In case you missed it: St Mary’s University, Twickenham has re-released its free Laudato Si’ Champions toolkit for Laudato Si’ Week (which took place 17-24 May).  

Developed in response to research showing many Catholic students were unfamiliar with Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology, the project helps educators explore Catholic teaching on sustainability and care for our common home.  

Over the last year, the resources have been downloaded by almost 300 organisations across 37 countries. After using the materials, 98% of students said they had a firm understanding of Catholic teaching on ecology, while confidence in understanding climate change increased from 42% to 80%.  

Designed for busy educators, the toolkit includes ready-to-use materials for six sessions and has been used in schools, prayer services, and youth programmes around the world.  

The free toolkit is available at: St Mary’s Laudato Si’ Champions toolkit 

For more information about the project, read below.

A 2022 survey found that 67% of Catholic secondary students had never heard of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical on ecology. In response, researchers at St Mary’s University, Twickenham developed the Laudato Si’ Champions project – a free educational toolkit now used by almost 300 organisations across 37 countries. 

The University has now re-released the resources for Laudato Si’ Week 2026, supporting schools, colleges, parishes, and youth organisations to explore ecology, sustainability, and care for creation through Catholic social teaching. 

Originally piloted with 225 students in the Diocese of Salford, the project has grown into an international initiative, with resources downloaded across every continent over the last year. 

The free toolkit includes ready-to-use materials for six sessions on Catholicism and ecology, including presentations, worksheets, teacher guidance, student workbooks, key term sheets, and certificates. 

Designed to reduce preparation time for educators, the materials have been trialled across all school age groups in religious education classes and adapted for a wide range of settings worldwide – from Laudato Si’ events in Kenya, to prayer services in the United States, to catechism classes in Malaysia. 

Evaluation of the project found strong impact among participating students. After engaging with the materials: 

  • 98% of students said they had a firm understanding of Catholic teaching on ecology 
  • confidence in understanding climate change increased from 42% to 80% 
  • students’ sense of personal responsibility to care for creation rose from 44% to 76% 

One participating student said: 

“I always thought because there’s billions of people on earth, it’s not really my problem, I’m only one person… I didn’t really realise how much of a difference I would make.” 

Dr Sean Whittle, Senior Lecturer in Catholic Education at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, said: 

“For busy teachers this toolkit is a gift because it is, in effect, an ‘off the shelf’ ready-to-use set of lesson resources.” 

The Laudato Si’ Champions project forms part of the wider Guardians of Creation Project at St Mary’s University, ensuring the resources are informed by interdisciplinary research and developed with both pedagogical and theological expertise. 

Dr Roland Daw, Research Lead for the Guardians of Creation Project, said: 

“This evidence-based approach to helping young people make the connection between their own agency and the environment will be instrumental in building hope and resilience around the ecological crisis.” 

For educators in England and Wales, the resources have been designed to align with the Religious Education Directory (RED) learning outcomes and are referenced in the Catholic Schools Inspectorate Inspection Handbook as examples of schools’ commitment to the environment and care for our common home.