A Parish’s Blueprint to Start the Year

If you work on parish staff, you already know something that rarely makes it into planning documents: The parish office is a place where grace meets daily life.

Parish staff don’t just manage schedules and paperwork. They quietly hold together the human side of parish life. They listen. They translate Church processes into human language and taking it to daily life. They make space for people who arrive at the desk, call on the phone, or write an email.

That lived reality shaped how the Laudato Si’ Action Platform was built.

This Platform was designed for busy parish staff and leaders who already understand that ministry happens in small, faithful acts done consistently, with care.

What follows is a blueprint for parishes this 2026: simple, repeatable, and realistic—because anything meant to serve Christian environmental stewardship must also serve the people doing the work.

Why the Platform Works the Way It Does

Parishes are already doing more than they get credit for. The challenge is rarely commitment—it’s capacity and clarity. The Platform was intentionally designed around a few principles that parish staff will recognize immediately:

1. Less, but more meaningful

Instead of dozens of disconnected initiatives, the dashboard focuses your parish on a small number of high-value actions each year. Consider what is most impactful for your context. This mirrors good parish practice:

• Start less
• Finish more
• Focus on what actually serves people and creation

Christian environmental responsibility is not about doing everything. It’s about doing the right next thing, well.

2. Impact over busyness

In parish life, it’s easy to confuse activity with fruitfulness. The Platform does not ask:

“Did you do this perfectly?”
“Did you check every box?”

 

We encourage discernment that asks:

Did your actions respond to the cry of the earth and the poor?
Did it deepen care for creation?
Did it strengthen your parish’s witness?

This shift—from efficiency to impact—is why the Platform invites reflection, planning, and action together, rather than endless reporting.

3. Designed for ongoing ministry, not one-time success

Parish life is cyclical by nature: liturgical years, formation years, budget years. So is the Platform. Every calendar year, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform dashboard resets.

That means:

• Annual steps reopen
• The progress bar starts fresh
• The “My Actions” list clears for new tracking

This can surprise people, but it’s intentional. Why? Because Christian environmental stewardship is not a one-time achievement. It’s a practice, renewed and refreshed year by year, much like parish ministry itself.

A Realistic Blueprint for 2026

1. Create or Upload Your New Annual Plan

Each year, your parish is invited to upload a Laudato Si’ Plan for that calendar year. For most parishes, Year One works best when it feels familiar rather than overwhelming. Remember: strong often build on what the parish already does well, choose a handful of achievable actions that are meaningful to you, and Involve staff and volunteers without overloading them.

 Good news for busy parishes:

• If your parish already has a multi-year plan, you can upload it again
• If you updated last year’s plan, upload the updated version
• You do not have to start from scratch every January

Think of it like re-approving your annual budget: the foundation stays, the details evolve. This approach honors the reality that parishes grow by continuity, not constant reinvention.

2. Mark Actions Again in “My Actions”

You do not need to complete the entire list of actions; you can begin with just a few actions from each Laudato Si’ Goal. Even if you:

• Recycled last year
• Hosted creation-care prayers
• Reduced waste at parish events

You’ll still mark those actions again once you continue or complete them this year. Why?  Because the platform tracks ongoing Christian environmental stewardship, not just one-time success.

This helps your parish:

• See growth over time
• Stay accountable
• Celebrate progress annually

3. Celebrate Completion (Yes, Really)

When your annual steps are complete:

• Your parish becomes eligible for an annual certificate
• You have a clear story to share in bulletins, reports, and parish meetings
• You show that Christian environmental care is part of normal parish life—not a trend

Celebration builds momentum. Even small wins matter.

A Word Directly to Parish Staff

Parish staff are often told that their work is administrative. But anyone who has sat at a parish desk knows you are often the first person:

• A grieving family encounters
• A returning Catholic speaks to
• A struggling neighbor opens up to

The Laudato Si’ Action Platform respects that reality. It does not ask you to become something else. It simply offers a structure that supports what you already do:

• Serve people
• Care for the community
• Share the Gospel

Ready to Begin (or Renew your Plan)?

Whether this is your parish’s first year—or a new year after the reset—the next step is simple:

Log into your dashboard and complete your annual steps

No parish needs to do everything. But every parish can do something, faithfully, humanly, and together. And often, that journey begins not in a meeting room, but quietly, at a desk by the door.

If you ever have questions or need support along the way, our team is here to help. Contact us at info@laudatosiactionplatform.org