If you’re leading Laudato Si’ efforts in your institution or household, you probably carry both conviction and fatigue. You deeply believe in caring for our common home. You see what needs to change. And yet, you may not have a budget line, formal authority, or consistent encouragement from leadership. Often, you are building something new with limited time and even more limited support.
That’s why planning matters. Clarity protects purpose. A focused plan reduces burnout, builds credibility, and helps others take this work seriously. And the good news is this: you don’t need weeks of meetings or a complicated document. You can draft a faithful, credible 2026 Laudato Si’ Plan in one focused hour.
Your Plan Template—available in your Laudato Si’ Action Platform dashboard—was designed precisely for this purpose:
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It provides structure without overwhelming you: a leadership message, guiding principles, reflection, institutional commitments, and concrete actions for the year ahead. What follows is a simple 60-minute pathway to fill it out with confidence.
Begin with Discernment, Not Pressure (5 Minutes)
Before strategy, there is prayer. Open with a short reading from Laudato Si’, sit in silence, and ask a simple question: Lord, where are you inviting our community to grow this year?
Planning in the Church is not about control: it is about cooperation with grace. That shift alone changes everything. You are not manufacturing results; you are responding to an invitation.
Choose 3–5 Mid-Term Priorities (15 Minutes)
One of the strongest insights from organizational research is that healthy institutions focus on a few meaningful priorities and stay with them long enough to see fruit. Leaders sometimes change direction every year, unintentionally signaling that nothing is truly important. But credibility grows when we commit.
Think of your 2026 plan as part of an arc. Identify three to five priorities that matter deeply and that require sustained effort. These should be strong enough to guide you beyond a single season but concrete enough to act on now.
If you already have momentum in certain areas—ecological spirituality, energy efficiency, youth formation—don’t abandon them prematurely. Strength comes from perseverance.
At the same time, make sure these priorities are not vague aspirations. Instead of saying, “Promote environmental awareness,” write, “Form a Creation Care Team and host four parish formation sessions in 2026.” Concrete commitments build confidence among volunteers and leadership alike.
Pull Toward the Future, with honoring what already exists (10 Minutes)
It’s important to recognize and include what is already working. Many tfaithful, routine activities. Naming them strengthens institutional identity and helps you see the progress already underway.
At the same time, not everything that is already functioning needs to become a strategic priority for the year ahead. Routine efforts often need stewardship and consistency. Strategic focus, however, should help pull your institution toward growth and deeper ecological conversion.
Ask yourself: What would stretch us this year? Where is the Spirit nudging us forward?
Perhaps recycling is already established. The next frontier might be reducing energy consumption. Perhaps you celebrate the Season of Creation annually. The next step might be integrating care for creation into sacramental preparation or Catholic school curriculum.
A healthy plan does both: it honors what is already alive and faithful, and it intentionally prioritizes what requires growth, courage, and change
Make the Hard Calls (10 Minutes)
In small institutions, everything can feel urgent. There are always more good ideas than capacity. But too many priorities dilute impact and exhaust volunteers. Research consistently shows that when leaders bundle everything into a single, broad goal to avoid conflict, clarity suffers and motivation declines.
So narrow the list.
You may need to postpone a beloved idea. You may need to accept that something will wait until 2027. This is not failure. It is fidelity. When you focus your efforts, you communicate seriousness. And when people see that your plan is thoughtful and realistic, they are more likely to support it.
Strengthen What Is Vulnerable (10 Minutes)
Some goals are important. Others are both important and fragile. Those fragile, mission-critical areas deserve special attention.
Ask: Where are we vulnerable? What would stall without sustained leadership? What, if neglected, would weaken our witness?
If your efforts depend heavily on one person, leadership development becomes a priority. If energy costs are rising and budgets are tight, efficiency improvements may be urgent. If engagement is low, communication and formation may need to come first.
In other words, look not only at what is inspiring, but at what is exposed. Strengthening vulnerable areas protects the long-term purpose.
Be Specific and Measurable (5 Minutes)
Vague plans rarely move institutions. Clear plans do.
Your Plan Template invites you to include specific actions, timelines, responsibilities, and measurable objectives
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That structure is a gift. It helps you move from aspiration to accountability.
Instead of writing, “Encourage ecological awareness,” write, “Complete an energy audit by June 2026 and present recommendations to parish leadership by September.” Instead of “Engage youth,” write, “Host two Laudato Si’ youth workshops before Advent.”
If someone unfamiliar with your community could read your plan and clearly understand what you are doing, you are on the right track.
Tell One Coherent Story (5 Minutes)
Finally, step back and look at your plan as a whole. Do your priorities reinforce one another? Do they tell a cohesive story about who you are becoming as a community?
Misaligned goals can quietly undermine progress. But when your priorities flow together—formation supporting action, leadership supporting accountability, prayer grounding everything—you create clarity. That clarity makes conversations with pastors easier. It helps volunteers understand where to invest their energy. And it strengthens your institutional message, which the template encourages you to include from leadership.
A plan is not just a list. It is a narrative of conversion.
Your 60-Minute Framework
Here is the full rhythm:
- 5 minutes – Prayer and discernment
- 15 minutes – Identify 3–5 mid-term priorities
- 10 minutes – Focus on growth, not routine
- 10 minutes – Make hard, clarifying choices
- 10 minutes – Strengthen vulnerable, high-impact areas
- 5 minutes – Add concrete timelines and responsibilities
- 5 minutes – Ensure alignment and coherence
Then finalize your document using the template in your Laudato Si’ Action Platform dashboard and share it with your community.
You Are Not Alone
Many Laudato Si’ leaders serve quietly and faithfully. You may sometimes feel under-supported or uncertain whether your efforts are making a difference. But small, steady, focused action changes culture over time. A clear plan is not about perfection: it is about faithfulness.
Take one hour. Discern. Choose. Commit. And trust that what you plant in 2026 will bear fruit far beyond what you can see.