CST workshop: leader’s notes
You will need:
 flip chart/whiteboard and pens
 a copy of these leaders instructions
 the Creation CST powerpoint
 a CD of suitable music
 copies of the scripture quotes (below), enlarged
 copies of the Call of Creation quotes (below), one set per
six students.
Outline of activity

Display the scripture quotes (printed out and enlarged). Allow five minutes for students
to read them in pairs and identify three common themes. (5 mins)

Feedback. Flip chart the themes of the first pair of students, ask others to share any
different themes. Ask: What do the passages tell us about creation? What do they imply
about how we should treat the Earth? Do the students agree/disagree with the messages?
Why? (10 mins)

Bishop for a day: Explain that in 2002 the bishops of England and Wales wrote a short
document on the environment and the Catholic attitude towards it. Challenge the students
to be Bishop for a day. In groups, ask them to write down in bullet points the main points
they would make to Catholics in England and Wales about caring for creation. Remind
them that, as a bishop, their views should be based on/ in line with scripture. (10 mins)

Feed back to the larger group. Chart any commonly recurring points made by the student
bishops. (10 mins)

Give out a set of statements (below) from the Catholic Bishops Conference of
England and Wales, The Call of Creation, 2002 to each group of six students. Explain
that students have ten minutes to read the statements and for each to choose one that
resonates with them. (10 mins)

After ten minutes, call the students together. Ask four or five to read their statement and
say why they chose it. Were students surprised by anything? Did they expect the Church to
speak out on these issues? How did the statements compare with what the students
wanted to say? (5 mins)

Show the powerpoint. It is timed to allow students to read and reflect on each slide. Play
suitable background music to accompany the powerpoint, eg. Somewhere Over The
Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoole. (2 mins)
Page 1 of 4
Key Stage: Post-16
CST workshop: leader’s notes
Scripture quotes:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: I now establish my covenant with you and with
your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the
livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living
creature on earth.
Genesis 9: 8-10
I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers,
at the moon and the stars you set firm –
what are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him?
Psalm 8:3
I shall make a treaty for them with the wild animals,
with the birds of heaven and the creeping things of the earth;
I shall break the bow and the sword and warfare, and banish them from the country,
and I will let them sleep secure.
I shall betroth you to myself for ever,
I shall betroth you in uprightness and justice, and faithful love and tenderness....
Hosea 2:18-22
Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, he who formed you in the womb:
I, Yahweh, have made all things, I alone spread out the heavens.
When I hammered the earth into shape, who was with me?
Isaiah 44:24
By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, by the breath of his mouth all their array.
He collects the waters of the sea like a dam, he stores away the abyss in his treasure-house.
Let the whole earth fear Yahweh, let all who dwell in the world revere him;
for the moment he spoke it was so, no sooner had he commanded, than there it stood!
Psalm 33: 6-9
In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.
John 1:1-3
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or
spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these…
seek first [your heavenly Fathers] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.
Matthew 6: 28-29, 33
Ever since God created the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are,
have been understood and seen through the things he has made.
Page 2 of 4
Key Stage: Post-16
CST workshop: leader’s notes
Romans 1:20
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together
with the earth. The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws,
violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:4-5
The Call of Creation quotes:
‘A way of life that disregards and damages Gods creation, forces the poor into greater poverty,
and threatens the right of future generations to a healthy environment and to their fair share of the
earths wealth and resources, is contrary to the vision of the Gospel.’
‘…if the environmental crisis affects us all, each of us has the responsibility to play our part in
addressing that crisis. What is happening to the earth indicates that we must think beyond local
and national interests and define the community in global terms.’
‘Emissions of greenhouse gases continue to affect the atmosphere in ways that threaten the
balance of life on the planet. The resulting climate change could severely disrupt the lives of all of
humankind.’
‘Environmental destruction and social injustice often go hand-in-hand. Damage to the
environment will almost inevitably affect the poor most of all, since poor communities inevitably
inhabit the worst and most vulnerable locations. What is more, 80 per cent of the world’s
resources are commandeered by the richest 20 per cent of the world’s population. In other words,
we in affluent countries take far more than our fair share of the world’s goods.’
‘In the fourth century, the great bishop St Ambrose, citing the Gospel of Luke, wrote as follows: If
Gods providence bestows an unfailing supply of food on the birds of the air who neither sow nor
reap, we ought to realise that the reason for peoples supply running short is human greed. The
fruits of the earth were given to feed all without distinction and nobody can claim any particular
rights. Instead, we have lost the sense of the communion of goods, rushing to turn these goods
into private property. (St Ambrose, On the Gospel of St Luke).’
‘The environment is a prime example of a good that is essentially shared, and is not to be
monopolised by powerful individuals and groups.’
’Creation] glorifies and worships God in continuous praise (Psalms 96:12; Isaiah 55:12). Our
destructiveness can silence creations song of praise to God; our care for creation can be a true
expression of our own praise. Such a perspective challenges any narrowly economistic view that
the gifts of creation have no value except as a factor of production.’
Page 3 of 4
Key Stage: Post-16
CST workshop: leader’s notes
‘Sin damages our relationships with God and with one another, the relationships between social
groups, and that between humanity and the earth. As the prophets of the Old Testament testify,
such sin is reflected in the earths suffering: The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes
and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth. The earth lies polluted under its
inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting
covenant (Isaiah 24:4-5).’
‘To love God is, among other things, to give thanks and praise for these gifts, to honour and
respect them for themselves, to acknowledge that they are destined by God for all people, and
therefore to share the gifts of the earth justly.’
‘The cry of creation prompts us all to ask: What then should we do? (Luke 3:10). What is needed
is not merely a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the hardships of many people,
both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit ourselves
to the common good: that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual because we really are
responsible for all. (Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1988, Section 38).’
‘In a consumerist age, the pressure exerted on us by the advertising industry and by the visibility
of luxury goods all around us encourages the assumption that it is our right to use the gifts of
creation entirely as we wish. It will require continuing reflection about how our habits of life can all
too easily become excessive and wasteful, and how they affect the well-being of others, to
counter these pressures.’
‘Individual actions may seem insignificant but together the small steps of many people can have
an astonishing impact. Each persons joyful choices can be a visible example to others and give
them courage to follow.’
‘[Real change] can only be achieved if electors are willing to let go of the relentless search for the
maximisation of consumption, and opposition political parties, as well as the governments, refuse
to allow the search for short-term political gain to block the necessary measures.’
‘Developing countries cannot be expected to forego their own economic progress so that the rich
can exploit the earths resources unchallenged.’
‘Faith groups have the specific task of communicating to their governments the spiritual and moral
foundations of sustainable living and development.’
‘In the Eucharist we, the priestly people, the Church, are empowered to transform and use what
we have been given. This act of transformation is a sacred act. But it is for all, to nourish all, for
the life and salvation of all.’
Page 4 of 4
Key Stage: Post-16