Celebrating Laudato Si Week in Salford
Wednesday 19th May 2021#LaudatoSi Week is a global event sponsored by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and supported by the Global Catholic Climate Movement in collaboration with about 150 Catholic organisations. During the week, we will learn, dialogue, and take action for our common home. We will join Saint Francis of Assisi in his canticle: “Praise be to you, O my Lord, in all your creatures!” and take steps in our journey towards ecological conversion.
Around the Diocese
Over the last year our schools and parishes have been busy getting involved and responding to the challenge of Laudato Si.
We received over 500 entries to our Laudato Si competition, and so far have received over 300 entries to our photography competition. We’ve been sending out monthly challenges to our schools and have seen so many amazing examples of young people around our diocese making their own bird feeders and other good work with us.
We’re excited to share our next activity about bees, which will be coming soon. This interconnectivity and learning about our natural world is all done in keeping with Laudato Si and is an expression of what the encylical means to us as individuals and as a Catholic community.
Around the diocese, parishioners have been getting involved in local and national events such as Global Healing talks which were held during Lent, making virtual retreats to Boarbank and recently, our Formation team held an evening for Young Adults with Dr Austen Ivereigh, co-author of Pope Francis’s book ‘Let us Dream.’
Last year, on the fifth anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si, Bishop John wrote that there is much we have achieved, but there is still much to do. A year on, our achievements continue and there is a lot of enthusiasm to keep doing more, but we need to keep up the momentum and work together.
Laudato Si Centre
We are delighted that we are getting the walled garden at the Laudato Si Centre ready for our programmes, which we hope to pilot later this year.
At the Centre, we are developing a forest garden and pathways which eventually people will be able to walk down and take in their surroundings. Our wildflower meadow has been sown, over 40 fruit bushes and herbs have been planted and, using generous donations from the Society for the Holy Child Jesus, we have been able to plant over 15 trees and a row of willow wands.
Our hives of bees are flourishing. If anyone would like to buy any of our Wardley honey, please contact us on laudatosi@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
The Laudato Si Centre will be a place of action, reflection, sharing and learning for people of all faiths and none. We are keen to work with our sisters and brothers of all faiths and we will be providing an update on future events in due course.
Thank you
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those parishes and schools who have sent over case studies and examples of the brilliant work going on within their communities. We had over 250 responses to our survey which will held to guide the Diocese’s environmental strategy which is currently being developed.
We hope that our Laudato Si Centre will connect with other Laudato Si networks and spaces across the diocese. These connections can be through prayer, programmes, ideas, activities and nature corridors. Working together, Laudato Si will be at the heart of all we do.
Tagged | Environment | Laudato Si Centre
