Sustainable consumption, sorting and reduction of waste, modes of transport... In many Jesuit places, the ecological transition is underway. And, on March 28th, the "Zoom-Ecojesuit" inaugurated successfully the digital gathering concept for all Jesuits. Testimony of Father Gabriel Pigache on local and institutional initiatives for a greener Church!

Laudato si'! In our EOF Jesuit Province, a forest of initiatives is growing, without any noise... selective sorting is becoming part of the way of life, disposable dishes and plastic bottles are gradually disappearing. It is no longer surprising to find compost in the garden or on the balcony of a community. In many of them, we enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables, guaranteed organic or pesticide-free. Some Jesuits are becoming vegetarians and are causing debate around them! In many places, there is hardly any meat left in the evening. We lighten up, we sleep better. On the garden side, vegetable gardens are launched or revitalized and they welcome - even in Paris - a beehive and a rainwater collector. On the transport side, although the bicycle is for some a long tradition, it increasingly competes with cars in community car parks. Finally, Jesuits are discovering the joys of the shared car, the simplicity of the bus or the advantages of the train.

Letting oneself be transformed

But where are these changes coming from? The Jesuits are sensitive to the example of the people they work with: a friend and mother makes her own washing powder; the students of such a chaplaincy are familiar with compost; young professionals invite a Jesuit to read with them the encyclical Laudato si' and to put it "into action": by renouncing packaging and moving to a "waste-free" culture, by choosing organic or local, by joining a non-violent activist movement, by taking the step of an integral change of life. In contact with young people and the poorest, in roommates, associations, formation groups, Jesuits allow themselves to be transformed. Some of them, garden lovers or agronomists in formation, are happy to see other companions adhere to their lifelong passion.

Since the publication of Laudato si', elements of ecological cultivation are moving more rapidly from the individual to the collective scale. This is noticeable in educational institutions, chapels and spiritual centres, which are multipliers of change. For example, schools are engaged in eco-labelling initiatives; pastoral teams take Laudato si' as their theme for the year; a spiritual centre designs projects based on the principles of integral ecology, undertakes ecological renovation (Penboc'h) or re-launches a community vegetable garden (La Pairelle); a church enters into "Green Church" labelling.

Whether the approach is personal, community or institutional, we can see it: the Jesuits are gradually entering the ecological transition. The Jesuits are, of course, getting on with it, but the stakes are enormous and we are far from there.

A new culture is being born and it takes us forward in the call of the fourth Universal Apostolic Preference defined by the Society to "a change of lifestyle": "working with others to build alternative ways of life, based on respect for creation".

During lockdown: with Zoom Ecojesuit, the ecological transition is on the move.

On March 28th, the Ecojesuit team successfully inaugurated the "Zoom-Ecojesuit" digital gathering concept for all Jesuits. On the programme of the videoconference which brought together 25 participants: 8 presentations of initiatives in the service of the ecological transition of our communities: the fresco of the climate, a community vegetable garden in Jesuit communities, accompanying the ecological transition of communities, the Green Church approach based on the example of the Church of Saint Ignatius, what the young people expect from us Jesuits, a new book by Jérôme Gué sj for an 8-day retreat for an ecological conversion, to be published by Éditions jésuites, an analysis on the link between the current situation of the fight against the epidemic and the ecology, by CERAS.

A participant testified about the ecological transition in a community.

First of all, to base ecological conversion on key texts: the writings of Pope Francis (Laudato Si, Querido Amazonia), and the Constitutions of the congregation. Ecological conversion is not a matter of sensitivity, but that it is central to our faith.

In a second phase, to discover witnesses who open up possibilities: the CERAS web series, films or readings, a visit to the Campus of Transition, etc.

Finally, engage in concrete actions: inventing adapted liturgies, taking part in a climate walk, installing a vermicompost, changing the way we supply and eat.

By involving at all levels the members of the communities in their respective responsibilities. Distinguishing, on the other hand, the small gestures of daily life, which have a symbolic and real importance, from structural changes (sending on mission, investment) which commit the apostolic body.

The very good news of the Ecojesuit videoconference is the abundance of initiatives and the strong involvement of those who are committed to ecological transition. This formula has also made it possible to be in contact with people who are geographically distant who would not otherwise have made the trip. Experience has shown that with a good quality of connection, we can go far enough in exchanges, sharing documents and photos and marvel at the initiatives of others.