“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”

Saint Francis of Assisi, Praise for Creation, Pope Francis, Integral Ecology

The School of Environmental Sustainability (SES, 2020) originated in Fall 2013 when Loyola opened its predecessor Institute (IES) housed in the boldly designed Gold LEEDcertified building. Two years later, the Jesuit Pope Francis published his encyclical “Laudato Si’” (2015) whose title quotes Saint Francis of Assisi’s hymn of praise for creation. Francis referenced “young people” who “wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.” The global Society of Jesus responded with its 2019-2029 mandate: “Caring for Our Common Home.” Loyola’s SES embodies this 21st-century mission.