Margo Delaney sent ECI this update:
As we gather to write this short account of our eco aware activities, we are rejoicing in nature’s bounty! Our wildflower garden is resplendent with myriads of colourful, pollinator friendly flowers and an odd shrub. We welcome the red-tailed bumbles bees and their bigger yellow and black striped cousins. A few solitary bees and other random pollinators have graciously visited also.
Our fledgling sensory garden has become a rich meadow of waving green-beige grasses, interspersed with wild vetch, red clover, flowering “shamrock” trefoils, and on the rocky ground, silver weed, blue-eyed speedwell, scarlet pimpernel, poppies …
Along the wall, the reclaimed roses are blooming in magnificent colours; some of them sending out sweet perfume on the summer air and providing food for even the tiny pollinators.
Along the fence, the many plants and flowers contributed by the community are making a gorgeous display. It is a joy to walk along and recall who carried their excess seedlings, cuttings, and shrubs to add to the edges of the meadow – red campion, white lilies, montbretia, ox-eyed daisies ,the remnants of the timid forget-me- nots, wall flowers, “fried egg” daisies, alstroemeria lilies, lavender, oleander, penstemon, cornflowers. and the emerging green dahlia shoots-– all contributions from neighbours and friends.
We are still waiting in hope that our small “wood” of trees will put forth some green buds, though that hope is fading. Only the holly tree and the small privet shrub seems to be surviving.
Keeping up to date: educating ourselves
The Irish Times chart on garden birds, displaying the chart on “Yellow Stripey Things” in our church porch and tuning into , tuning into TG4’s “Plean Bee” programme on International Bee Day, sharing the Irish Mail on Sunday, “Call OF THE WILD FLOWERS, presenting a brief overview of the Irish Examiner “Working Together for Biodiversity” booklet to our Care for the Earth ministry group and Parish Pastoral Council to celebrate Ireland’s biodiversity week, ”,– all these have added to our knowledge of the wonder and beauty of creation’s gifts to use. They have also served to create awareness of the richness of our biodiversity and helped motivate some parishioners to take action to redress the loss of pollinating insects and get to know the birds that visit our suburban gardens.
We tap into Global Catholic Climate Movement ((catholicclimatemovement.global), EARTHBEAT: Stories of Climate Crisis, Faith and Action; ([email protected]); WWW International Newsletter ([email protected]); EARTHDAY.org: Restore our Earth; Columban for Advocacy and Outreach ([email protected])
Spirituality
Care for our common home continues to be included in our liturgies, sometimes at the prayers of intercession, sometimes lifting our hearts in praise with Buddy Comfort’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon and/or Marty Haughan’s All You Works of God.
Highlighting Events on the Global Catholic Climate Movement Calendar: Bonnybrook Parish Eco aware Page
This highlighted significant dates from the GCCM CALENDAR 2021: World Environment Day, June 5th, World Ocean Day, June 8th, World wind Day, June 15th, World Day for Combating Desertification and Drought for the month of June have been highlighted, reminding us that “the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion…living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (LS 217). July 3rd is International Plastic Bag Free Day….
Future Planning
1) Celebrating Creation Time, September 1st -October 4th, that special , time when we will join with faith communities worldwide in prayer and action for our common home.
“The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know things can change.
2) Holding Climate Sunday Liturgical Celebration
3) Working towards qualifying for the Gold Award from ECI, strongly motivated by our participation in the recent conferral of this award on three parishes and being immensely encouraged by all that is being done as we work together for care of our common home.
3) Cutting down on our Carbon Footprint
We plan that in the refurbishing the back rooms of the church and the possibility of building a new parish office, solar will be installed as the source .of energy for the buildings.