Britain’s only Christian nature conservation charity, A Rocha UK, has launched a scheme to restore 75,000 acres of land for nature and cutting carbon in Britain over the next five years. By regenerating forests, wetlands and grassland, carbon dioxide can be absorbed from the atmosphere and locked up safely in soil and vegetation. The charity aims to mobilise Christians and their land across the UK to help bring about the changes needed to reverse declining wildlife and simultaneously contribute to Britain’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The Govan and Lyndhurst parish church near the COP26 summit exhibition centre is the location for two weeks of Green Christian daily talks and prayers. Speakers included Melanie Nazareth, who walked from London to Glasgow with the Camino to COP and James Buchanan of Operation Noah. One participant, Euan McPhee, cycled from Cornwall to Glasgow, stopping in each Anglican diocese he passed through to pick up their climate declarations for handing to the COP organisers. These dioceses included Truro, Exeter, Wells, Bristol, Lichfield and Liverpool. Another participant was Sr Mary Jo McElroy, who is on the international Justice and Peace team of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Green Christian’s co-Chaplain, Andrew Norman, has led contemplative-style prayers for 10 minutes every morning based on “Why Faith Matters at COP26”.
More than 2,500 people worldwide took part in the online vigil “24 Hours for the Climate” last week from St Aloysius Jesuit parish in Edinburgh. The lead organisers were Columban Missionaries, Justice and Peace Scotland, Cafod, Sciaf,and Pax Christi. Video material was presented from partners internationally and in the UK. Participants wrote messages to COP26 negotiators, calling on them “to agree to stop all fossil fuel extraction by 2040, protect and restore ecosystems, and financially support developing countries as they adapt to climate change”. Every hour, a prayer experience themed around God's creation and ecological spirituality and the story of a community impacted by climate change was broadcast. In the first few hours participants experienced prayer with Assumption Sisters, a Laudato Si’ liturgical dance from the Philippines, a presentation from a Cafod partner in Colombia, a prayer for creation and Myanmar by Catholic Student Action in Myitkyina diocese and a climate reflection from Columban missionaries in Chile and Peru. Teaching from Pope Francis featured. Eco-stations of the cross were led by James Trewby of the Columbans and Danny Sweeney of Justice and Peace Scotland. Danny sang at regular intervals the refrain: “If the field are parched – have mercy” by Chris Juby.
The three bishops heading environmental concerns in Scotland, England and Wales and Ireland celebrated the concluding Mass: Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, Bishop John Arnold of Salford and Bishop Martin Hayes of Kilmore. In his homily, Bishop Arnold said he was optimistic about what COP26 could achieve and was impressed that young people and faith campaigners “all have a sense of urgency of caring for Mother Earth – our common home”. He told the congregation never to underestimate “that by your personal example you can make a difference”.
Michael Palin has provided a voiceover for a new animated film about the National Churches Trust. The 80-second animation highlights why churches are some of the nation’s best loved buildings. It also shows some of the dangers facing church buildings, including leaking roofs, crumbling stonework and the dreaded Deathwatch Beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum. Michael Palin said: “The National Churches Trust does so much to help keep the UK’s church buildings open and in good repair. The animation shows just how important churches are to our history and heritage and also to local communities. With post offices, shops and even pubs closing, churches are often the only community building left in many parts of the country.”
Crossbench peer Lord Bird will deliver the Catholic Union’s Craigmyle Lecture, “The Reinvention of Giving”. Lord Bird, known as the founder of The Big Issue, has dedicated his life to dismantling the root causes of poverty and homelessness in the UK, and the well-being of future generations. Contact info@catholicunion.org.uk to book.
A new book by a former adviser to the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales claims Jesus wasn’t born in Bethlehem, there were no Wise Men or shepherds, and no manger. Author Peter Keenan contends that Christmas wasn’t celebrated before 330AD and that our contemporary view of Christmas has more to do with 19th century sentimentality promoted by Charles Dickens and Prince Albert than the life of Jesus.
The pandemic and lockdown has made people more appreciative of the quiet lives of those we often take for granted, Archbishop Michael Neary said as he unveiled a new statue of St Joseph at Knock Shrine in Co Mayo. “Like St Joseph, there are many people who live far from the spotlight, who do their work conscientiously, who are people of faith and whose faith inspires and motivates their work, their dedication, their call to duty and their family responsibilities. They are the ‘ordinary’ people who enable others to do their work and support them in that work,” the Archbishop of Tuam said. Acknowledging how we all encounter tough and difficult times when our faith is really tested, Archbishop Neary said St Joseph’s faith, “reminds us that the Church will not fail as it is confronted by the changes and challenges in our culture today”. He said the goodness, gentleness and generosity of people of faith is frequently overlooked in a competitive culture and that faith can bring calm to situations which could be explosive and is respectful of the freedom of others. The statue was designed and sculpted by Italian sculptors of the renowned Ferdinand Stuflesser 1875 studios. It depicts St Joseph as he appeared in the Apparition at Knock in 1879.
The Bishops of Ireland will undertake a pilgrimage together next Sunday to the International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine in Knock to commemorate all those who have died on the island during the pandemic and to pray for their families. Mass will be concelebrated by the bishops during which prayers of thanksgiving will be offered for all those who selflessly sacrificed so much during the pandemic. The Mass will be live streamed from the Co Mayo Shrine and will also be broadcast by the national broadcaster, RTÉ. The pilgrimage was announced after the Irish Bishops’ Autumn General Meeting as a way of pastorally supporting everyone who has suffered due to Covid-19, and in the context of November being the traditional time to remember the dead. During their Autumn meeting, the bishops reflected on the heartbreak suffered by thousands of families during the pandemic and the distress caused by restrictions which limited the number of people who could mourn together and offer the customary supports to grieving families. There have been 5,492 deaths in Ireland and 2,751 in Northern Ireland since the pandemic began in 2020.
The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ennis in Co Clare has become the first catholic cathedral in Ireland to offer internment for the cremated remains of parishioners. The columbarium, the place where cremated human remains are interred, was blessed by Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe last month. The first internment of ashes took place on Saturday 6th November. The columbarium in Saints Peter & Paul has a capacity for 240 urns and 104 niches have already been reserved. Each niche accommodates one urn with the ashes of one person. The number of people opting for cremation in Ireland has increased in recent years. In 1963 the Church eased its ban on cremation. In 2016, the Vatican issued an instruction to Catholics that the cremated remains of the dead should be interred in consecrated graveyards or stored in churches.
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