How inspiring it is to find that our global movement is growing every year. With the Laudato Si’ Animators Program we are witnessing a huge wave of stories that are giving real life to LSM. Monalisa Lauraya from the Philippines is one of the hundred who became a Laudato Si’ Animator last spring with an amazing capstone project.
Her work includes the three areas of LSM: Ecological Conversion, based on Lenten materials; Lifestyle, with a Footprint Reduction project; and Advocacy, with a screening of the film “The Letter.” The testimony of the people involved in Monalisa’s work is surprising.
During Lent, Monalisa prepared an Ecological Way of the Cross prayer guide that was shared with the Holy Family Chapel community located at Greenhills Mall. Even a priest asked to replace the Ecological Stations of the Cross with the ones they were using in the parish Ecological Way of the Cross; and the marketing department used the materials for the Stations of the Cross during Holy Week.
The stations were installed from Holy Monday up to Black Saturday. On Good Friday, the number of our guests who prayed reached more than 1,500 people. “This Ecological Way of the Cross prayer guide will touch the hearts of the people who will pray and lead them to personal ecological conversion”, said Monalisa.
In addition, on Holy Tuesday, she organized a talk on Laudato Si’ with the theme: “Everything is Lent – A Lenten Recollection on Caring for our Common Home.” More than 45 people attended, including 30 young people who learned a lot about caring for our common home. They encouraged participants to confess their ecological sins.
Regarding Footprint Reduction, Monalisa organized several formation activities to integrate the educational aspect in her work. In collaboration with the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) and the Parish Youth Ministry (PYM), Focolare Movement Philippines, Pasig Local Community (FMP-PLC), they organized a meeting for young people and adults to address our common problems.
The Solid Waste Management Program was a project that Monalisa spearheaded in her community, in collaboration with the Condominium Property Management Office. Beside this, the program “Cash for Scrap, A Recycler’s Bazaar” was an initiative to help raise the level of awareness of employees, tenants, customers and other stakeholders on the 4Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, respect), to educate the youth and to campaign for personal ecological conversion.
Finally, Monalisa organized a screening of the film “The Letter”, where participants shared their brief reflections on the film and discussed some of their personal and collective action plans. They went back home with a call to action to invite 5 friends each to watch the movie.
The fruits of the screening came a few days later. One of the participants installed solar-powered stairway lights at the entrance of his house. Another shared that she had organized a youth group in her parish, right away for trekking and a Laudato Si’ talk about our faith.
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