Paddy O’Byrne sent us this report:
We had a wonderful event on 11th June when Sr. Anna Byrne from Eco-Congregation Ireland lit our Climate Justice Candle and presented us with the ECI Endeavour Crtificate to acknowledge the initiatives our parish has undertaken to care for God’s creation. St Cronan’s Parish had the privilege of hosting the candle from 11 until 23 June.
Members of our Care for Creation committee highlighted steps we have taken to promote biodiversity in the meadows in the church grounds and to reduce our carbon footprint by using greener energy.
Parish priest Fr. Richard Sheehy led the prayer service, the choir from Scoil Chronain SNS provided beautiful music for the occasion while pupils from St. Cronan’s JNS told of practical initiatives they and their families are taking at home to reduce energy use and encourage pollinators.
The outgoing Mayor of Fingal County Council, Brian McDonagh, who later planted an oak tree in the church grounds assisted by the pupils, spoke of his early formation in care for creation. His uncle, Fr. Sean McDonagh, is a famous Columban Missionary, who wrote about caring for creation long before it was mainstream thinking, and was invited by Pope Francis to help him in drafting the encyclical on caring for our common home, Laudato si’, published ten years ago on 18th June 2015. The service ended with the school children each being presented with a paper bag containing a biodegradable flowerpot, a small container of compost along with some sunflower and nasturtium seeds.
Laudato Si’ meaning “Praise be to you,” is the opening verse of the beautiful canticle by St Francis of Assisi in which the saint reminds us that the Earth, our common home, is like a mother who opens her arms to embrace us. We included our parish statue of St Francis in the sacred space behind the climate justice candle. We also included a Laudato si’ tree on each side of the sacred space, one to represent our care for ecology and the other to represent our care for energy. We invited parishioners and the pupils of our local St Cronan’s national school to share any actions that they have taken in their own households to encourage biodiversity, cut down on waste or reduce their energy consumption. We were amazed to receive over 350 responses, which we recorded on paper leaves which were attached to the two trees
Parishioners were then invited to read the leaves on the two Laudato Si trees to draw inspiration from the ideas written there and to write down on a slip of paper next to the trees their own suggestions for caring for our planet.
The candle’s presence highlighted the importance of environmental stewardship and the significant effects of climate change on countries and populations that contribute minimally to its causes.
