Reflection for the FIC Brothers: Embracing the Spirit of the Third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly in Our Mission Today

“We are called to live out love, simplicity, and brotherhood in harmony with creation and in service to the most vulnerable."

Dear Brothers in Christ,

As members of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (FIC), our charism; teaching, education and formation and our desire to live in communion with others, in simplicity and humility, for the integral development of the human person, position us uniquely to embody and advance the urgent ecological, social, and spiritual calls raised during the Third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly in Accra, Ghana.

The statement from the youth gathers strength from the African soil, its pain, its beauty, and its hope. The message calls us to reflect deeply on how we as FIC Brothers, guided by our education, teaching and pastoral formation, can adapt and respond with renewed commitment to our charism in the 21st century.

1. Our Charism and the Call to Integral Ecology

Laudato Si’, echoed strongly by the youth of CYNESA, reminds us that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor are one (LS 49). Our FIC charism already recognizes the dignity of the human person and the need for holistic education and formation. We now must extend that integral human development to include ecological formation, understanding that true human development is impossible without a healed environment.

Just as our founders, Mgr Louis Rutten and Broeder Bernardus Hoecken, responded to the needs of their time through education and care for the marginalized, we too are called to listen and respond to the pressing ecological crises of today with prophetic courage.

2. Concrete Pathways for Integrating Laudato Si’ into FIC Mission

a) Education for Ecological Conversion

• Revise and enrich our school curricula to include environmental stewardship, climate justice, and spiritual ecology.
• Celebrate “Youth for Creation Sunday” in our schools and mission centers.
• Promote eco-literacy through student eco-clubs, gardening projects, tree planting (e.g., Ghana’s Arbor Day), and “green weeks” across FIC institutions.
• Encourage the integration of Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum into the catechetical and formation materials for both students and staff.

b) Witness through Simplicity and Sustainability

• Begin the gradual elimination of single-use plastics in our communities and institutions.
• Promote the use of renewable energy in our communities and schools; lead by example in reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
• Adopt a zero-waste lifestyle consistent with our vow of simplicity, reducing consumption and encouraging repair, reuse, and recycling.

c) Amplifying the Prophetic Voice of the Congregation

• Collaborate with regional and continental Church bodies (e.g., SECAM, RECOWA) to amplify youth-led ecological advocacy.
• Support CYNESA and similar networks by sponsoring workshops, offering logistical or institutional backing, and creating platforms for youth ecological leadership within our ministries.

d) Formation and Spiritual Ecology

• Integrate Eco-spirituality into our formation programs namely; contemplative walks, eco-retreats, reflections on creation, and prayer practices that root our connection to God in the beauty and suffering of creation.
• Teach and model interior peace as a basis for ecological action (LS 225–232), linking the inner journey to outer transformation.

3. FIC Brothers as Advocates for Laudato Si’ in Africa

As Brothers committed to faith and justice, we are well placed to become ambassadors of ecological hope and justice, particularly within African contexts marked by:

• Illegal mining (e.g., Galamsey in Ghana)—we can initiate alternative livelihood trainings and community awareness campaigns.
• Deforestation and land degradation—we can partner in reforestation efforts such as the African Great Green Wall, and protect sacred ecological spaces.
• Youth unemployment and desperation—we can promote green entrepreneurship and regenerative agriculture for sustainable livelihoods.

4. Celebrating Ubuntu and African Ecological Wisdom

Our spirit of community life and shared mission resonates with the African ethic of Ubuntu—"I am because we are." We must uplift and integrate indigenous ecological practices, traditional knowledge systems, and community stewardship models into our work.

Let us celebrate and promote African culture through:

• Music, storytelling, and art that reawaken respect for the Earth.
• Liturgical expressions that connect faith with the seasons and gifts of creation.
• Documenting and sharing local ecological success stories from our communities across the continent.

5. Call to Action for the FIC Congregation

In the spirit of the Jubilee Year 2025 and the hope it represents, let us rise to this moment of ecological conversion, not just as stewards of education but as servants of hope, protectors of creation, and brothers to all life.

We propose that the FIC:

• Form a Laudato Si’ implementation team within the congregation’s provinces.
• Appoint youth environmental ambassadors in our institutions.
• Host a continental FIC Ecological Congress to chart pathways for action.
• Build partnerships with faith-based ecological organizations, especially youth-led networks like CYNESA.

Conclusion

The Third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly has spoken with urgency and clarity. We, the Brothers of the Immaculate Conception, must listen with humility and act with love. As educators, missionaries, and spiritual guides, may we help birth an ecological civilization where faith and science, tradition and innovation, prayer and action come together for the healing of our common home. Let our response be bold, just, and rooted in the love that first called us.

“Praise be to You, O Lord, for all your creatures.”

With fraternal solidarity,
Br. Irenius Nimbare

(JPIC Coordinator)