Indonesian Diocese Urges Laudato Si’ Animators to Become ‘Channels of Blessing’ for Creation

The Diocese of Bogor urged newly commissioned Laudato Si’ Animators to become “channels of blessing” by promoting ecological awareness and helping communities protect the earth for future generations.

The call came during the closing celebration of the 2026 Season of Creation at the diocesan Pastoral Centre on October 4 in Bogor, a city in Indonesia’s West Java Province.

The program, held under the theme “Living Water,” began with an interfaith prayer and dialogue, followed by training on waste sorting and hydroponics. It concluded with a Eucharistic celebration and the commissioning of participants in the first batch of the Laudato Si’ Animator formation program.

Fr. Yohanes Driyanto, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bogor, used water as an image of life and urged the animators to become channels through which God’s blessings could reach people through ecological action.

“Make yourselves channels of blessing,” Fr. Driyanto said.

He urged the animators not to become part of the “blockage” but to open new channels through their service and ecological initiatives in parishes and communities.

Fr. Driyanto said ecological problems begin with the way people understand and treat nature.

“If our understanding is wrong, our way of thinking is wrong, our standards for making choices are wrong. And because our understanding is wrong, our behavior is also wrong,” he said.

He said ecological transformation therefore requires formation that changes how people understand and view creation. The animators, he added, have a particular responsibility to bring this awareness to their parishes and wider communities.

Rudy Mashudi, head of the Bogor City Environmental Agency, called for a change in how people view the earth.

“The earth and the environment are not inherited. If they were inherited, they would be exhausted. Instead, the earth and the environment are entrusted to us for the generations after us,” he said.

Rudy also called for cooperation among government agencies, communities and religious groups in addressing environmental problems.

“We invite everyone here ... to work hand in hand and collaborate to continue addressing environmental problems. Because we cannot do it alone,” he said.

He highlighted the condition of rivers in Bogor and urged residents to stop treating them as places to dispose of waste.

“We need to honor our rivers,” he said, describing rivers as part of an ecosystem connecting upstream and downstream communities.

Rudy encouraged residents to see the river as the “front of our house” rather than the “back of our house,” saying this change in perspective could encourage greater care for waterways.

Cyprianus Lilik K.P., chairman of the National Working Team of the Laudato Si’ Movement in Indonesia, called on participants to respond courageously to climate change and take an active role in protecting creation.

“We all agree that this journey will not be completed in our generation,” he said.

The first Laudato Si’ Animator formation program involved 61 participants through four online sessions held in September. About 74 percent completed the requirements and were commissioned as animators.

The organizers encouraged all participants to continue promoting the Laudato Si’ spirit in their parishes and communities, emphasizing that ecological action involves changing how people think, speak and act toward the earth as their common home.