Atawhai ki uta, atawhai ki tai, kia horahorahia – ki te rito o te ao marama.
May Mercy be felt inland, may mercy be felt on the shore, may Mercy be widespread, living in the heart of our world today.
As we mark Laudato Si’ Week (May 24–31, 2025), we join Catholics worldwide in celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. This year’s theme, “Raising Hope,” calls us to reflect on our journey, recommit to bold ecological action, and deepen our response to the care of our common home. For Mercy ministries in Aotearoa New Zealand, this is also a moment to weave together the wisdom of Laudato Si’ within mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori, in our shared journey of kaitiakitanga and care for our common home.
Laudato Si’ has firmly rooted ecology, social justice, and climate action within Catholic social teaching. Pope Francis called us to an “ecological conversion,” recognising the profound interconnectedness between people and the planet. He urges us to move beyond words to concrete action—through advocacy, sustainable living, and community engagement, so that together we can address the continuing ecological crisis. This week, Catholics, and more broadly those in our ministries are encouraged to participate in prayer services, educational events, and hands-on projects like tree planting and river cleanups, all grounded in the Gospel of creation.
Te ao Māori offers a uniquely Aotearoa perspective on our relationship with the environment. Purakau and mātauranga Māori teaches us that all living and non-living things are interconnected. Whakapapa connects us not only with our tīpuna, but also how people, the landscape, plants and animals came into being. It is reinforced by concepts like kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga that call us to respect and protect the natural environment as Pope Francis called us to do.
Traditional Māori practices like rahui and mahinga kai demonstrate a deep understanding of ecological balance and conservation. Integrating these values with modern knowledge offers a path to more sustainable and just environmental stewardship.
As people of Mercy, our charism calls us to courageous responses to the needs of our time including to justice, compassion, healing and wholeness, and care for our common home. In Aotearoa, this mission is inseparable from our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our journey together is not only a matter of justice but a source of strength and wisdom as we face environmental challenges together.
This Laudato Si’ Week, let us be inspired by both the global Catholic movement and the deep roots of te ao Māori and the call of Papatūānuku. What action can you take to care for our common home with atawhai and aroha:
- Gather in prayer, finding karakia and waiata that honor creation and our shared responsibilities. The Laudato Si’ Movement website has this free prayerbook available which is a great resource to look at. There are also karakia available on this website with new prayers being regularly added.
- Begin conversations on Laudato Si’ and te ao Māori exploring how this can guide our environmental actions and what this means for authentically caring for our common home.
- Register on the Laudato Si Action Platform and make an intentional declaration to make a Laudato Si’ Plan to set goals and concrete actions that you are required to track and monitor.
- Organise or join community projects: plant native trees, restore waterways, or support local kaitiaki in conservation efforts.
- Raise your voice for policies that protect the vulnerable, uphold climate commitments, and tautoko matauranga Māori in environmental decisions.
- Make sustainable choices in your home and Minisry, living Mercy everyday whether by reducing waste, conserving energy, or fostering a spirit of gratitude and care for all creation.
Let us answer this call with hope, courage, and Mercy, drawing on the richness of our faith and the wisdom of te ao Māori. Together, we can co-create a future where justice, compassion, and care for our common home flourishes not only in our ministries but within our wider communities.