Carmel O’Neill sent us this latest news:
The parish of Blessington marked the season of Creation by hosting a variety of events throughout September.
With the opening of the new school, the new Junior Infant pupils together with their parents were invited to Lacken church for the annual blessing of the schoolbags. A special sacred space was set up benath the altar showing the beauty of creation in our village. These included purple heather from the mountain, flowers from our bee pollinator verges, berries from the rowan trees birds, sheep and a picture of St francis of Assisi.
Our new parish priest Fr Gerry Kane invited the children to the Scared Space and chatted to them informally about what they liked in the sacred Space. Each child was blessed individually with their school bag and prayers were offered for parents, teachers and all involved in the running of our schools.
On Sept 13th, Carmel O Neill and Alfie Zeller from Lacken Tidy Village were presented with an Endeavour award at the Tidy Town Regional Awards ceremony in Abbeyleix. This award was in recognition for our commitment to improving the environment, forstering civic pride and making our village a better place in which to live.
Our Parish newsletter has a dedicated weekly slot on Care of the Earth in which reminders are given on how to live more sustainably, Pope francis intentions during the season of Creation and how we can support the missions by recycling used stamps.