To mark Earth Hour on Saturday 24th March, the Balally Parish Environment Group invited people to turn off their lights and devices and to come to the church for an hour of prayer, poetry and music. During that hour, parishioners reflected on the threat to our fragile planet and on our Christian duty to preserve God’s beautiful creation for future generations and to stand in solidarity with those whose lives are already being devastated by the effects of climate change.
Earth Hour this year coincided with the start of the week when The Stations of the Cross would remind all of the suffering of Jesus before his death. By watching a short video ‘The Stations of the Forests’ those present were reminded too, of the suffering of our threatened earth.
Prayers, poems and readings from Scripture celebrated the beauty of God’s Creation, and acknowledged our duty to care for the earth. The vigil ended with a final commitment to make the necessary changes in our own everyday lives to fulfil this Christian duty.
