I believe that we can rediscover our Franciscan tradition and a way to implement it in our curriculum through the use of the technologies we have available at the school.

Founded in the Franciscan tradition � with two Franciscans, Sister Marie Schramko and Sister Jane Reiden still on staff � Cardinal Gibbons High School is dedicated to following St. Francis� exemplary relationship with God�s creation, where every creature is sacred. 

I consider awareness of this sacredness a path to follow today and a call to be stewards and caretakers of creation as was St. Francis. He illustrates for us today that the best way to reach a lasting peace with creation and with one another is by living our lives as gift.  

Such a position does not allow for us to attempt to master or plunder the goods of the earth. By his example of deliberately embracing material poverty to both be in solidarity with the poor of his age and also as a way to live in harmony with creation, he is a model for us to follow in a resource-scarce world.

Looking for how to implement the exemplary way of St. Francis with my junior social justice class, I presented to them the Catholic teaching on the environment. We discussed our responsibility toward God�s creation and read related documents from the magisterium of the Catholic Church. 

I also planned to read a book with them: �Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth.� This book points out the importance of the Franciscan tradition regarding due care for our environment, combining good science with solid theology and practical applications.

The first activity I planned was to talk with one of the authors of the book. I contacted Franciscan Brother Keith Douglas Warner and asked him to give us an opening lecture through Skype before we began reading his book. This activity was a really effective way to celebrate the feast of St. Francis. As a class, we sent Brother Warner four questions for him to reply to via the Skype session. After three days, during which my students read and discussed the main ideas of parts of his book, we came up with the questions. We sent them through email and waited patiently for October 4 � the feast of St. Francis � to participle in this interactive adventure.

The experience left my students amazed. They really enjoyed this unique class where they had the opportunity to interact with one of the most well-known scholars of sustainable agriculture and environmental policy.  Brother Warner taught us about the greening of religion and the value of bio-diversity. In simple terms he explained the link between God and care for creation. He also responded to their questions, such as, how can we as youth care for creation in the Franciscan tradition? At the end of this interactive adventure we joined in the pledge to St. Francis.

The rediscovery of our Franciscan tradition and finding ways to implement it in our curriculum through the use of available technology was highly successful in my class. It also posed a challenge for me to create similar experiences for all my other students. I am determined to do so through the implementation of iPads in my classes, to bring students a tool through which they can express their faith and be in contact with God�s Scripture.  Theology is to be lived through faith, after all.

Nelson Araque is a theology teacher and Catholic Climate Ambassador at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale. For more information about the  Catholic Climate Ambassador�s program go to: http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/catholic-climate-ambassadors/