St. Bernard’s Care for Creation team invites the entire parish to participate in the formulation of an action plan in response to a platform based on Laudato Si, the second encyclical of Pope Francis on “care for our common home.” The planning session, which includes Fr. Brian and the parish staff, will be held from 9-11 a.m., March 5 in the lower level of the Religious Education Center. There are several goals listed in the platform, including: 1) response to the cry of the earth; 2) response to the cry of the poor; 3) ecological economics; 4) adoption of sustainable lifestyles; 5) ecological education; 6) ecological spirituality and 7) community resilience and empowerment. Each year, Laudato Si Action Platform participants complete a self-assessment of their practices in areas outlined by the Laudato Si goals. Our parish addresses many of the issues in the encyclical regarding assistance to the poor by reaching out through our Human Needs Commission and Society of St. Vincent de Paul. For more, contact Ben Roden at baroden@yahoo.com.