Tag Archives: Care of the Earth

“Praise be to you my Lord, with all your creatures,” prayed St. Francis of Assisi, well before the Season of Creation began. With this simple but profound prayer, he has encouraged believers of many generations to recognise creation as the fruit of God’s eternal Love. Season of Creation is a time of grace that the Church, in ecumenical dialogue, offers to ...

With his emphasis on integral ecology, Francis links care for God’s creation to our economic, political, social and religious priorities. In a lot of ways, with this pope, eco-spirituality has gone mainstream. The prefix “eco-” before “spirituality” comes from the Greek oikos, meaning home — a reminder that “this house is the only one we have, we’re all together, what happens ...

As COP26 approaches, faith organizations across the world are intensifying their calls for bold action against climate change, also in light of the COVID-19 crisis.  Ahead of the UN summit due to convene in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, hundreds of religious leaders from the five continents have signed a “Sacred People, Sacred Heart Statement”, urging a joint ...

The celebration of the past four weeks of prayer, activity and commitment to living so as to realise  “A home for all” – the theme of this year’s Season of Creation (1st September to 4th October 2021) has been a profound one, as we were pointed towards a better understanding of  the integral web of relationships that sustain the well-being ...

“For more than a year, we have all experienced the devastating effects of a global pandemic—all of us, whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong. Some were more protected or vulnerable than others, but the rapidly-spreading infection meant that we have depended on each other in our efforts to stay safe.” “No-one is safe until everyone is safe”. These observations ...

The 1st of September is upon us heralding a change of season leading us into the meteorological Autumn.  We know from our experience of the changing seasons that Nature and the Earth never ceases to bestow its gifts. However, the Season of Creation (SOC) is our opportunity to ‘recognise the good gift’ of creation and to sustain and develop our ...

There have been negative predictions about the future of ‘life on Earth’ from scientists, economists, and climate scientists and many of todays’ informed activists (both young and old) as far back as one can remember. Maybe our lack of any real  impactful action (personally, socially and politically) capable of creating any long term reversal has in part been due to ...

“For love of my brethren and friends, I say: Peace upon you!” (Ps 122:8). The first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, on Hiroshima, virtually levelling the city. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.  About 140,000 died in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. Half the deaths in each city occurred on the day of the ...

Mount St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre (Killenard, Portarlington, Co. Laois) is located in the heart of the Irish midlands. The very special surroundings and the closeness to nature contribute to the renewal that can be experienced through these Autumn Opportunities on offer through the Centre. All courses will run from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm (GMT). Mount St. Anne’s ...

In the old Europe we inherited from the Bronze Age, this great feast of the Solstice was celebrated with multitudinous small fires lit throughout the countryside. Fire and the great living sun two great aspects of the flame to be honoured. The Summer Solstice on June 21st traditionally marks the start of the astronomical summer which ends with the autumn ...