Throughout October, SHU has committed to celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s “Laudato Si’” through a series of film screenings of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
The event, hosted by the University Core and Campus Ministry, connects the film’s themes of friendship, courage, and respect for nature to Pope Francis’s message about caring for the environment.
“Laudato Si,’” released in 2015, is the pope’s encyclical urging people to take better care of the Earth and one another through sustainable and ethical living.
The 2001 film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, follows Frodo Baggins and his friends as they set out to destroy a powerful ring that could bring destruction to their world if it falls into the wrong hands.
“I couldn’t help but connect the screening with the Core, because we do so much with nature and connecting with Tolkien’s faith,” Dr. Nancy Enright, director of the Core, said. “I’d suggested this theme because you can almost tell a good character by how they relate to nature.”
Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, and while “The Lord of the Rings” is not explicitly religious, many of its underlying themes reflect his faith, including the struggle of good versus evil, humility and stewardship of the natural world.
Tolkien himself said, “‘The Lord of the Rings’ is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.”
His love of nature and concern for its preservation is evident throughout the story through the landscapes of the Shire, the reverence the characters show for forests like Lothlórien and the destructive impact of Saruman’s industrialization on Fangorn Forest.
The film has been split into three screenings, each playing an hour of the film, followed by a discussion on the themes of the film and how they relate to the environment, nature and faith.
The discussion after the first screening was spearheaded by Eric Johnston, associate professor in the College Seminary of the Immaculate Conception at St. Andrew’s Hall and a theologian. Johnston spoke to students about Tolkien’s imagery and its connection to stewardship of nature, the role of God in the film and the majesty of creation.
“I hope that students come away not only with a sense of what real heroism, real love, and real courage look like, but also a real relationship with creation and what the Creator means in a holistic way,” Johnston said. “I think, rather than feeling like God is here or there, there’s a sense that everything truly matters.”
The Core Curriculum at SHU connects Catholic thought and faith with the arts. The screenings of “The Fellowship of the Ring” aim to align with these goals by connecting the film to the “Laudato Si’” doctrine and its message.
“‘Laudato Si’” warns against the ‘technocratic paradigm’ that treats creation as raw material for exploitation. In its place, it encourages stewardship,” Dr. Michael Taylor, associate professor of political science and public affairs, said. “This is the obligation to care for all of creation for the good of all creation.”
He compared the message to “The Fellowship of the Ring,” noting how the film illustrates the consequences of ignoring that responsibility.
“In ‘The Fellowship of the Ring,’ the ring offers absolute control, which is the corruption of good stewardship and would lead to the destruction of Middle-earth,” he added.
Students who attended the screening left with a deeper understanding of the film and its connection to sustainability.
“One thing I took away from the discussion was that while Tolkien wasn't a 100% environmentalist, he did care about nature and its beauty,” T.J. Epie-Alobwede, a sophomore and visual arts major, said. “I think this is reflected in the film with how people like the Hobbits and elves have some of the most beautiful scenery in the series, while evil [characters] like Sauron, Saruman, and the Orcs have nothing but black and dreary landscapes with fire and death.”
Representatives of Campus Ministry expressed how the message of the film and sustainability are connected to SHU’s Catholic mission.
“As Catholics, we believe that, from the very beginning, God created the heavens and earth and humanity in his own image, so that means we have a share in caring for everything he created,” Rev. Nicholas Sertich, director of Campus Ministry, said. “ Protecting the environment by caring for the livelihood of others in the environment is, in some way, doing justice to God who created it.”
Sertich expressed the importance of events like these film screenings when it comes to engaging students in questions about the environment.
“I think our interests, especially when it comes to stuff like pop culture, get us interested in ways we may not have considered before,” he said. “It makes it easier to reflect on things when it’s packaged in a way that’s a bit more accessible.”
To further promote “Laudato Si’” and its message, Thomas Seat, a teaching fellow in the Core, and Josephine DeVito, an associate professor in the College of Nursing, announced the Laudato Si’ Challenge. The initiative encourages participants to reduce their carbon footprint by adopting sustainable habits in areas such as energy use, transportation and food choices, and to log their progress to keep the community updated throughout the challenge.
“One of the core goals for this challenge is to help motivate a measurable and meaningful reduction in carbon footprint for individuals in the Seton Hall community, both students and staff,” Seat said. “We hope to add to ongoing efforts on campus to build a culture of shared responsibility for the environment.”
Launched in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of “Laudato Si,’” the challenge carries added significance, Seat said.
“During a time where many wondered what it is that they can do for the environment, [Pope Francis] issued words of hope and also a challenge, both to care for the earth and for its inhabitants,” he said.
With sustainability at the forefront of campus discussions, Seat expressed optimism about students’ willingness to get involved.
“For the most part, to me, students seem to be fairly concerned about sustainability and the climate crisis,” he said. “Some might wonder what it is they can do, so maybe the challenge would be to empower students to take whatever actions they can.”
That optimism extends beyond the classroom, as students themselves have taken the lead in advancing sustainability through the Sustainability Action Club.
Recently, the club has hosted events designed to educate members about environmental issues, such as a clothing swap event on Oct. 23, followed by a film screening of the Netflix documentary “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy,” which spoke out against rapid consumerism and its dangerous impacts on the environment.
“In the past few weeks, the culture of sustainability on campus seems to have really grown,” Amelia Olson, co-president of the club and a diplomacy and philosophy major, said. “There are a lot of initiatives that are started to be planned this year that I think will really help to promote sustainability on campus.”
By combining film, conversation and action, SHU is encouraging students to think critically about their role in protecting the planet.
Carmine Sortino is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. He can be reached at carmine.sortino@student.shu.edu.
