Caring for our Common Home around the Diocese

Monday 14th September 2020

Around the diocese, and despite the lockdown of the last six months, parishioners have been continuing their work to care for our common home and to undertake an ecological conversion.

Below are just a few examples of how parishes have been doing this.

Parish of the Nativity – A Hive of Eco Activity

Behind the church at Holy Family, Limeside, there was a large unused garden space which volunteers have used to create an eco-hub for the church community.

Their plan – to reduce their carbon footprint and to improve the local environment – has been fulfilled to organically grow fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Most recently, the team have planted an apple and a plum tree and there are more to come.

A few weeks ago Christmas potatoes were planted into pots and the team will shortly be planting winter leeks, into a raised bed which  volunteers are constructing.

Once the space has been converted the plan is to share it with the wider community who will be invited if they wish to come and grow their own produce.

Earlier this year, the team built two bee hives, which are now in situ and are home to approximately 75 thousand bees which, when Covid-19 restrictions allow, runs a free weekly Beekeeping session.

It has attracted great interest from young children through to the not so young who are from around the local area and further afield. The team hope to introduce more hives at a later date and next year should see us produce our first batch of honey.

Good Samaritan, Burnley – Campaigning for A Better World

Lockdown put a stop to many things but for three members of Good Samaritan Parish CAFOD group, it didn’t stop them meeting with their MP, Antony Higginbotham, as part of the Climate Coalition’s “The Time is Now” online lobby of MPs which called for a greener, more just recovery from the global pandemic.

CAFOD volunteer Dominic Aunger said:

“During the virtual lobby, we wanted to ask Antony Higginbotham to press the Government to unleash investment in climate and nature-friendly infrastructure so as to create jobs and support millions out of the recession; put nature on the path to recovery at home and abroad; as well as support the most vulnerable at home and abroad.

“This year needs to be a turning point where world leaders urgently reframe their thinking for the years ahead and recognise that eradicating poverty, tackling the climate crisis and restoring our natural environment are all interconnected”

St John Fisher, Denton – A Space for the Community

At the end of February last year, parishioners at St John Fisher, Denton, began work on their wildlife garden.

Since then, it has been a community effort and there have been massive amounts of generosity shown.

When restrictions allow, children are able to adventure through it, passersby ask for updates and members of the parish are all playing their part in helping out – whether it’s weeding, donating supplies or building sculptures – allowing others to simply enjoy the space.

Inspired by Laudato Si, the parish project is a peaceful space for parishioners to reflect and enjoy. It is filled with plants to attract insects, bird baths and a wildflower garden which will fully bloom to bring colour to the community.

 

Tagged | Around the Diocese | Environment | Laudato Si' Centre