Statement by Canada's Catholic Sisters Regarding the Climate Emergency

On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (September,1), leaders of Canada’s 64 Congregations of Catholic Sisters are calling on the country’s politicians to respond to the climate emergency declared by Parliament by taking concrete steps to avert it.

As Women Religious, caring for all of God’s Creation is an essential part of our faith. The drastic changes to our climate brought on by the release of greenhouse gases pose the greatest threat to all living beings. Yet, not enough is being done to address it. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis points out that “reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most.” (169)

For our part, we have taken robust action to combat the destruction of our planet and to care for our common home. Many of our Congregations have taken steps to:

Divest from fossil fuel portfolios to clean and renewable energy projects.
Eliminate single-use plastics.
Retrofit residential buildings, including solar, bio-thermal and renewable natural gas installations.
Commit to the Blue Communities project which entails treating water as a sacred resource and shared commons.
Plant trees in Canada and in the countries where our Missions exist.
Compost, reduce and recycle.
Partner and provide support to community groups and movements committed to address the climate emergency.

We urge all politicians running in the upcoming federal election to acknowledge the climate emergency and to implement an immediate multilevel policy strategy for a just transition to ecologically sustainable living.

The actions to address the climate emergency should be concrete, justice-based and stripped of partisan politics. We invite political leaders to join us in caring for our common home by:

Keeping fossil fuels in the ground and ending subsidies to fossil fuel and plastic producers.
Redirecting investments and rapidly expanding the renewable energy economy, including investment in retraining for workers affected by job loss in fossil fuel production.
Continuing to hold companies to account by putting a cost against the greenhouse gas pollution they produce.
Coordinating an intensive and sustained public awareness effort to change attitudes and behaviours.
Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and developing climate emergency policies in line with the Indigenous knowledge and teachings.

We are facing an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to Earth. With so many others on the planet, we hope that politicians will show commitment, leadership and collective wisdom in the movement to protect our planet from destruction. This is the only way forward together.

UISG (International Union of Superiors General) is a worldwide organization of Superiors General of Institutes of Catholic Women Religious. It encourages dialogue and collaboration among Religious Congregations within the Church and larger society. This statement is a collaboration of all 64 Canadian members of the UISG.

Signatories:|

CONGRÉGATION / CONGREGATION	VILLE / CITY, PROVINCE
Antoniennes de Marie	Chicoutimi, Québec
Congrégation de Notre-Dame	Montréal, Québec
Dominicaines Missionnaires Adoratrices	Québec, Québec
Filles de la Providence	St-Constant, Québec
Filles de Marie-de-L’Assomption	Campbellton, Nouveau Brunswick
Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception	Pembroke, Ontario
Institut Notre-Dame du Bon-Conseil de Montréal	Montréal, Québec
Les Dominicaines de la Trinité	Shawinigan, Québec
Les Missionnaires du Christ-Roi	Montréal, Québec
Les Sœurs de la Providence	Montréal, Québec
Missionnaires Notre-Dame des Anges	Sherbrooke, Québec
Missionnaires de l’Immaculée Conception	Montréal, Québec
Missionnaires Oblates du Sacré-Cœur et de Marie-Immacuée	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur	Dieppe, New Brunswick
Oblates de Béthanie	Québec, Québec
Oblates Franciscaines de St-Joseph	Montréal, Québec
Our Lady’s Missionaries	Toronto, Ontario
Petites Filles de Saint-François	Montréal, Québec
Petites Filles de Saint-Joseph	Montréal, Québec
Petites Franciscaines de Marie	Baie-St-Paul, Québec
Petites Soeurs de la Sainte-Famille	Sherbrooke, Québec
Religieuses Hospitalières de St-Joseph	Montréal, Québec
Servantes du Saint Cœur de Marie	Montréal, Québec
Servantes du Très Saint-Sacrement	Sherbrooke, Québec
Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception	Saint John, New Brunswick
Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland	St John’s, Newfoundland
Sisters of Mission Service	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Sisters of Providence of Saint Vincent de Paul	Kingston, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Joseph in Canada	Hamilton, London, Pembroke, Peterborough, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Sault Ste Marie	North Bay, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Toronto	Toronto, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Martha of Antigonish	Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Sisters of Saint Martha of Prince Edward Island	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Sisters of Social Service	Toronto, Ontario
Sœurs Augustines de la Miséricorde de Jésus	Québec, Québec
Soeurs de Charité de Saint-Louis	Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de Charité de St-Hyacinthe	Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec
Sœurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge	Québec, Québec
Sœurs de l’Institut Jeanne d’Arc	Ottawa, Ontario
Sœurs de la Charité d’Ottawa	Ottawa, Ontario
Soeurs de la Charité de Montréal (Soeurs Grises)	Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de la Charité de Québec	Québec, Québec
Soeurs de la Providence	Montreal, Québec
Soeurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte Vierge	Nicolet, Québec
Sœurs de Miséricorde	Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice	Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil	Chicoutimi, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur	Dieppe, Nouveau Brunswick
Sœurs de Notre-Dame-du-Perpétuel-Secours	St-Damien-de-Bellechasse, Québec
Soeurs de Sainte-Anne	Lachine, Québec
Sœurs de Sainte-Croix	St-Laurent, Québec
Sœurs de Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc	Québec, Québec
Soeurs de Sainte-Marthe de Saint-Hyacinthe	Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec
Sœurs de Saint-François d’Assise	Québec, Québec
Soeurs de Saint-Joseph de Saint-Hyacinthe	Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Sœurs de St-Joseph de St-Vallier	Québec, Québec
Sœurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie	Longueuil, Québec
Sœurs du Bon-Pasteur de Québec	Québec, Québec
Sœurs Notre-Dame du St-Rosaire	Rimouski, Québec
Sœurs Servantes de Notre-Dame Reine du Clergé	Lac-au-Saumon, Québec
Ursuline Sisters of Chatham	Chatham, Ontario
Ursuline Sisters of Prelate	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Ursulines	Québec, Québec

Statement by Canada’s Catholic Sisters Regarding the Climate Emergency