Dan Misleh, Executive Director of the Catholic Climate Covenant, recently visited Kentucky to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. The visit began in Louisville, where Misleh attended a breakfast gathering at the SCN Apartments with leaders from the Archdiocese of Louisville and the regional Catholic environmental movement. Hosted by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the breakfast offered an opportunity for key voices in the Creation Care mission to connect in a more personal setting before a full day of programming.
Misleh’s visit was organized by the Louisville Archdiocese Creation Care Team at the invitation of Father Jim Flynn, with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth playing a lead role in sponsorship and hospitality. From Louisville, Misleh traveled to the Nazareth Motherhouse Campus, where he joined the Sisters and members of the Ecological Sustainability Committee for lunch at the Motherhouse, addressed the Carrico/Motherhouse community in the afternoon, and capped the day with a public address attended by Sisters, SCN Associates, and members of the broader community.
“We are not faced with two separate crises, one social and one environmental, but one complex crisis which is both.”
In her welcome at the evening event, Carolyn Cromer, Director of Ecological Sustainability for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, spoke on the Congregation’s leadership in environmental care, spiritually and through action, such as installing solar panels and implementing recycling programs.
“[The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth] are caring for creation through managing wildlife habitat in a way that is taking care of those other species, who call Nazareth home; electric vehicles and energy efficiency, and trying to be models for others,” Cromer said. “On behalf of the SCNs, we’re also happy to support this 10th Anniversary of Laudato Si’.”
Misleh’s keynote address combined data, theology, and a direct call to action.
“We are not faced with two separate crises, one social and one environmental, but one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. They are integrated,” he said, citing Pope Francis. He presented sobering statistics: carbon emissions are rising faster than at any point in the past 66 million years, and the planet is already experiencing irreversible damage through extreme weather, drought, sea level rise, and displacement. “What right do we have, as humans, to destroy half of God’s creation?” he asked, referring to the potential loss of up to 50% of land-based species this century.
His message was not without hope, however. Misleh highlighted the surge in renewable energy use, noting that 80% of new electricity capacity in the U.S. in 2023 came from solar, wind, and battery storage. He emphasized practical success stories, including a solar initiative for Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C., which now saves the agency $250,000 annually — money that can be redirected to services such as housing and counseling.
Misleh’s remarks were grounded in Catholic theology. Referencing the Gospel of John, he listeners that “all things came to be” through God, emphasizing that environmental care is inseparable from faith. “If we lose our relationship with creation, we lose our relationship with God,” he said. He pointed to the Church’s own tradition, including the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, who linked environmental destruction to spiritual emptiness: “The external deserts of the world are growing because the internal deserts have become so vast.”
He also introduced the Catholic Climate Covenant’s new campaign, Pilgrimages of Hope for Creation, which calls on Catholics to reflect on environmental justice through spiritual walks and community gatherings. The initiative is part of a broader three-year plan tied to the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform and the 2025 Jubilee Year.
To close, Misleh invited attendees to reflect on their own role: “What brings you joy? What are you good at? What needs doing?” He encouraged listeners to find the intersection of those three answers—and act. “This isn’t about being a grim do-gooder. This is about responding to the Gospel.”
Carolyn Cromer echoed that message in closing. “We have to work this into everything we do—our farms, our schools, our kitchens. The changes can be simple. But we have to begin.”