10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know About the Environment

Michael Wright is a father of three and leads the environmental justice ministry at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. He has contributed to national Catholic publications as well as technical journals related to his work as a NASA civil servant. He has a B.S. in Space Sciences and M.S. in Space Technology; he also earned his MSW from Catholic University of America. As a licensed social worker, he volunteers in pastoral counseling and critical-incident stress management. He has solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, and two spring-fed geothermal systems in his 19th-century farmhouse.

In my ten years committed to sharing Catholic teaching on the environment, 2015 will forever be a watershed moment with the release of Pope Francis’ On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’) The profound and detailed encyclical is superbly summarized by Michael Wright. Michael’s book, 10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know About the Environment, draws deeply from Laudato Si’, outlining the major themes of the book, and making those themes accessible to all. The underlying spiritual calling that is at the heart of Laudato Si’ is beautifully synthesized especially in chapters 2, 3, and 6. But each chapter is worthy of full attention. The book could easily serve as a study guide for small groups wanting to explore Pope Francis’ teaching on the environment.

—Dan Misleh, Executive Director, Catholic Climate Covenant

This is an excellent resource for parishes eager to make Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ more accessible to diverse groups of Catholics and empower them to take action. I’ll certainly be using this resource at my parish.

—Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, a Franciscan friar leading the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation ministry at St. Camillus, a Catholic multicultural parish in Silver Spring, MD

These 10 Things books are excellent resources for adult education, introducing key themes of the Pope’s teachings. Their pocket-size format makes them inviting—good for catechists and a great resource for any type of adult education in the parish, including small faith-study groups and interfaith efforts. Some readers will be motivated to go further, to read the original documents, like Laudato Si’, homilies, and discourses that each book explains.

—Dan Pierson, founder of eCatechist.com and faithAlivebooks.com and former diocesan director of religious education