About this Event

Laudato Si', Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for creation, is a clarion call to listen to the cries of the earth and of the poor and to assuage their suffering. This second annual Laudato Si' lecture will reflect on the challenges and promises of devoting ourselves to this undertaking. In these turbulent times, how can we navigate the obstacles and fulfill the promises that caring for creation in the spirit of Laudato Si’ places before us?

About the Speaker
Sr. Damien Marie Savino, FSE, is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist who holds a doctoral degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering and a Master's degree in Theology from The Catholic University of America, and a Master's degree in Soil Science from the University of Connecticut. From 2016 to 2023 she served as the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she oversaw the college's science departments and Center for Sustainability. In January 2024 she began a Visiting Fellow appointment at the University of Notre Dame, working on an interdisciplinary book bringing engineering and theology into conversation in light of the notion of integral ecology. She is an international speaker on themes related to Laudato Si’, science and faith, ecology and ecological restoration, technology and faith, and resilience theory.