Education and Outreach

Education, outreach, and engagement are vital to improving Catholic awareness of our faith and responsibility to care for each other and for the whole of creation.

While secular technical and political solutions to environmental problems have their place, caring for the environment is at its heart a religious and moral imperative. This is why the Saint Kateri Conservation Center has been evangelizing, teaching, and practicing Catholic ecology for more than 20 years.

The Saint Kateri Conservation Center provides education and outreach in Catholic integral ecology and conservation through a combination of online and on-the-ground programs.

We use social media and our website, with its extensive Catholic ecology library, to reach thousands of people every day.

Our purpose is to foster a greater awareness and understanding of the Church’s teaching on ecology and the environment, always in a manner that is accurate and faithful to the teaching of the Church.

Education is critical for developing a greater sense of ecological responsibility: responsibility for one’s self, for others, and for our little sisters and brothers, the plants, animals, soil, water, and air. A genuine faith-based education in ecological responsibility entails a conversion in ways of thought and action.

We offer an extensive on-line library of quotes and writings on Catholic ecology provided by the Bible, Catechism, saints, popes, bishops, religious, and lay persons. 

We inspire public interest in Catholic ecology through social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where we are blessed with more than 30,000 friends and followers, who share posts with many more people. Our following continues to grow.

We offer presentations, workshops, and retreats on Catholic integral ecology, primarily from the viewpoints of Catholic natural resource managers, scientists, and educators in the fields of conservation planning, and Western and Traditional ecology. 

Our future plans include offering additional educational videos, webinars, books, courses, curricula, and other resources.

Our Saint Kateri Habitat Program encourages Catholics and others to restore habitats for people and wildlife, at home and in their communities. This personal, hands-on approach leads to greater appreciation and understanding of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation, thus drawing people closer to God.

Our work takes aim at the very heart of today’s ecological problems and addresses “the profound moral crisis of which the destruction of the environment is but one troubling aspect,” as stated by Saint John Paul II.

At their core, ecological challenges do not primarily stem from environmental factors, and their resolution cannot be solely sought in technology, economics, or politics. Instead, these challenges possess a profound spiritual and moral dimension.

To meet our enormous ecological challenges, we strive to help “rebuild” the Church, much as Saint Francis of Assisi has done. This includes evangelization with respect for others, proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to him, and promoting the “ecological conversion” necessary to protect and sustain the integrity of God’s creation.

Our goal is to share the Good News of Christ our Lord, with support for conservation, so that people know that conservation and integral ecology are not only possible, they are integral to our Catholic way of life.