RETURNING TO NATURE.
NEWS FROM IRELAND
In March 2023 the Irish Bishop’s Conference agreed that parishes would return 30% of church grounds to nature by2030. This is a response to the biodiversity crisis our world is facing and the call of Laudato Si. All are called to arrest the decline of biodiversity for the sake of the next generation. “Parishes are asked to expand their circles of solidarity to protect and care for Biodiversity and Creation on 30% of their grounds and to care for this as a basis for pollinators and diversity that can be shared by the whole community”.
Irish Bishop’s Conference Statement.
Below is an account of three projects in parishes where RSC live and work
1. Photos from the wild flower garden at Our Lady’s Mount, RSC Provincial House, Harold’s Cross; the garden in full bloom in 2023 and the beehives in the garden.
2. In Donnybrook where RSC live and work there is a Laudato Si group and a Laudato Si garden.
This group keeps the parishioners updated and informed on significant care of earth events like Earth Day, Laudato Si Week, Creation Time, mostly through the weekly newsletter but also occasional talks at the parish centre, e.g. for Laudato Si week 24 they have a showing of the film The Letter at the parish pastoral centre on Thursday evening 23rd May.
By Sr. Mary Judge
Caring for our Common Home by Sr Philomena Neary RSC
As I sit down to script these few words, we happen to be celebrating ‘Laudato Si’ week, the 9th anniversary of Pope Francis book, Laudato Si, and it’s also biodiversity week. In recent times, we have become more aware of our need to protect the earth. ‘Laudato Si’ tells us that “every creature is the object of the Father’s tenderness, who has its place in the world”. As religious people, our faith encourages us to get to know the natural world and do all we can to create a friendly world for all God’s creatures.
Over the past 15 years, the parish of Cabra West has been actively involved in caring for our common home and achieved the ECO Congregation award in 2015.
In 2023, our Parish Leadership Team became responsible for Christ the King Parish, Cabra. Over the past year, the parish schools along with the parish biodiversity group have been working and learning together about our natural environment with the great help of the ‘Connecting Cabra’ environmental group (which is financially supported by Dublin City Council). Working together has made a significant difference in our learning, our motivation and actually getting to work and making things happen. These parishes have set aside part of church ground’s for rewilding and many children have helped in planting wildflower seeds, and trees in the church grounds.
On Saturday 4th May, 2024 along with ‘Connecting Cabra’ the parish biodiversity group held a Biodiversity Festival. Various experts came along to support us in our activities and an inspiring prayer reflection was led by the Trocaire Laudato Si team. With the help of the local boy’s school, a pond at the back of Cabra West church has been created. A pond is one of the riches environments for biodiversity. Shortly swift nesting boxes and bat boxes will go up in the church walls, however, it may take some time for these new residents to arrive. As summer is fast approaching, we look forward to seeing some of the fruits of our labour in beautiful colourful wildflowers, the growth of trees and frogs etc in the pond.
Let us all ‘Act Justly, Love Tenderly and Walk Humbly with our God’.
Philomena Neary RSC
