Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

care for creation

Care for Creation

Mission

Promoting Catholic Social Teaching that All Life Is Sacred

Our mission is to spread Catholic teaching of creation care concerning our duty to be good stewards of our common home, to include the just use of our environmental resources and the protection of all life. We raise awareness to the “cry of the earth” and the “cry of the poor,” encourage individual and community resilience and empowerment, and advocate for the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, all with the urgency the times require.

 

Read Pope Leo’s latest words of urgency, calling us to Care for Creation, Pope Leo XIV’s Address at the Raising Hope Conference, October 1, 2025.

Bishop's Statement

San Diego Creation Care

Dear Friends,

 

True love unites in diversity. Indeed, love unites us with our Triune God and with one another. The gift of God’s creation reveals this love, connecting us all. Now more than ever, we have seen drastic changes in irregular weather patterns throughout the world. We are therefore called to respond to this revelation by caring for this gift. We are to care for our common home and begin with where we are living.

 

As one of the most biodiverse dioceses in the United States, the Diocese of San Diego recognizes the great responsibility we have been given to steward the vast richness of our region; understanding a thriving integral ecology makes human flourishing possible. Through the gifts of the earth, we are able to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked—responding to the cry of the poor and vulnerable. Poised on the border, where the global is local, we are challenged to live justly and bring justice to our international community, mindful of our sisters and brothers who suffer the effects of our careless consumption, who are subjected to the effects of climate change, and who are forced to flee their homeland in the face of environmental impact. We respond to the cry of the earth, seeking the common good of the people. All people. 

United in Christ,


Most Rev. Michael M. Pham
Bishop of San Diego

Our Pathway to Creation Care

SEE

Watch “The Letter,” a free film produced by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si’ Movement to get an overview of today’s environmental crisis and develop understanding of how the poor and vulnerable experience the greatest impact.

 

Families can watch at home on YouTube here, or parishes/schools/groups can register for a link here.

DISCERN

Participate in one of our diocesan introductory workshops to learn about the science that explains today’s environmental degradation, the spiritual nature of these dynamics, and how you can get involved with our Creation Care programs.

 

We offer a catechetical introduction to Creation Care at a minimum twice a year, typically at the beginning of the year and again during the Season of Creation in September. We will also gladly come to your parish—English and Spanish presentations are available! Contact Christina Slentz at cslentz@sdcatholic.org to coordinate.

ACT

Attend a Laudato Si’ Action Planning Hands-On Workshop, at which we will guide you—parishes, schools, families, businesses, and universities—through the Vatican’s online platform for taking action to lessen your impact on our sister,
Mother Earth!

How to Take Action
Resources

These seven goals provide guidance on urgent and immediate actions each one of us can take in the care of our common home. “All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents” (Laudato Si’ 14)

A green icon showing two arrows in a circular motion around a stylized representation of an energy symbol.

RESPONSE TO THE CRY OF THE EARTH
A logo features a stylized hand supporting a heart, colored in green and dark teal.

RESPONSE TO THE CRY OF THE POOR
Illustration of a green sprout growing from a circular, two-toned ring, symbolizing eco-friendly concepts. The sprout is positioned at the top of the ring, with a lighter shade on the upper half and a darker shade on the lower half.

ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS

ADOPTION OF SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES
Open book with a leaf icon on the right page, set against a simple background. The book is green and stylized, symbolizing reading or learning.

ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION

ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY
A person is speaking in front of a classroom, pointing to a green chalkboard filled with math equations. Students are seated at desks, facing the board and taking notes. The room has bright lighting and educational posters on the walls.

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND EMPOWERMEN
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1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

Creation Care parish flagbearers are welcome to attend these monthly zoom sessions, during which we will learn about a topic, discuss, and share broadly our experiences and best practices.
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Upcoming Events

Full Office Calendar
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5

Jan

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Laptop on a round green table with papers, a notebook, and a pen, beside a takeaway coffee cup. A matching chair is partially visible. The background is a vibrant, leafy area, suggesting an outdoor setting.

2

Feb

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Laptop on a round green table with papers, a notebook, and a pen, beside a takeaway coffee cup. A matching chair is partially visible. The background is a vibrant, leafy area, suggesting an outdoor setting.

2

Mar

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Laptop on a round green table with papers, a notebook, and a pen, beside a takeaway coffee cup. A matching chair is partially visible. The background is a vibrant, leafy area, suggesting an outdoor setting.

6

Apr

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Laptop on a round green table with papers, a notebook, and a pen, beside a takeaway coffee cup. A matching chair is partially visible. The background is a vibrant, leafy area, suggesting an outdoor setting.

4

May

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Laptop on a round green table with papers, a notebook, and a pen, beside a takeaway coffee cup. A matching chair is partially visible. The background is a vibrant, leafy area, suggesting an outdoor setting.

1

Jun

1st Monday of the Month Zoom Call for Creation Care

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Creation Care Monthly Stories

A Christian
Prayer in Union with Creation

Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.

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Staff

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms combines the Diocese of San Diego’s coat of arms on the left side, and his on the right. On his, a red boat on a blue ocean sits on diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic communities.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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