Laudato Si' Mass and Blessing of the Sacred Heart Prayer Garden
Following months of dedicated work and gardening by the Gardening Group team, a Laudato Si’ Mass was held on Saturday, 1st June celebrated by Father Colin followed by a blessing of the newly completed Sacred Heart Prayer Garden. Although an outdoor mass was planned at the new prayer garden, it was not to be as the rain persisted from early morning. Nonetheless, we had a joyous celebration with fruits, herbs and flowers from our garden for the offertory procession.
In his homily, Father Colin spoke about how we must always stand on the side of truth and strive to be better stewards of creation, protecting the smallest of creatures and preserving our biodiversity for future generations.
Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on Care for the Common Home exhorts us to care for the poor and marginalised who are our brothers and sisters ; to live simply, using only what we need, so that all may have equal rights to the resources of the earth which God has blessed us with.
Last October, on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, the Pope published his Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum meaning “Praise God”. In this document, he expresses his hope that societies and especially Christians around the world, will change their lifestyles and intensify grassroots activities aimed at reducing the negative human impact on the natural environment, to prevent even more tragic destruction to the earth.
The climate crisis is fast destroying much of our common home with melting glaciers, floods, droughts, extreme heat affecting communities around the world; where people flee from climate degradation, war and violence and affecting even safe passage of aeroplanes due to sudden turbulence.
The inspiration for the Sacred Heart Prayer Garden “is to offer God, Our Almighty Father, the best of our lives; our joys, sorrows, work and gifts of His harvest, for God’s greater glory…for all we have and are, are blessings from His bounty,” shared Edward Low from the Gardening Group. “We also hope to offer all who come to the garden a safe place to pray, a refuge to seek God’s mercy and to bask in the goodness of God. While having hope for the future, we also realise the tremendous effort needed on the part of humanity, to hear the cry of the earth for ecological justice.”
During the blessing of the prayer garden, Father Colin said, ‘Let this prayer garden be a sacred space for all to come and appreciate nature, to find peace and consolation; and to always treasure the earth’s bounty for many generations to come.” In Pope Francis’ words, “May we never yield to the temptation to disregard others, especially those in greatest need, and to look the other way; to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another. We are called to keep alive a shared dream. Yes, a great dream that has a place for everyone.”
The Green Movement Ministry’s mission is to promote and create awareness of what is happening to Mother Earth by our actions; to see God in creation; and to initiate change for ourselves, our families and for the common good, toward a sustainable future.
The Gardening Group helps to tend the parish garden and welcomes gardeners of all ages on Saturday mornings between 9am - 12pm.
Contributed by Corina Sobrielo, a gardening group member.