends people to share the Gospel (Strategic Direction 1 – Gospel Mission and Pastoral Outreach).
Centred on the theme “Growing Communities of Mission”, the 2026 Institute will provide practical formation and inspiration to help parishes move from simply maintaining what they have, to becoming communities that actively invite and accompany others in faith. There will be two keynote presentations, Mass, inter-parish and intergenerational dialogue and a choice of seminars to choose from.
