Report from Clare McCutcheon, Secretary, Faith in Action Group, Ballineaspaig Parish
Season of Creation
For our celebration of the Season of Creation in Ballineaspaig parish, we held a
Special Harvest Thanksgiving and Sharing Celebration
on Sunday, 25th September.
At the 10.30 Mass, we celebrated the gifts of creation through specially selected prayers, music and a shrine symbolizing the abundance of the earth.
Baskets of fruits, vegetables and other home produce products were brought forward in the Offertory procession.
After the 10.30 and 12.15 Masses we held an outdoor Bring and Buy.
We had distributed free vegetable and flower seeds after the Masses on 8th May. Parishioners were invited to share the fruits of the harvest from those seeds (or from other local sources), or their home baking, with their neighbours here in Cork and, by making a donation or by buying produce, to share with our Kenyan brothers and sisters in Turkwel, who are not blessed with our bounty. Our parish has been linked with Turkwel parish since 2000.
Harvest Thanksgiving
Celebration and Sharing
All Donations will go to fund the Feeding Programme in Turkwel
Everyone was asked to bring along some home grown, locally sourced or home-made produce (vegetables, herbs, plants, flowers, fruits, jams, home baked bread, cakes etc.) and buy something to bring home. There was also an opportunity for a chat with neighbours and friends over a cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee.
We had a great turn out. Parishioners gave generously of their produce to the Bring and Buy, from baby tomatoes to giant marrows, bags of apples, plants, jams and home baking. And people bought generously too, donating a total of €1,430 which will be sent to Turkwel parish for their feeding programme.