Carmel O’Neill sent ECI this latest report:
During the month of February, the parish focussed on the theme of energy saving and ways to reduce energy costs in the current climate of rising costs. We published a number of tips in the parish newsletter.
The children from Blessington No 1 NS have been reflecting on the theme of God’s Creation and Care of the Earth as part of their preparation for 1st Holy Communion. Each child wrote their promise on how they can live more sustainably. Their pledges are on display in the porch of the church of Our Lady Blessington.
Lacken Tidy Village group gave out hundreds of sapling trees to each family in the community on the weekend of Feb 19th/20th. The trees included Rowan, Whitethorn, Blackthorn, Spindler and Alder.
Members of the Tidy Village Group and Eco-Congregation volunteered with the project. There was a wonderful and appreciative response to this initiative with many people wanting to learn more about their tree and planting conditions.
To mark National Tree Week, we planted a native Irish Cherry in the grounds of Lacken church On March 25th. The children from 2nd/3rd class of Lacken NS took part in the ceremony. Fr Richard blessed the tree and thanked God for the life giving nature of trees. Carmel O’Neill read Psalm 104. Prior to the planting ceremony, we planted 22 metres of Whitethorn hedging along the boundary wall of Lacken church. The blossom will provide a source of food for the bees in spring and berries for the birds in winter.
Members of Lacken Eco-Congregation participated in an online talk on Hedgerows by Anja Murray. This talk organised by West Wicklow Environmental Network was very informative and complimented much of the work we have been doing in recent weeks in the Community.