The Archdiocese of Los Angeles will undertake a unique approach to ministry. In accord with Catholic social teaching, parishioners and students will learn about their responsibilities in promoting a clean environment.

"We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan; it is a requirement of our faith," states the website for the U.S. bishops' environmental justice program, "Caring for God's Creation."

"We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's creation," it says. "This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored."

At certain churches and five high schools in Los Angeles, this effort will assist parishioners in reflecting on God's creation and in starting a dialogue with the community about contributing to environmental sustainability.

The creation-sustainability ministry will help people and parishes learn how to conserve resources by making better choices, such as using energy-efficient tools and appliances. "From our perspective, creation is a statement of faith," said Ramon Posada, ministry chairman and professor of philosophy and religion at East Los Angeles College. "It implies that there is a loving Creator from which we came . . . and who calls us to participate in this loving action in the world we live in."

The program includes three subcommittees:

• Justice: Assists people in finding solutions to their own environmental problems through networking with established organizations already working in the field.
• Formation: Provides information on the environment and empowers and helps nurture parishioners so they can become aware of and open to the call to be loving stewards of God's creation.
• Development: Finds ways to help parishes deal with practical concerns, such as energy efficiency or gas and water conservation.

"So the very nature of this ministry is community-building," said Posada, "because not just one person can come up with the solution; it has to be the action of the community.