My journey into Laudato Si as an Animator: Sister Cristita de Leon, MSSC, Missionary Sisters of St. Columban, Laudato Si’ Animator, Mandalay, Myanmar
I am Sister Cristita de Leon, a Filipina Columban Missionary serving in Mandalay, Myanmar, since 2015. For five years, I engaged in interreligious dialogue by teaching English in a Buddhist monastery, fostering understanding and solidarity between faith communities. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, my mission took a new and unexpected direction—one that would deepen my commitment to caring for our Common Home.
A Personal Awakening: The Wounds of Environmental Destruction
In 2020, I became a Laudato Si’ Animator, a journey that prompted me to re-examine the painful reality of my own family’s history. In 2001, a flood-control project initiated by our local government altered the course of a river, devastating our agricultural land. What had once been a fertile source of livelihood for generations was buried under layers of sand, leaving my family powerless and resigned to our fate. At the time, we did not question what had happened—we simply endured. But as I deepened my understanding of the ecological crisis, I saw our personal loss reflected in a much larger, global reality: human actions— driven by neglect, greed, and short-term interests—were inflicting irreversible damage on the Earth, uprooting lives, and severing people from their ancestral lands. This realization ignited in me a renewed sense of mission.
Responding to the Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth
In August 2022, our missionary community responded to the Bishop’s urgent call to assist families displaced by war in Myanmar. These families had lost everything—homes burned to the ground, livelihoods destroyed, and future’s uncertain. As I listened to their stories, I recognized echoes of my own family’s suffering. We shared a deep, painful bond: the experience of being uprooted, of losing the land that had sustained us.
In this moment of profound connection, I felt called to act—not only by providing comfort but by empowering these families with knowledge and hope. I introduced them to Laudato Si’ and the idea of cultivating organic gardens—a tangible way to reclaim life from loss, to heal both the land and the soul. With limited resources, the parish could only provide midday meals for about 600 people, but by nurturing the soil, we could take steps toward food security, sustainability, and dignity.
Building Resilience: A Community Rooted in Hope
As we journeyed together, something extraordinary began to unfold. Beyond the struggles of displacement, we were building something new—a resilient community bound not just by suffering, but by solidarity, faith, and the determination to rise again.I saw new needs emerging: the need for companionship in grief, for safe spaces to share pain, for healing and spiritual renewal. In response, we created a faith-sharing group, where people could express their sorrow, pray together, and find strength in their collective faith. Over time, these moments of worship became sacred rituals—woven into the fabric of our celebrations during the Season of Creation, Christmas, and New Year.
A Life-Giving Realization: Restoring Right Relationships
Through this journey, I have come to a profound realization: we are deeply interconnected—not just with one another, but with all of creation. Our wounds—both personal and ecological—are reflections of a greater imbalance, a fractured relationship with the Earth and with each other. Healing must happen on every level. As we work to restore the land, we must also mend the wounded human relationships caused by conflict, displacement, and injustice. Only when we realign our lives with God’s vision for creation—rooted in love, justice, and stewardship—can we truly reflect the beauty and grandeur of our Creator. With unwavering faith, we press on, believing that even in the darkest moments, God’s grace sustains us. We are co-pilgrims, walking this sacred journey together, committed to healing, renewal, and the restoration of our Common Home.
By Sr Cristita De Leon