Care of the environment is an important topic for many of today’s young people, and thanks to an effort by the Office of Lifelong Formation, local youth had an opportunity Feb. 24 to share their concerns with Auxiliary Bishop Ronald Hicks, archdiocesan vicar general.

It was the second time Bishop Hicks gathered with young people to listen to their concerns and dialogue with them. The first was around the topic of the Synod on the Amazon last year.

Youth involved in the archdiocesan pastoral council suggested the environment as the topic for this gathering with the bishop.

The event, held at St. Barnabas Church, 10134 S. Longwood Drive, began with discussions about the environment and also how the church can better meet the needs of young people. Bishop Hicks took part in those discussions and answered questions at the end of the event.

Participants’ concerns over the environment span many topics. Senior Faith Lam mentioned fast fashion, in which companies take advantage of cheap labor overseas and create a lot of pollution too.

“I think what we can do right now is educate people and make sure that everyone knows about it so that everyone’s willing to do something about it,” she said.

Fiona Gawne shared a laundry list of things she’s concerned about, from fast fashion and exploitation of workers to the destruction of the world’s coral reefs.

“People say, ‘If the coral reefs die, it’s not going to affect us. Yes, it won’t be pretty anymore.’ But they don’t see the ecosystem it’s going to harm or the animals that are going to go extinct. And that’s going to affect us and eventually catch up to the human population,” she said. “What’s that going to mean to our children and our grandchildren?”

There is no time to waste, Gawne said.

“It’s our job to step up now while we still have a chance to change it, reverse the effects and save the world for the future,” she said.

Ky’Dele Francois is a junior who started a recycling program at her private, Christian high school. Recycling and tackling pollution are important issues to her. 

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about people who have lung cancer because they live next to factories. It’s just sad to hear people can’t breathe on their own and need machines now because of that pollution.”

She suggested that people in her neighborhood of Auburn Gresham could host reusable clothing drives, in which people trade clothes instead of buying new ones and using all of the resources involved in creating new clothes and resulting in pollution.

The young people noted Pope Francis’ focus on the environment through documents such as the encyclical “Laudato Si’” and adding care of the environment to the church’s corporal works of mercy.

“He was saying that caring for the environment should be a work of mercy like feeding the hungry and caring for the sick,” Lam said. “That’s not enough, just putting it on a list, but it’s comforting to say it out loud that this is important to all of us. It is a start.”

Hannah Cleveland said ministering in the area of care for creation is an opportunity for the church.

“In a way, the church is sort of losing an audience and I think that they are especially losing an audience in the youth. One way that they can reconnect with the youth is through the environment because it is something that we as teens care about,” she said. “We don’t want to see this planet depleted. I think if the church starts having a say in this and starts just putting it out there that we actually need to do something then there will be action taken.”

Bishop Hicks said he always appreciates young people’s enthusiasm.

“Tonight, what I’ve been impressed with is their depth and their insights,” Bishop Hicks said. “They have a passion for their faith. They want to be committed to the church and they also want to have a voice.”

He wanted to be there to listen to them and ask them what they need from the church.

“They’ve been smart and intelligent with their answers and their conversation. I walk away hopeful,” he said. “Many times we say the youth are the future of our church. I agree with that, yet they are also the present and we have to include them in every facet of who and what we are as church.”