LaudatoS Si week was celebrated in our community with much vigor and enthusiasm. It was a golden opportunity for us to travel with God’s creation very closely. Throughout this week all our prayers were held in our common home, which helped us to cherish the beauty of our mother earth and our oneness with each other.
Every day we had different topics for our prayers, like examination of conscience, care for creation, journey to the creation, carbon foot print, climate change (talk on Greta Thunberg, the youngest climate activist). Special rosaries and Divine Mercy rosary were also conducted.
A short summary of Laudato si was studied and reflected by all. During our prayers we watched few videos related to the topic and which were very enriching and thought provoking. We also enjoyed a few meals in our common home. Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato si is a worldwide wake up call, to help all people to understand the destruction humanity is rendering to the environment and to each other in various circumstances.
As we went through this past one week of prayer and reflection, we realized that we too are part of destroying our common home. We also realized that to live our vocation, it is essential to take care of God’s handiwork, not as an optional or secondary but as a duty of a Christian.
We took pledge to recommit ourselves to protect our common home. Some of our resolutions are: - careful use of water, electricity, saving paper, giving water to birds and animals, growing and protecting trees, not to waste food, buy and cook reasonably, reduce waste, no to the use of plastic items etc. In this encyclical we read “The gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.”
Covid-19 lock down provided us an opportunity to take care of our poor people as we supplied ration to few deserving families. On the last day we cleaned our entire compound and made it a plastic free campus. In the evening we had thanks giving prayer for God’s creation and it concluded with the canticle of Daniel. It was indeed an enriching and challenging experience for all of us.
Siters of St. Joseph
Antervelia
