Our mission is to educate and empower U.S. Catholics to protect animals and to end the needless suffering of our fellow creatures.
We envision a world where all animals live free from exploitation and are able to flourish as God intended.
Why should people of faith care about this?
God calls us to help build the loving, peaceful world He intended, cherishing each of His creatures with love and respect. Yet every year, billions of God’s animals endure immense, needless suffering - often unseen and forgotten by a world entrusted with their care.
Dismissing animals’ experiences is an affront to their Creator. Tragically, most compassionate people have learned to tune out the painful cries of our fellow creatures or to underestimate their ability as one person to effect change.
Fortunately, we can change this. Although animal exploitation is happening at a scale greater than ever before, our ability to respond with love is even more powerful.
Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures, who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.”
— Pope Leo XIV, Prayer for Creation, September 2025
Our Values
Hope
Though the scale of human-caused animal suffering is immense and at times unfathomable, our hope for a brighter future is greater.
Sacramental Worldview
We believe God is present in all living beings. This inspires us to see each animal as a unique individual, worthy of love and respect.
Commitment to All Animals
Our commitment extends to all species; it is not for us to decide whose life can be treated lightly.
Faith
We are guided by our faith in God and our belief that God created the world and all animals according to His wisdom.
Empathy
We are guided by empathy for animals whose suffering often goes unseen and for our fellow humans as we journey side-by-side toward the kinder world God has called us to create.
Fortitude
“Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good” (CCC 1808). Although animal exploitation is deeply embedded in our culture, fortitude gives us the strength to push forward.
Effectiveness
We focus on strategies that create real change for animals, rooted in compassion, evidence, and faith-filled action.
Meet the Team
Board of Directors
-
Kristin Dunn
-
Reverend Christopher Steck, SJ
-
Liz Cabrera Holtz
-
Tom Linney
-
Shelby Bobosky
Advisory Board
-
Jessica Almy
-
Bill Jacobs
-
Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ
-
Andrés Morales
-
Jeannine Pitas
-
Linda Sandish
-
Theresa Wylie
What Our Logo Means
Our logo reflects just a few of the many animals who mirror God’s glory and who urgently need our care.
-
Like the birds in nature whom Saint Francis preached to, chickens are sensitive birds with a wide range of emotions. Tragically, chickens have become the most abused animals in the world, with billions spending their short lives confined to factory farms.
-
Saint Francis’s love for birds is known around the world. In our logo, the dove leads the way into a more peaceful, loving future.
-
Dogs and cats are often considered the ambassadors of the animal kingdom, opening our hearts to God’s creatures.
-
The cow is shown with horns intact, a symbol of dignity and strength. Dehorning and other painful mutilations are common in industrial farming to force animals to fit into unnatural conditions. If God had intended animals to live in these stressful environments, would He have created them with sensitive bodies, the ability to suffer, the drive to forage and roam, and body parts that weren't suited to those conditions?
-
The rays of light represent God’s love, which constantly surrounds all animals.
Learn More About Our Programs
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
Awakening Compassion, Inspiring Change
PARISH PARTNERSHIPS:
The Church as a Force for Compassion
30-DAY JOURNEY:
Living in Harmony With All Creatures
Support our work
Can you imagine a world where all God’s animals are treated with the love and dignity they deserve? Your support can help to create it.