Carmel O’Neill sent us this latest news:
During the month of September, Blessington Parish held a number of events to celebrate the Season of Creation.
A Sacred Space was set up in front of the altar. Parents and children from St Mary’s Jun/Sen infant classes were invited to the church for the annual blessing of the school bags. It was an opportunity for Carmel to inform the parents about our journey as an Eco Parish. It also served as a reminder to find God in the world of nature and look for ways to live a sustainable lifestyle.
On Sat Sept 28th our Tidy Town volunteers gathered for a mass of Thanksgiving for their efforts to improve the biodiversity of our church grounds. Local schoolchildren brought up symbols of their work including the bronze medal recently awarded to the group. Following the mass Fr Gerry and Deacon Gerry blessed the new borders which even in late Sept were displaying vibrant colours and a fragrant scent.
On Sat Oct 5th Fr Noel who himself is a great animal lover , performed the blessing of pets in the school grounds. He spoke about the bond that exists between the animal and the human and how having a pet can help people feel loved and needed. He reminded the group of how St Francis of Assisi found God in all creatures and referred to them as his brothers and sisters.
The children from 1st/2nd class were each given a strawberry runner plant to take home and plant either in a large pot or in their own garden. Tips on how to care for their plant were also distributed.
The dwarf apple trees planted at the rear of Lacken church produced a bountiful crop of apples this year. They were planted in the Spring of 2020.
A small basket was included in our Mass of harvest thanksgiving. Proceeds from the sale of produce raised 525 euro which will be shared between the church fund and a school in South Sudan.
