Small community actions play a vital role in fostering a connection with creation and promoting eco-spirituality. In Gresswiller, France, Christian and Marie-Cécile Friedrich have embraced this idea by organizing gatherings to pray the Laudato Si’ Chaplet, a prayer that spurs ecological reflection. Through this initiative, the Friedrichs demonstrate how intimate gatherings can inspire environmental action while nurturing spiritual growth.
A Prayer for Creation
The idea for the Laudato Si’ Chaplet emerged during Christian’s training as a Laudato Si’ Animator with the Laudato Si’ Movement. He learned the importance of incorporating prayer into ecological action and sought to integrate this into his community. “We were encouraged to pray the Laudato Si’ Chaplet as often as possible to develop our contemplative relationship with creation,” Christian explains. Together with his wife, Marie-Cécile, they aimed to establish a regular practice that would be independent of time and season, allowing them to consistently come together in prayer.
Since its inception, the Laudato Si’ Chaplet has taken place on the second Thursday of every month at 6:00 PM in the Verger Laudato Si’, a space dedicated to nurturing the connection between faith and creation. For the Season of Creation this year, the Friedrichs adapted the chaplet format to focus on a passage 233 from Laudato Si’:
“The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. There is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain path, in the dew, in the face of the poor.”
Christian and Marie-Cécile Friedrich gather with Lucas and Mathilde Martin for the Laudato Si’ Chaplet.
Blending Prayer and Action
The gathering begins with songs and moments of silence and reflection, allowing attendees to meditate on how the words of Laudato Si’ resonate in their hearts. Christian emphasizes the importance of this practice: “These periods of silence and reflection allow us to experience how Pope Francis’ words touch us deeply, particularly as we contemplate creation and the faces of the poor.”
For the Friedrichs, prayer is not just an add-on to ecological action—it is the driving force behind it. “Prayer is the fuel of all actions; it connects us to God’s love. Without prayer, we are like clanging cymbals,” Christian says, referring to 1 Corinthians 13:1. He believes that prayer enables individuals to act with purpose and direction, ensuring that their efforts are rooted in love and spiritual connection.
This idea is at the heart of what Christian calls “contempl-action”, the balance between contemplation and action. “It’s the paradox of acting swiftly but also stopping to be nourished by prayer, so we don’t lose touch with the Source,” he explains. In this way, the Laudato Si’ Chaplet serves as a regular moment of spiritual recharge for those committed to protecting creation.
This Laudato Si’ garden in Gresswiller is a sanctuary for the Laudato Si’ Chaplet gatherings.
The Power of Small Gatherings
While the Laudato Si’ Chaplet might be a small gathering, its impact is far-reaching. “Even if we are only two people, praying together by torchlight on a winter’s night, it has meaning because others see us and wonder,” Christian notes. Small, intimate gatherings like this foster deep relationships and provide an environment where hearts can open and faith can grow.
Christian and Marie-Cécile see these small-scale actions as an essential part of the broader movement to care for creation. “The size of the gathering isn’t as important as the consistency and the testimony it provides,” Christian says. In their eyes, even a small group has the power to inspire others and bear witness to the need for ecological and spiritual transformation.