June 12, 2017
Dear Friends and Partners,
Greetings of Peace from Global Catholic Climate Movement – Pilipinas.
GCCM-Pilipinas is the official Philippine Chapter of the Global Catholic Climate Movement. It was established during the Laudato Si Week on June 2016 with AMRSP, CBCP-NASSA, PMPI, Columban Missionaries and Franciscans as the lead convenors. Since then, GCCM-Pilipinas has been involved in various activities in promoting Pope Francis encyclical’s Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.
This year 2017, Laudato Si Week which is a special time to commemorate the presentation of the highly anticipated encyclical, will be celebrated on June 11 -18 in partnership with CBCP-NASSA. Central to the Laudato Si Week celebration is the Launching of the Laudato Si Pledge. The Laudato Si Pledge is a global campaign by the Global Catholic Climate Movement and its member organizations to raise awareness about Pope Francis’ powerful, ecological focused message, and encourage the catholic community to take action with the urgency required by the climate crisis. It aims to reach 1% of the 1.2 Billion Catholics around the world.
In this regard we would like to invite your organization/institution to participate in the Launching of Laudato Si Pledge which will be on Saturday, June 17, 2017 from 8:00am – 12:00pm at La Consolacion College Manila Auditorium, 8 Mendiola St., San Miguel, Manila. The launching will begin with a Eucharist. A program will immediately follow with a talk from Tomas Insua, the Founder and Executive Director of GCCM about the campaign and how we as an organization/institution, family, or individual can contribute and bring to life Laudato Si. Highlight of the activity will be the public signing of the Pledge. Those who will sign the pledge will be incorporated in the network of GCCM-Pilipinas/GCCM International and will regularly receive information and updates on practices and events related to the care of our common home.
Please find attached concept note and event poster which you may use if you wish to promote the Laudato Si Pledge. Help us reach the target by signing the I/We Pledge forms, promoting Laudato Si Pledge via social media, setting sign-up desks in your workplace or events, or initiating local launching in your respective communities. You may use and follow the attached ritual for the launching or create a new one. Also, we have attached a prayer card template which you may print and reproduce as give-aways. All sign-up sheets will be collected and information will be stored in our database for monitoring and follow-up.
GCCM-Pilipinas takes its mandate from the call of Pope Francis to care for our common home. In gratitude, we would like to leave with you the message of Pope Francis in his audience with member of the Global Catholic Climate Movement in Rome last February 2017:
“I welcome the delegates from Global Catholic Climate Movement and I thank you for your efforts to care for our common home in these times of severe environmental crisis. I encourage you to continue building networks so that local churches respond with determination to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor”.
Please confirm your participation on or before June 10, 2017. May we ask you also to please share/endorse this invitation to other colleges and departments and/or to anyone who you feel might be interested. For questions, clarifications and/or confirmation, you may contact GCCM-Pilipinas secretariat at telephone number (02) 372-3257 or thru e-mail:gccmpilipinas@gmail.com or you may contact CBCP-NASSA at telephone number (02) 527-4147 or thru e-mails: jocelynguela@gmail.com or clindanoche@yahoo.com.
Thank you and we look forward to meeting you and your students, colleagues and friends, and to sharing with you this noble task of responding to the call of caring for our common home.
In Christ,
(Sgd.) John Din
National Coordinator, GCCM – Pilipinas
(Sgd.) Fr. John Leydon, MSSC
Chairperson, GCCM-Pilipinas
(Sgd.) Fr. Edwin Gariguez
Executive Secretary, CBCP-NASSA
