“Nothing Recycles Itself”: The Franciscan Drive Behind a Community in Action

In different countries and cultures, the Franciscan Family of Bonlanden turns faith into concrete action. Sister María Graciela shares that the entire Congregation—present in diverse communities around the world—develops a variety of projects inspired by Franciscan-Faustinian spirituality for the care of our Common Home, adapted to the realities and needs of each region. 

In Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, the United States, and Germany, this commitment translates into initiatives ranging from school workshops to partnerships with urban recyclers, offering a living testimony of a faith embodied in daily life.

Although they had already begun working on recycling at a community level, the Laudato Si’ encyclical, and later the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, provided new momentum to systematize and expand their efforts.

“We became aware of the urgency of committing ourselves to care for our ‘common home,’” says Sister María Graciela, recalling how reading the encyclical in schools, parishes, and rehabilitation centers sparked a transformative flame.

Simple Actions for Everyday Realities

Since then, the community has promoted a variety of practical activities: paper reuse, collection of plastics for hospitals, organizing cardboard to support urban recyclers (known as cartoneros), and training workshops in schools located in vulnerable areas.

Each action arises from the local reality and seeks to integrate with the possibilities of each educational space. “There are very sad situations, but they are the ones who truly recycle,” she notes with respect, speaking of the cartoneros who walk the streets collecting materials to survive.

Challenges, Fruits, and Spirituality

“The biggest challenge remains the lack of awareness,” the Sister acknowledges. But she also highlights the joy of seeing the genuine commitment of children, youth, and adults—even when they have no prior experience. Franciscan spirituality has been the heart of it all: “It is the foundation that sustains all the subprojects,” she says. How to begin? With organization, information… and prayer.

And you?

For those who want to start a similar project, her message is clear: “Do not be discouraged in caring for the common home, keep organizing yourselves, informing yourselves, and, above all, praying.”

Start your plan today

Have you started building your own Laudato Si’ Plan? Be inspired by the example of this community and take your first step today: organize, inform yourself, pray. Your action, no matter how small, can be a seed of transformation.