The above photo shows left to right: Frank Macken, Mary Maher, Helen Campbell, Sr Anna Byrne (Eco Congregation Ireland), Fr James Purcell, Breda Kennedy, Maureen O’ Neill, Marette Dunphy.
Frank Macken sent us this report:
It was an honour to welcome Sr. Anna Byrne from Eco-Congregation Ireland to the Cathedral recently to present our Parish “Care of Creation” group with a plaque to recognise the work they have done over the past 10 years.
The group was set up by Fr. Martin Hayes, now Bishop Hayes, in 2015 to steer the Parish response to Pope Francis’ call to action on caring for our planet. This call to action was expressed very powerfully in the late pontiff’s landmark encyclical, Laudato Si. Since its establishment the group has responded to their mission through liturgy, community engagement and practical action on climate and biodiversity.
In recognition of the group’s work Sr. Anna came from Dublin to present the group with this plaque which signifies our Parish’s dedication to caring for creation and responding to environmental issues. We thank her for her time in coming to us, and for the encouragement that this award gives us to continue in our work. A very big thank you to everyone who contributed to the group over the past 10 years.
Upcoming Projects: Biodiversity Plan for Bóthar Na Naomh
The work of the group continues with the current focus on rolling out a biodiversity plan for our Church grounds. The Bishop’s Conference of Ireland have agreed that 30% of Church grounds should be given over to native Biodiversity where possible. In the context of our two churches in the parish it is felt that the best opportunity for this is in the grounds of Bóthar na Naomh. It is our hope to begin this process in the coming months. It is most important that this project is carried out by the parishioners and locals of the town, and not just our own group. This is a community effort. To that end there will be a public meeting in Lámh Cunta, beside Bóthar na Naomh church, on the evening of Thursday, 16th October at 7:45pm. Here we hope to draw up a biodiversity plan that will be put into action in the coming months. Please come and have your say on the night and hopefully stay involved in the work as it develops. All are welcome.