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Visit the Catholic Relief Services site for kids: CRS Kids!

The Catholic League is the USA’s largest Catholic civil rights organization.  Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

The National Silent No More Awareness Campaign is an effort to make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women, men, and their families. The emotional and physical pain of abortion will no longer be shrouded in secrecy and silence, but rather exposed and healed. This effort is a key to making abortion unthinkable, and persuading society that women deserve better than abortion.  In addition, according to the Roman Catholic Church, respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation.

www.newadvent.org:   This is a ‘Catholic Supersite’: it gives you access to many useful resources around the world. You can find here, for example, The Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catechism, the writings of the Church Fathers and various Catholic news services.

www.catholic.net:   And here is another Supersite, particularly well designed and easy to use.

ic.net/~erasmus/RAZHOME.HTM:    Put together by Dave Armstrong, this is one of the best Catholic sites in the world. You can find here good articles explaining any aspect of Church teaching.

www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5743/  The ‘Mystical Rose’ website is full of useful things.

www.udayton.edu/mary/:   Probably the best site on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

www.chesterton.org/:    This is a fun site about G. K. Chesterton, one of the great Christian writers.  Explore!

www.zenit.org/english/:    This news service will keep you in touch with what is happening in the Catholic Church as a whole, and what the Pope is doing and saying.

http://www.catholic.com:   Another essential site.

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:  The catechism search engine.

http://www.dwightlongenecker.com:  Dwight Longenecker’s excellent site.

http://www.mark-shea.com/index.html:  Mark Shea's entertaining and informative site.

http://www.peterkreeft.com/home.htm:    Peter Kreeft's seminal site

Visit the website of the Michigan Catholic Rural Life Conference.  They focus on issues of  agricultural/farmer support, land use/urban sprawl, and the environment.

The Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network (CMFN) is a national organization dedicated to pastoral ministry with migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Founded in 1986, the Network operates with the support and collaboration of the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees of the U.S. Catholic Conference.  CMFN works to bring the pastoral presence of the Church to thousands of migrant farmworkers throughout our country.

MaterCare International is an association of health professionals dedicated to improving the lives and health of mothers and their unborn children throughout the world, through new initiatives of service, training, and research, in accordance with the contemporary teaching contained in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life).

Mary's Gardens was founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to research the hundreds of flowers named in medieval times as symbols of the life, mysteries and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus - as recorded by botanists, folklorists and lexicographers; and to assist in the planting of "Mary Gardens" today.

Visit the Web site of The Couple to Couple League, the largest provider of Natural Family Planning services within the US.

Priests for Life is an officially approved association of Catholic Clergy who give special emphasis to the pro-life teachings of the Church.  They offer ongoing assistance to the clergy in addressing the topics of abortion and euthanasia, and training and resources to the entire pro-life movement.

Saint John's Arboretum celebrates and preserves the unique beauty and richness of God's creation in Central Minnesota and fosters the Benedictine tradition of land stewardship, education, and environmental respect.

Kateri On-Line is a virtual shrine and museum dedicated to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, patroness of ecology.

Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS), challenged by the message of the Gospel, promotes and assists member programs serving in the United States and throughout the world.  CNVS is a resource for people who are discerning a call to volunteer service, are in service, or have returned from service.  The site includes environmental volunteer opportunities.

The goal of The Mary Page is to present information about the Mother of Jesus and to lead people to a loving knowledge of her who is the first and most holy of the faithful. Learning more about Mary, we develop a fuller knowledge of Christ who is the fulfillment of human existence.

Find news, opinion, and hope for a post-modern world at Traditional Catholic Reflections and Reports, TCRNews.com.

CatholicCulture.org provides some of the best Catholic resources available on the internet, including its own database of Catholic documents.

Living His Life Abundantly® International, Inc. seeks to mend the Christian fabric of today's culture by proclaiming the abundant life in Jesus Christ through all manner of media and communications.

Pope John XXIII's prophetic teaching: Pacem in Terris

The Catholic Church and Stewardship of Creation from the Acton Institute.

JPIC and OFM Integrity of Creation resources

A brief history of the Church's environmental teachings by Karl Golser.

Earth is Entrusted to Man's Use, Not Abuse, Pope John Paul's address of November 11, 2000 to farmers and agriculture representatives.  

We Must Be the Custodians of Nature, Pope John Paul's homily of November 12, 2000.

The Bible on Environmental Conservation: A 21^st Century Prescription, by William T. Johnson, Arizona State University, USA, in the Electronic Green Journal, issue 12.  It may come as a surprise to some, but the Bible has a great deal to say about the environment and its conservation some 20 centuries since it was written.   This paper provides a very interesting and informative overview of the Bible and the environment.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released its Social Justice Statement for 2002, The New Earth: The Environmental Challenge (in PDF format - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).  It's valuable reading for Catholics everywhere.

U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Renewing the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on the Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching," Nov. 14, 1991

The Columbia River Pastoral Letter Project is an extensive, international pastoral letter project launched by seven Catholic bishops of the Northwest USA and Canada.  The letter was issued in January 2001.  This site is well worth a visit!

Towards a Better Distribution of Land, by the PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE.

Address of Archbishop Agostino Marchetto on the theme, "New Frontiers for Bioethics: the Biotechnologies," about biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMO).  November 18, 2000.

Pastoral letter by the Indiana Catholic Conference, Care for the Earth.

Statement on "Companions in Creation,"  by the Catholic Bishops of Florida.

At Home in the Web of Life: A Pastoral Message on Sustainable Communities in Appalachia, from the Catholic Bishops of Appalachia, December 15, 1995.

And God Saw That It Was Good, A Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of the Boston Province.

Joint Statement on Children and the Environment, November 20, 2000; National Council of Synagogues--National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, a statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, June 15, 2001.

A recent series of papal statements help us to distinguish between the political ideologies of environmentalism and the Christian tradition of stewardship and respect for the created world.  Read more about this in the Catholic World Report, August & September 1996, article Second Spring: Christian Ecology by Stratford Caldecott.  

Read about how Catholics find creative ways to make the Word flesh by helping to assure clean water for all people in Springs of Hope from the December 1998 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine.

Learn about St. Francis of Assisi, patron of animals and ecology.

Working for Change, principles and reflections from the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

Celebrate Life: Care for Creation by the Alberta Bishops.

Decree Twenty: Ecology from the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus.

Read articles about the environment in the magazine Salt of the Earth.

Eucharist and Ecology by Fr. Euan Marley, O.P.

Ecology and Religion: A Green Christology by Sean McDonagh, SSC, Columban Fathers.

Read "Oceania, My (Vanishing) Island Home" about global warming by Dan McAloon from the newsletter of Leaders of Religious Orders/Institutes of the Catholic Church in Australia.

Read the Catholic position on Adam, Eve, and Evolution, Creation and Genesis, and Creation out of Nothing at Catholic Answers.  

Read an article from the Catholic Encyclopedia about the Relation of God to the Universe, with information about creation and conservation, including the balance of Divine immanence and transcendence. 

According to journalist Mary Jo Anderson, environmental concerns are being used to advance the deconstruction of the Western Christian worldview and institute a New Age style, one-world, socialist government.  The forces of globalization are using the environment as a ploy to construct a homogenized, utilitarian culture of death for the 21st century.  There is food for thought here.  Additional articles by Mary Jo Anderson can be found by searching the web.

Education is the first step towards conservation of our land and resources.  The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) builds partnerships with leading environmental education organizations. NACD has memoranda of understanding with Project Learning Tree, Project WET and Project WILD, and serves in an advisory position for Project Food, Land and People and the Canon Envirothon. Other partners include the National Environmental Education Advancement Project, the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, National Ag in the Classroom and a variety of universities and colleges.

The Environmental Literacy Council is dedicated to helping citizens, especially young people, participate wisely in the environmental  arena. An independent, non-profit organization, the Council gives teachers the tools to help students develop environmental literacy: a fundamental understanding of the systems of the world, both living and non-living, along with the analytical skills needed to weigh scientific evidence and policy choices.

The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) is a public policy organization focusing on issues of environment and development.

Why The Nature Conservancy is so successful:

	The Conservancy works closely with communities, businesses, and people like you.
	The Conservancy has a science-based plan that achieves tangible results.
	The Conservancy uses a non-confrontational approach.

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.

The mission of the Acton Institute is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.

The Population Research Institute is dedicated to stopping human rights abuses committed in the name of family planning, and through research and education to dispelling the myth of overpopulation.

Living Earth
It's not the planet that faces a crisis - it's us. If we are to secure a vibrant living earth for future generations, we need to act now. People from all walks of life need to become more involved in resolving environmental issues. Living Earth Foundation creates the possibilities for this to happen by helping to turn ideas into action.

Abortion is a reflection that society has failed women.  Women deserve better.  Contact Feminists for Life.

Habitat for Humanity's Environmental Initiative promotes energy-efficient, environmentally friendly construction, encouraging good stewardship of natural resources and raising awareness of the environmental impact of house building. The Environmental Initiative embraces the concept of sustainable building: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The mission of Au Sable Institute is the integration of knowledge of the Creation with biblical principles for the purpose of bringing the Christian community and the general public to a better understanding of the Creator and the stewardship of God's Creation.  As an institution of higher education, Au Sable provides college and university level programs in environmental studies, field biology, stewardship ecology, and ecological sustainability for students worldwide.  The institute's community programs reach out to various age groups, from K-12 students in local schools to adults in our local communities.

Those of you who are interested in the renewal of art after a period in which basic skills were almost lost will want to visit the remarkable Art Renewal Center.

The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is the nation's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems. Located in Bozeman, Montana, PERC pioneered the approach known as free market environmentalism.

The people at EcologicInvestor.com believe in a clean environment AND a healthy economy.  They believe in the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profits. The products, companies, and technologies found there are united by the common work of providing utility and beauty without overburdening Earth's critical-life support systems.

The European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) aims to enable the churches of Europe and Christian groups involved in environmental work to share information, pool common experiences, and encourage each other in being a united witness to caring for God's creation.

The American Farmland Trust works to stop the loss of productive farmland and to promote farming practices that lead to a healthy environment.  Offers fact sheets about farmland conservation and other resources.

Health-Track works to build support for a comprehensive national approach to tracking and monitoring the links between the environment and health, with the ultimate goal of preventing chronic disease.

Creation Stewardship in Central New York is an interfaith group open to any member of any congregation in Central New York who is interested in a faith-based approach to caring for God's creation.  Even if you don't live in Central New York, this site is worth a visit.

Hunters Helping the Hungry is a program for sportsmen to donate venison for use by charitable organizations that serve or distribute food to the poor or needy.  This website is for the New York State program.  Other states have similar programs, for example New Jersey and Virginia.  Check with your state department of natural resources.

Maureen Gilmer, a popular garden author and Roman Catholic, is very involved in developing a spiritual path of devotion through plants and gardens.  Visit her web site at www.moplants.com .

Local HARVEST is a directory that encourages people to explore the foods grown close to home, and marketed directly by farmers.  Offers a great interactive map to find local farms and farm markets, as well as a search engine.  Provides information about community supported agriculture (CSA).

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) reflects an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers; develop a regional food supply and strong local economy; maintain a sense of community; encourage land stewardship; and honor the knowledge and experience of growers and producers working with small to medium farms.

Interested in a creative alternative to paper from trees?  Vision Paper works with U.S. farmers to grow an annual row crop called kenaf.  They use the kenaf as the raw material for paper instead of trees.  They manufacture pulp and paper, without using any chlorine compounds.  Low input sustainable agricultural practices like crop rotations are promoted to reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers and chemicals. Because kenaf is grown for the fibrous stalk, and not the fruit or flower of the plant, insecticides are not required. 

Institute for Theological Encounter with Science & Technology
" We are an organization committed to ongoing dialog among contemporary thinkers, assessing developments in science and technology for their theological implications and to apply religious values to scientific processes."