Thirteen participants from around the world came together for the second Integral Ecology Summer School, held at Campion Hall in Oxford from 1 to 8 August and at Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire from 8 to 14 August. Organised by the Integral Ecology Research Network (IERN) and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI), with the support of the Jesuits in Britain, the two-week programme brought together Jesuits in formation and lay participants to explore integra lecology through study, prayer, reflection and practical work.

The first week at Campion Hall combined seminars and presentations with opportunities for participants to share their own work and receive feedback from the group. Alongside sessions on integral ecology, the common good, valuing nature, technology and imagination, participants celebrated Mass together and had time for prayer, reflection and community.

The programme opened with the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, blessing two new beehives in the Campion Hall garden. The blessing was followed by Mass for the Care of Creation.

The second week took the group to Belmont Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, where the focus shifted towards the practical application of integral ecology. Participants worked on the farm while engaging in contemplative research,small-group collaboration and agroecological practices, exploring the connections between faith, ecology and the care of the land.

The Summer School was established to deepen both the understanding and practice of integral ecology, bringing together people from different disciplines, cultures and experiences. It also provides Jesuits in formation a space to reflect on how the care for our common home is connected with their vocation and future ministry.

Fr Peter Rožič SJ, Director of IERN, said:

One of the most important things of the Summer School is that the participants learn from one another. We alsohear a lot from different people coming into lectures to offer their own insights from the perspective of theology, agroecology, business, spirituality and more.

Part of the Summer School is to work on land, to put our feet on the land – work in the vegetable garden orplant a tree. I think this combination of both being in Oxford and at the farm, helps not just our minds but also our hearts.

The first thing that you want to learn, both in theory and in practice, is to listen to creation, to ourselves and God, while recognising what is broken, and be in the mission of humble repair. It’s an excellent occasion for Jesuits and others to spread this message elsewhere.”

The programme reflects the vision of Laudato Si’, which calls for an approach to the ecological crisis that recognises the connections between environmental, social, economic and spiritual questions. It also speaks directly to the Society of Jesus’ commitment to caring for our common home.

Now in its second year, the Summer School is helping to build a wider network of Jesuits and lay collaborators committed to learning from one another and putting the principles of integral ecology into practice.