Children, young adults and senior citizens are part of 18 active circles in Laudato Si’ Movement’s . Mexico Chapter . With the aim of raising awareness of integral ecology, these groups are a service for members to get to know each other, value each other and discover how their faith is connected to nature.
In a dialogue with María Cristina Núñez, coordinator of the Laudato Si’ Circles, and representatives of other circles, we explored the diversity of encounters and groups, for all ages, that exist throughout Mexico, both virtual and in person.
School: first contact with Laudato Si’
Sister Maria Teresa,
Sister Maria Teresa, a Poor Clare missionary, recounted her experience serving in the Monterrey circle where the children of the Poor Clares School formed three circles according to age: one in preschool, one in primary and one in secondary school, with various didactic activities according to age, to teach the younger children and adolescents about Laudato Si’. The activities were also taken to a nursing home for the elderly.
“In 2020, I began to have this concern about what to do with the children in terms of mission. Since we were in a pandemic, we were interested in something new and we started with the Laudato Si’ circles in a virtual way,” says Sister Maria Teresa. Then, in 2021 and 2022, they were able to hold the face-to-face encounters that continue to this day. The dynamic consists of a meeting every eight days and a monthly outing consisting of another activity.
In addition, ” as a general guideline, the congregation has been designated to speak about Laudato Si’ among the sisters and in the apostolates,” she mentioned. They also have a project that belongs to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.
Like the children, parents also began to participate in the circles and become leaders after completing the Laudato Si’ Animators Program (Do you want to be an Animator? Registration is open here). For some gatherings, they go to a municipal community garden near the school. There the children learn to cultivate the soil and then return to school with pots to give to their teachers: “I have the illusion that someday the teachers will also go there and be more deeply inspired by Laudato Si’,” confesses the sister.
Adriana Zapata, in turn, joined after becoming a Laudato Si’ Animator, and leads one of the circles of the Salesian College since Sister Maria Teresa has been sent to another assignment.
Another of the activities they carry out in the circle is garbage separation, in which they prepare the garbage cans, painting them according to the colors of the garbage. They also organized the screening of the movie The Letter, with the gesture of preparing a letter to Pope Francis, commenting their feelings about the film. At the end of the course, they take the children on an excursion to the Chipinque mountains.
“The children are very creative and look forward to the meeting every week, telling their teachers that ‘they are from Laudato’,” Adriana says, while recalling the dynamics they use to help the children understand the concepts better, such as a treasure hunt, songs or choreographies. Without forgetting the prayer connected to the theme of the day. “Listening to the children has been more useful to me than what I can transmit to them,” says Adriana.
Migrants who care and care for their common home
Claudia Corroy, Chiapas Circle Coordinator
In the south of Mexico, in the city of Chiapas, there is a Laudato Si’ Circle that belongs to the Casa del Migrante where Claudia Corroy is the coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance area. It is an ecumenical circle, because 98% of its members are not Catholic. Their common agreement has been to pray the Our Father and prayers to the earth: “We are all Christians and we have our Lord, who is the Creator God”.
This circle began with the culture of recycling clothes. In the context of the caravans of people migrating to the north, clothes are left on the roads, as they have no way to wash or store them. The circle’s mission is to raise awareness about clothes, plastics and the water crisis.
“We have seen how clothes go from generation to generation,” Claudia says, commenting that children and adolescents are more willing to understand, although “there are also many older adults who understand that we are giving them clothes that can be useful to other children. When the clothes are already worn out, the fabric is recycled as small handbags, wallets, or cleaning rags.
Due to the lack of water, at the Casa del Migrante it is not allowed to drink the water and they try to save it for washing clothes, showers and recycle it for washing bathrooms and floors. At the same time, the house has windows in almost all its extension to make the most of the daylight and save energy.
Among other activities, they conduct workshops, awareness-raising talks and moments of prayer. They also work with older adults on the care of the fields and the garden, “making good use of the resources that the land gives us to maintain our health and be somewhat balanced,” says Claudia.
The Casa del Migrante’s population comes from Central and South America and the Caribbean, with some people also from African countries and from Syria to Afghanistan: “We have generated a culture of solidarity and love,” Claudia adds. Many of the people have been social fighters, suffering persecution and fighting for their land.