ABOUT
A journey of gratitude, regeneration and hope.
Arbores Gratiarum — Trees of Thanksgiving is a seven-year faith-led journey inviting Catholics and communities around the world to express gratitude through the planting, growing and sustaining of trees toward the 2,000th anniversary of the Redemption in 2033.
More than a tree-planting campaign, it is an invitation to regeneration: to restore our relationship with creation, nurture biodiversity, strengthen communities and care for living ecosystems for generations to come.
Beginning on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 14 September 2026, we journey toward 2033 — turning thanksgiving into living action.
WHY 2033?
Two thousand years of Redemption.
Seven years of thanksgiving.
Arbores Gratiarum embraces the years leading to 2033 as a pilgrimage of thanksgiving — a time to remember the gift of Redemption by renewing our relationship with God, with one another and with the whole of creation.
“2033 will mark the two thousandth anniversary of the redemption won by the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
Pope Francis · Spes non confundit, 6
Our seven-year journey begins on 14 September 2026 — the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
WHY TREES OF THANKSGIVING?
Gratitude takes roots.
The name Arbores Gratiarum means Trees of Thanksgiving. It expresses a simple conviction: gratitude for the gift of Redemption should bear fruit in the way we care for life.
The Cross itself was fashioned from wood. What was an instrument of suffering became, through Christ, a sign of salvation, new life and hope. From this mystery comes the central image of Arbores Gratiarum: from the wood of the Cross to living trees of thanksgiving.
A tree makes this gratitude tangible. It begins small, takes root and grows through patient care. It gives shelter, sustains life and can endure beyond the person who planted it. Every tree can therefore become more than a number — a living act of thanksgiving and a gift entrusted to generations yet to come.
Thanksgiving becomes regeneration.
Gratitude becomes care.
Faith becomes living action.
WHY seveN?
Seven times seven.
A journey toward Jubilee.
In Scripture, seven signifies fullness, completion and sacred time. But the biblical symbolism goes further. In the Book of Leviticus, the people are called to count “seven weeks of years, seven times seven years” — forty-nine years — in preparation for the Jubilee.
Arbores Gratiarum draws inspiration from this biblical rhythm. Seven trees each year for seven years forms a personal journey of forty-nine trees — not simply as a numerical target, but as a recurring discipline of thanksgiving, care and renewal as we journey toward 2033.
7
TREES EACH YEAR
× 7
YEARS
49
A LIVING JOURNEY TOWARD JUBILEE
“You shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.”
— Leviticus 25:10
BEYOND TREE PLANTING
Regeneration is a commitment to life.
Planting is a beginning, not the end. A seedling placed in the ground becomes a living commitment — to nurture, protect and accompany life as it takes root and grows.
For Arbores Gratiarum, regeneration means looking beyond the number of trees planted. It means choosing ecologically appropriate native and indigenous species, caring for their survival and growth, restoring degraded ecosystems, strengthening biodiversity, and protecting forests and other places where life already flourishes.
PLANT
Begin with life. Choose the right tree for the right place.
GROW
Stay with what you plant. Nurture, monitor and protect it as it matures.
SUSTAIN
Care for the wider ecosystem. Restore habitats and protect what already grows.
We do not simply count what we plant.
We care for what becomes alive.
A GLOBAL CATHOLIC INVITATION
One faith.
Many communities.
A shared offering of thanksgiving.
Arbores Gratiarum begins with a simple personal invitation, but it is meant to grow through communities. Catholics everywhere are invited to participate according to their place, capacity and vocation — transforming countless local acts of care into a shared journey toward 2033.
PERSONAL & FAMILY
Individuals and families can embrace the seven-tree annual commitment, nurture what they plant and make care for creation part of the rhythm of everyday Christian life.
COMMUNITIES & INSTITUTIONS
Parishes, dioceses, schools, universities, religious communities, organizations, movements and other institutions can make commitments appropriate to their capacity — planting and nurturing trees, restoring ecosystems, adopting forests and green spaces, and mobilizing their communities for long-term stewardship.
Different commitments. Different places. One shared journey of gratitude and regeneration.
BEYOND 2033
Toward 2033 — and beyond.
The journey of Arbores Gratiarum does not end when a tree is planted, nor should it end in 2033. The trees we nurture, ecosystems we restore and communities of care we strengthen are intended to live beyond the Jubilee itself.
We envision a growing global network of individuals and communities whose thanksgiving takes root in their own places — restoring landscapes, protecting biodiversity, strengthening ecological responsibility and passing on living gifts to generations yet to come.
What we plant today should become a gift we may never fully see.
2033 is a milestone. Regeneration is the legacy.
THE INITIATIVE
Rooted in faith. Growing through collaboration.
Arbores Gratiarum — Trees of Thanksgiving is an initiative of Living Laudato Si’ Philippines, inspired by the Church’s call to ecological conversion and integral ecology and by the approaching 2,000th anniversary of the Redemption in 2033.
The initiative seeks to grow through collaboration with Catholic communities, dioceses, parishes, religious congregations, schools and universities, Church institutions, ecological organizations, local communities and partners around the world.
INITIATED BY:
No single organization can regenerate our common home. We grow this journey together.
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
How we grow matters.
01 — GRATITUDE
We begin with thanksgiving — receiving creation as gift and responding through faithful care.
02 — REGENERATION
We seek not simply to plant trees, but to restore relationships, ecosystems and communities of life.
03 — STEWARDSHIP
We accompany what we plant, protect what already grows and accept responsibility for long-term care.
04 — SOLIDARITY
We grow with communities, respecting local knowledge, Indigenous Peoples, cultures and the integrity of place.
The measure of our journey is not only how many trees are planted, but how faithfully life is nurtured.
the journey begins
From the wood of the Cross to living trees of thanksgiving.
Beginning on 14 September 2026, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Arbores Gratiarum invites us to journey together toward 2033 — planting, growing and sustaining life as an offering of gratitude for the gift of Redemption and for our common home.
Seven trees each year. Seven years. One shared journey toward 2033.
Plant · Grow · Sustain
ALREADY MADE A COMMITMENT?
Continue your journey.
Planting is only the beginning. Return throughout the journey toward 2033 to tell us what has been planted, what continues to grow, and the forests and ecosystems you are caring for.