Awards! Awards! Ballineaspaig Parish Receives their ECI GOLD Award!

The Faith in Action Group, Ballineaspaig Parish sent us this report:

The Faith in Action group, Ballineaspaig Parish, Dennehy’s Cross Cork first met Sr. Catherine Brennan, the Catholic representative with ECI, in 2014. Sr. Catherine encouraged us to apply for recognition as an eco parish, and under her mentorship we became the first Catholic parish in the diocese to receive an Eco-Congregation Ireland Award in 2015. Sr Catherine presented us with this first Eco-Congregation Ireland Award and kept in constant touch with us thereafter, encouraging and inspiring us to continue our efforts.

In 2021, we successfully applied to ECI for their newly-introduced Gold Award. (see full application on https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2021/04/05/eco-congregation-ireland-launches-gold-awards/).

In June 2021 a virtual ceremony was held to honour the first recipients of this inaugural Gold Award: Ballineaspaig Parish, Cork; Westport Eco Congregation Co Mayo; and SAGE – Shankill Action for a Green Earth, St Anne’s Parish, Co Dublin. At that time, we promised our parishioners that we would invite them to a joyous celebration of this wonderful achievement in due course, as soon as the pandemic’s waning would permit.

We arranged to have the presentation of the Gold Award during 11.00am Mass on Sunday, 12^th March. Bishop Fintan Gavin was the chief celebrant and the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Colette Finn, was in attendance.

Bishop Fintan, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Colette Finn and Eamonn Moynihan, chairperson, parish Pastoral Council

Sr. Catherine had hoped to travel to Cork to present the award on behalf of ECI, but was unable to do so due to ill health. She sent us this message, which Bishop Fintan read on her behalf:

“It is my privilege as the catholic representative with ECI to congratulate the Faith in Action Group in Ballineaspaig parish on the ministry they have done and continue to do in healing, protecting and developing Gods creation, our common home.

Hope for the planet is never dead while this group continues its annual “stunning” work in all 4 areas of ECI programmes while continuing to add new activities and new educational opportunities during each year.

“The gifting never ceases” with the annual seedtime and harvest, the fairtrade opportunities and raising money for climate justice, the development of a wildflower garden, social justice projects and raising money for projects in a part of the world suffering from the effects of climate change.”

After Mass, there was a tree-planting ceremony in the wildflower garden, followed by a social gathering where parishioners had plenty of opportunity to meet and chat with the Bishop and Deputy Lord Mayor.

**Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Colette Finn planting a crab apple tree in the new wildflower garden in the grounds of the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Dennehy’s Cross, Cork**.
Present were Bishop Fintan Gavin; Fr. Donal Cotter, P.P.; Theresa Lynch, Faith in Action Group; Eamonn Moynihan, chairperson, parish Pastoral Council; student Angela Jaison, Mount Mercy College; Caroline Jaison, Sarah Moynihan and Ria Ashwin of St. Catherine’s N.S.

We were very sorry that Sr. Catherine was unable to be with us on the day, and deeply saddened to hear of her death a short time afterwards. She will be sorely missed by all the Eco-Congregation community, but her light will continue to shine in our hearts.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

Caroline Jaison, Sarah Moynihan and Ria Ashwin of St. Catherine’s N.S led the recessional procession ahead of Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Colette Finn, Bishop Fintan and Eamonn Moynihan, chairperson, parish Pastoral Council

You can read an article on EchoLive.ie on their ceremony and view photos.