A Campus Becoming

Sacred Heart University reflects on how a global call to ecological conversion took root on campus during the decade since Pope Francis issued Laudato Si’, growing from an informal initiative into a permanent institutional commitment that shapes student formation, academic life and the University’s understanding of care for creation and care for one another.

From the spring 2026 issue of Sacred Heart University Magazine

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University marks 10 years of Laudato Si' by demonstrating how a Catholic university can embed ecological responsibility into its mission, curriculum, and campus culture
• The University's commitment began when President John J. Petillo enrolled SHU in the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform, launching a campus-wide effort to put Pope Francis' vision into practice
• What started as a volunteer-led initiative evolved into the permanent Office of Sustainability & Social Justice, ensuring long-term leadership and institutional support for environmental and social justice efforts

On West Campus, tucked between trees and walking paths, the interfaith prayer gardens invite a slower pace. Students pass through between classes. Some pause. Some sit. Wind moves through the grasses. The space does not demand attention. It waits for it.

For Chelsea King, director of the Office of Sustainability & Social Justice, the gardens embody what Laudato Si’ asks of a Catholic university.

“In a culture of speed and noise, these spaces create room for gratitude and reflection,” King says. “Ecological conversion begins with wonder.”

Ten years after Pope Francis issued Laudato Si’, his encyclical calling the world to care for “our common home,” Sacred Heart University continues to explore what that conversion looks like in practice.

An Institutional Yes

The journey began when Pope Francis launched the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and invited Catholic institutions to participate. President John J. Petillo signed Sacred Heart up, and that institutional “yes” sparked a response within the University community.

The original Laudato Si’ Initiative formed as an informal committee of faculty, staff, and students asking a direct question: What would it mean for Sacred Heart to truly live out the vision of Laudato Si’?

“At the start, we had no formal budget and no official structure,” King says. “What we had were ideas, collaboration, and a shared conviction that ecological conversion is central to our Catholic identity.”

The group raised awareness about recycling, hosted reading groups and speaker events, and helped establish the interfaith prayer gardens as spaces for contemplation. Members met regularly to reflect on and discern how the University could respond faithfully and creatively to the encyclical’s call.

Over time, it became clear that volunteer energy alone could not sustain lasting change.

“If we wanted this work to endure beyond the energy of a particular group, it needed permanence, clarity of leadership, and dedicated resources,” King says.

The creation of the Office of Sustainability & Social Justice within the Office of Mission & Culture marked that shift. What began as an initiative became institutional.

King calls it “an enduring commitment to shaping Sacred Heart’s culture around care for our common home and care for one another.”

More Than Sustainability

At Sacred Heart, being a “Laudato Si’ campus” means more than hosting Earth Week programming or improving recycling systems.

“To be a Laudato Si’ campus is not simply to host sustainability events or recycle more effectively,” King says. “It is to allow the vision of Laudato Si’ to shape how we understand who we are.”

That vision insists that environmental questions are inseparable from human dignity.

“Environmental questions are never only about carbon footprints or energy use,” King says. “They are also about dignity, community, and justice.”

That understanding shapes campus life in visible and subtle ways. Students encounter sustainability and social justice themes in courses across disciplines. Faculty integrate questions of the common good into research and teaching. Speaker series invite thoughtful dialogue.

Everyday habits matter, too: recycling intentionally, reducing waste and engaging in conversations that connect environmental concerns with social realities.

“To be a Laudato Si’ campus is to cultivate a community where ecological awareness, spiritual reflection, academic inquiry, and concrete action belong together,” King says.

Students Finding a Home

From the beginning, students expressed strong interest in sustainability and justice. They wrote about climate anxiety. They attended events. They asked how faith intersects with environmental responsibility.

“What I noticed over the years was not a lack of interest, but a lack of structure,” King says. “Students cared deeply. They just needed a home.”

The Laudato Si’ ambassadors program emerged to provide that home. The program gathers students committed to sustainability and social justice and offers formation, leadership opportunities, and community.

“They are not simply volunteers,” King says. “They are co-creators.”

For Maxin Liao ’28, a marketing major, the program connects directly to her field of study.

“In marketing, we’re often focused on putting products and services into the world,” Liao says. “But that kind of production can create harmful byproducts if we’re not careful. Being a Laudato Si’ ambassador allows me to advocate for sustainability and remember that to consume is not just to take, but to keep things cycling in a way that allows life to prosper.”

Introduced to the initiative by a friend, Liao says she was drawn to its broader mission.

“It aligned with my values, but it also carries a greater responsibility,” she says. “It’s about improving human life while also protecting other living beings and the environment we all share.”

Faria Ahmed ’29, an exercise science major, says the program reshaped how she understands responsibility.

“To me, Laudato Si’ is a reminder that caring for the Earth also means caring for people,” Ahmed says. “Environmental responsibility and human dignity are connected. It encourages us to live more thoughtfully and intentionally in how we treat the world around us.”

Being part of the initiative has expanded her sense of community.

“It’s connected me with so many people on campus who share similar values,” Ahmed says. “It shows how small actions, both individually and as a community, can make a meaningful difference.”

As a graduate assistant for the initiative, Imani Jean-Gilles ’26, who is enrolled in the film & television master’s program, supports outreach and media efforts to amplify that message.

“What drew me to this work was how it intertwines ecology and faith,” Jean-Gilles says. “It represents hope for our common home and a commitment to caring for it collectively.”

She collaborates with King on programming and speakers and works with ambassadors and student leaders to expand awareness.

“When we engage with students who may not have heard of Laudato Si’ before, many quickly resonate with its mission,” Jean-Gilles says. “You can see the enthusiasm grow. Students want to be part of something that connects sustainability, justice, and faith.”

Integral Ecology in Practice

In recent years, Earth Day has grown into a broader campus celebration that brings together faculty research, student-led initiatives and partnerships with local organizations.

“It feels less like a single event and more like a snapshot of what a Laudato Si’ campus can be,” King says. “Collaborative, joyful, grounded, and outward facing.”

The celebration reflects what Pope Francis called integral ecology, the understanding that everything is interconnected. Academic inquiry and lived practice. Environmental awareness and social responsibility. Campus and community.

Attention and Hope

The greatest challenge in translating Laudato Si’ into campus life has not been opposition, King says. It has been distraction.

“The challenge is not convincing people that creation matters,” she says. “It is inviting sustained attention.”

Ecological conversion requires stillness. Spaces like the prayer gardens create that opportunity.

“When people slow down, even briefly, something shifts,” King says. “The desire to care is already there. It simply needs room to breathe.”

As Laudato Si’ marks its 10th anniversary, Sacred Heart looks ahead. This spring, the Office of Sustainability & Social Justice launches the Laudato Si’ Fellows Program, a faculty fellowship supporting scholarship and creative work rooted in sustainability and social justice.

“I am hopeful because this work is no longer dependent on one small group,” King says. “It is embedded across campus.”

What once felt experimental now feels established.

Ecological conversion, King says, “is not a finished project. It is an ongoing invitation.”

On West Campus, the prayer gardens remain quiet. Roots deepen slowly. But they are growing.