Dear Friends,
A special hello to the many new friends who’ve joined us recently. Each month, we at MassIPL gather links and resources for the many ways faith communities and people of good will across Massachusetts are praying, acting, and mobilizing for our climate and our common home. Some entries will fit your community, while others may not.
We are an interfaith network, which means that we hold a theology of cooperation: a conviction that the good we seek to do, and the world which we all share, call us to work alongside our neighbors of other faiths, and to stay genuinely open to what they have to teach us. Caring for creation is work none of us can do alone. We hope you’ll find your next step here.
With hope and gratitude,
The MassIPL Team
Wednesday, July 9 | 7:00 PM ET | Online | Franciscan Federation & Catholic Climate Covenant
What does it mean to live faithfully in an age of artificial intelligence, and what does that have to do with caring for creation? On July 9, Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, one of the leading theologians working at the intersection of science and religion, explores how the Franciscan values of poverty, humility, and community might guide us through a world reshaped by AI, and whether technology can serve the flourishing of all life or threaten it. The evening is part of a four-part Franciscan Eco-Spirituality series hosted with the Franciscan Federation and Catholic Climate Covenant. Catholic or not, you will find it a rich evening of theological imagination.
On demand | Group screening Tuesday, July 21, 8:00 PM ET | Blessed Tomorrow & ecoAmerica
Looking for a ready-made creation care curriculum for your congregation, small group, or youth program? Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities is a seven-part film series from Blessed Tomorrow and ecoAmerica featuring more than thirty voices — Christian, Muslim, Indigenous, Baha’i, and Jewish — who lead with hope and courage. Each film comes with a free discussion toolkit drawing on scripture, prayer, and practical next steps, and the series is being recommended as ideal viewing for the Season of Creation.
Watch or plan a screening here
July 22–23 | 4:00–6:00 PM each day | Online via Zoom | The BTS Center & Climate Psychology Alliance
What does it look like to hold space for the grief, fear, and hope that climate change stirs in our communities? The BTS Center and the Climate Psychology Alliance are offering a two-day Climate Café Facilitator Training over Zoom, July 22–23, from 4 to 6 PM each day. Designed for pairs, the training equips faith leaders and laypeople to create meaningful, healing conversations in their congregations. Cost is $45, with scholarships available. The deadline to apply is July 15.
Thursday, July 23 | 6:00 PM | Marblehead, MA | JCAN-MA
As the sun sets on Tisha B’Av, the most sorrowful day on the Jewish calendar, JCAN-MA invites us to gather and read Eicha (Lamentations), the ancient text that mourns catastrophic destruction. This year that grief widens to hold a warming planet. Whether or not you are Jewish, this is a tender invitation to lament together, with intention and with hope. In person in Marblehead.
September 1–October 4 | Worldwide | Ecumenical
The Season of Creation is nearly upon us, the annual ecumenical season when Christians around the world unite in prayer and action to care for our common home. This year’s theme is Living Water, an invitation to reflect on the rivers, seas, and watersheds that sustain all life. The official celebration guide is ready for your congregation, with liturgies, sermons, and small-group materials.
seasonofcreation.org/resources
Reflection | Online | Ignatian Solidarity Network
Pope Leo has issued a new encyclical, and the Ignatian Solidarity Network has drawn out its deep connections to creation justice. Whether or not you are Catholic, this reflection offers a rich resource for preaching and study, a reminder that care for the Earth is woven into the heart of Christian faith.
Wednesday, August 6 | 5:00–9:00 PM | Tufts University, Medford, MA | Built Environment Plus
Want to know where green building is heading? The BE+ Building Tech Forum on August 6, held at Tufts University’s Joyce Cummings Center, gathers more than 300 architects, engineers, building owners, and sustainability consultants for 45 lightning talks on sustainable building technologies, with networking to follow. It is a good fit for facilities managers, trustees, and stewardship teams at congregations planning major building upgrades.
Tuesday, August 11 | 3:30 PM ET | Online | One Home One Future
What does Jewish tradition teach about caring for our seas, rivers, and lakes? Join One Home One Future’s August Lunch + Learn with Rabbi Ed Rosenthal of Repair the Sea, who shares how his faith drives his work on behalf of the aquatic environment and the many threats it faces. This is free online programming for congregations, and a natural companion to this year’s Season of Creation theme of Living Water.
Webinar recording | Coming soon | MassIPL
Geothermal heating and cooling is fast becoming the next frontier for congregations serious about their carbon footprint, and with a federal direct-pay incentive of 30 to 40 percent or more still in place, the economics have never been better. MassIPL recently hosted two congregations, Wellesley Village Church in Massachusetts and St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania, who shared how they discerned and decided to make the switch. We are still preparing the recording. Reply to this email and we will send you a copy as soon as it is ready.
Ongoing | Metro Boston | Creation Justice Ministries
Did you know that Creation Justice Ministries has expanded its Branches of Faith tree equity project into the metro Boston area? Trees are a matter of environmental justice, since neighborhoods with more canopy stay cooler, healthier, and more resilient. Explore how your congregation can take part in this hands-on work of creation care.
Find the tree equity resources here see the full Branches of Faith project here
Thursday, July 16 | 7:00 PM ET | Online | Faith in Place
With the 2026 elections approaching, how do people of faith engage in democracy with integrity and purpose? On July 16, Faith in Place hosts a conversation with Rev. Jennifer Butler, founder and executive director of Faith in Democracy, to help congregations think through what they need to know heading into election season.
Tuesday, July 21 | Online | Jewish Earth Alliance
On July 21, the Jewish Earth Alliance hosts a fully online national lobby day to advocate for climate solutions with members of Congress, taking up the Farm Bill, clean energy affordability, and FEMA and disaster preparedness. Jewish and interfaith communities alike are welcome, and IPL affiliates can co-sponsor.
Register here sign on your organization as a co-sponsor
Ongoing | Statewide | 350 Mass
One of the most effective and most underused tools people of faith have is the letter to a local newspaper. The 350 Mass Letters to the Editor team places letters nearly every week in papers across Massachusetts, from the Boston Globe to the Gloucester Times to the Boston Herald. Congregation members are warmly invited to join. It is a low-barrier, high-visibility way to let your faith voice be heard on climate. Email lte@350mass.org to get involved.
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
— Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail
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Take a look at our new digital home, built around Pray, Act, Mobilize.
Nearly 50 congregations surveyed, a new website coming soon, and August office hours — a look at what the MassIPL team accomplished this summer.
