Rose O’Connor sent us this update:
As part of our pastoral response in this time of Pandemic we have been developing online resources to support the people of the Diocese. Care for our Common Home has been an important theme for us.
Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy’s pastoral letter for Lent 2020, entitled “Listening to Nature’s words of love; caring for our Common Home”, focused on the theme of ecological conversion and invited people to look more closely at their relationships with God, with others and with creation. Three areas identified for people to consider were:
Prayer: Taking time to contemplate God’s beauty in creation, especially God’s image in each human being and to express wonder and gratitude for the world as God’s loving gift.
Fasting: Thinking about how we live moderation in general and our attitude to living life with simplicity and a sense of “less is more” following the example of nature teaches us.
Almsgiving. Almsgiving as a way of generosity by giving to and helping others. Acknowledging the wonderful tradition of Trócaire initiatives and the great work Trócaire has done in raising consciousness of environmental and climate justice issues and encouraging people across the Diocese to continue giving generously.
The Diocese participated in a Laudato Si’ virtual book club run by Jane Mellett, Laudato Si’ officer with Trócaire through Zoom from the 15th of April to the 20th of May. Each week a chapter of Laudato Si’ was expertly brought to life with an input from Jane followed by animated discussion with the 40 plus participants.
Jane kindly undertook a Zoom chat with Bishop Brendan on Laudato Si’ as a feature for Earth Day on the 22nd of April on Laudato Si. A recording of the chat and other resources we shared for Earth Day can be found at this link: https://www.limerickdiocese.org/resources/category/resources/earth-day/
During Laudato Si’ week Bishop Brendan had a Zoom chat with Michael Long from Cabragh Wetlands on his perspective on Laudato Si’. We shared a daily thought for the day on our Facebook page, invited people to pray the Laudato Si’ prayer each day at noon and offered a reflection and suggested practical action for people to consider taking on. Suggested actions included taking a mindful walk in nature, supporting the Laudato Tree initiative, praying an environment-conscious prayer before meals, reducing our personal carbon footprint and making our gardens more pollinator-friendly. Our Laudato Si’ Week videos, prayers and other resources are all available at this link: https://www.limerickdiocese.org/resources/category/resources/laudato-si-week/