FSPA and EarthBeat NCR collaborate to 'wake up the world'

The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration announced on July 31 a gift of $1.5 million to NCR’s endowment earmarked to support and amplify “integral ecological education and journalism reflecting the spirit of Laudato Si’.” The gift marks the establishment of the Laudato Si' Fund, which NCR will seek to grow with gifts from other donors.

FSPA was among the first supporters of EarthBeat, the project of NCRonline.org launched last year to tell stories of climate crisis, faith and action. The money will assure environmental reporting will be a permanent component of NCR.

"... the fund is intended to "wake up the world to the moral urgency surrounding climate change and care for our common home. The mantra of Laudato Si', the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, is a modern lamentation of our relationship with Mother Earth," McKenzie said. "Aware of this lamentation, we committed to building bridges of relationships that stretch us to be people of encounter who stand with all the suffering in our Earth community."

Explaining the name of the fund, McKenzie said, "Laudato Si' is a document rooted in Franciscan spirituality, penned by Pope Francis as an historical call to eco-justice and eco-conversion, and we create this in the year of the document's fifth anniversary. Laudato Si' encompasses what we hope for in endowing NCR to continue to chronicle the integral relationship of the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor." 

Read Franciscan Sisters invest in NCR to help 'wake up the world'

Watch the full conversation shared between NCR staff members and FSPA ...