Connecting with Community for our Common Home
Protecting People & The Planet
“Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs."
– Canticle of the Creatures St. Francis of Assisi
“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.”
– Pope Francis – Laudato Si
Pope Francis’ call to complex, interconnected care networks for our interdependent world, along with a legacy of commitment to those most vulnerable inspired Allegany Franciscan Ministries’ to invest in a long-term strategic effort focusing on our common home. The initiative was launched in 2023 to address the effect of climate change on communities of color and other historically marginalized communities and to protect people and our common home.
Our long-term goal is that everyone in our communities will have the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to thrive in the face of multiple risks, uncertainty, and threats caused by climate chaos. Through this initiative, we are walking alongside communities and leaders, especially BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and other affinity populations that have been strategically undervalued over time, to create meaningful change.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries has contributed significant human, social, and financial capital in Connecting with Community for our Common Home. Over $5.8 million has been invested to date.
Climate Partners Convening
In May 2026, a new chapter began in the Connecting with Community for Our Common Home (3CH) initiative with the introduction of a new Director (Jeanette Ruiz) and a state-wide convening.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries’ first Climate Partners Convening welcomed 93 leaders from across Florida for Learning, Linking & Leading for Climate Justice. Created in response to partners’ desire for more opportunities to connect in person, the three-day gathering created space for relationship building, shared learning, and imagining what we can accomplish together.
What we heard was clear: partners want stronger connections, greater collaboration, and opportunities to build collective impact.
The convening was a beginning, not an endpoint.
Explore the 2026 Climate Partners Convening Impact & Commitment Report
Explore our Connecting with Community for our Common Home (3CH) evaluation resources below, which highlight key learnings and impact from the early years of this initiative. These two reports provide insights into progress, challenges, and opportunities for growth:
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