The Parish of Maghera in Newcastle, Co Down was presented with their Eco-Congregation Ireland Award at a mass in the Sacred Garden, Bryansford during the summer. The garden was designed by Angela Drayne and created by parish gardening volunteers and is maintained by the Parish Care for Creation gardening group known as W.O.W. A native Irish ‘Ogham Tree Avenue’ was designed and sculpted by Cathal OBaoill and his daughter Eilis and planted by Parish gardeners.
A thanksgiving Mass was celebrated ‘Sa nadur’ in the garden beneath the Mourne mountains by Fr Jim Crudden PP. Special thanks to Parish manager Brenda Webb, secretary Virginia Hughes.
Laudato Si Animator Finbarr Keaveney led the music and read the psalm which was adapted from the Canticle of the Creatures by St Francis of Assisi. During the mass Catherine Brennan SSL was remembered for her kind mentoring of the Parish on their journey of ecological awareness.
