Sue Martin from Jesuit Ignatian Spirituality Australia shares her recent contribution to Thresholds of Transformation for Seekers and Searchers (TTSS).

Mother Earth Gunimaa is everything, she is gifted to us, but she is being poisoned and her spirit is hurting, when Mother Earth Gunimaa suffers, we suffer too. Cassandra Gibbs-Smith, TTSS Guest Presenter, Yuwaalaraay | Yuwaalayaay | Gamilaraay Yinarr Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Facilitator – Sisters of Saint Joseph

In her contribution to TTSS,  Cassie’s words remind us we are all sitting by the sacred fire in relationship with spirit Yulanbuy. We are truly blessed with the gift of Mother Earth Gunimaa, to experience with everything we need to live and grow and thrive. She is foundation, she is listening through the soil beneath our feet, we can’t take her gifts for granted.

My own story begins beside Sister Water, on the banks of Devlin’s Creek, a tributary of the Lane Cove River in Sydney. Growing up in the driest continent on earth. Nature was not something I visited; it was where I belonged. That childhood, blessed with freedom and curiosity, planted the seeds of my ecological vocation long before I had language for it.

As an adult, living and working in the global north with a coloniser heritage, I have had to reckon with the complexity of that belonging. My worldview is shaped by Australia’s landscapes, but also by the painful truth that these landscapes carry stories of dispossession and resilience. Being part of the Jesuit network for Reconciliation with Creation continually calls me to ask: What does reconciliation with creation look like today? And increasingly, I understand that it begins with listening – deep, humble listening – to the cry of the earth and the cry of humanity, especially the First Nations communities whose wisdom has long been ignored.

The Earthcare Prayer of 2002 captures the longing in my heart:

“Help us to love and respect the earth,
To repair what we have damaged,
To care for what You have made good and holy.
Give us the wisdom and the passion
To change our mind, our hearts and our ways.”

This is the prayer that animates my mission. It is also the prayer that expresses key elements of the underlying aspirations of Thresholds of Transformation – Seekers & Searchers (TTSS): to green the heart of our Catholic Church, to nurture faith communities that thrive as villages of care, kinship, and ecological responsibility. I believe our parishes can once again become places where spiritual conversation is practiced, where discernment is shared, and where ecological conversion becomes a lived reality.

A Community Called to Integral Ecology

We are living in a time when disruptions to Earth’s systems are accelerating. These crises – climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, pollution – are not isolated problems. They are symptoms of broken relationships: with God, with neighbour, and with the earth itself. Laudato Si’ reminds us that this rupture is sin, and that healing requires justice, solidarity, and subsidiarity.

Thomas Berry’s call to the ‘Great Work’ which is foundational to TTSS, reminds us that eco spirituality nurtures mindful awareness and reverent interaction with Earth as sacred, holy ground.  The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. To accomplish this Great Work of creating the new Ecozoic era, Berry believes we need to live more intimately with Earth.

We need new religious sensitivities… We need to recognise the story of the universe as our sacred story… Our entry into the Ecozoic period can only come through celebration of the grandeur and loveliness and joy of existence on the planet Earth. Thomas Berry 

And now, Thresholds of Transformation – Seekers and Searchers (TTSS) offers a way for us to walk this journey collectively. TTSS believes that Pope Francis, in his seminal documents Laudato Si and Laudate Deum, provide a vision and pathway to light our way.  How blessed are with that Pope Leo in his leadership, prioritises this powerful legacy of Francis!

Thresholds of Transformation for Seekers and Searchers

Launched internationally on 1 September 2025, TTSS is a timely and Spirit-led response to the ecological and spiritual crises of our age. It integrates Laudato Si’, Laudate Deum, the Universe Story, and the Gospel values of Jesus into a transformative experience that is both deeply personal and profoundly communal.

TTSS is for those who sense that the world is shifting beneath our feet and who long for meaningful reflection, conversation, and action. It is for those who feel the ache of the earth, the grief of injustice, and the hope of renewal. It is for seekers and searchers, people like us, who want to contribute to a better world.

When I consider the state of our world, I feel hopeless and overwhelmed by what seems to be an unstoppable wave of evil, injustice and suffering. Having done TT, I have a new way of perceiving the reality of our times and have found a deeper meaning in life that sustains me and gives me hope! (Margo)

The program consists of fifteen two-hour gatherings, held either in person or online, facilitated by trained coordinators and ritual leaders. Each gathering weaves together inspiring presentations, contemplative practice, communal reflection, interactive processes, and meaningful ritual. It is formation in the truest sense: shaping hearts, expanding consciousness, and grounding participants in the spirituality of integral ecology.

TTSS Meets a profound need in our Catholic quest for ecological conversion. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor is taken up well through knowledge, learning and action. Through TTSS it is soaked into our hearts and redefines our spirituality. It is a must for leadership and spiritual enrichment. Gerard Moore, CEO & Principal of BBI – TAITE

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has endorsed TTSS, recognising its capacity to help dioceses and parishes embody the vision of Laudato Si’. Bishop Tim Harris writes:

I encourage you to consider this program as an opportunity to ground the commitment of your diocese to integral ecology in the spirituality of Laudato Si’.

The Bishops Secretariat for Social Justice, Mission and Service is currently undertaking TTSS as a pilot, exploring how it can support diocesan and parish engagement across Australia.

This is a moment of opportunity. A threshold. A chance to step into a new way of being Church, one that is contemplative, connected, courageous, and committed to ecological justice.

I found that it challenged me to incarnate the values of Laudato Si’. Through information, videos, poetry, personal reflection and dialogue, it is a formative experience. It provides the opportunity to see, hear and experience what Pope Francis proposes – an “ecological conversion”.  It stretches minds and hearts, providing a group with new vocabulary to reflect on one’s own choices and behaviour. Joanne

Crossing the Threshold Together

The question before us is simple yet profound: What is mine to do? 

And equally: Who will walk with me on this journey?

We are all seekers. We are all searchers. And together, we can become communities of hope, healing, and justice.

May we continue to explore ways to invigorate our faith communities, weaving a tapestry of belonging, purpose, and kinship, echoing the essence of a thriving village where all creation is cherished.