Carrigaline Parish receives prestigious award for environmental endeavours 

CARRIGALINE Parish today received a prestigious award from Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) in recognition of its environmental endeavours.

The award was presented at the Church of Our Lady and St John by Bishop Fintan Gavin, the Catholic Bishop of Cork and Ross. 

“The eco award in Carrigaline is really the culmination of a lot of work since the Pope’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, which has generated a huge amount of awareness around our common home,” Bishop Gavin told The Echo.

Speaking ahead of the presentation of the award, Janet Twomey of Carrigaline Parish, said efforts have been ongoing over the last number of years in working to create a more sustainable and eco-friendly parish.

“The parish is being presented on Sunday with a full award from Eco-Congregation Ireland because of the work we’ve been doing over the last number of years locally in the parish to address the climate justice issue and to care for creation.

“We’ve done a number of activities. A small group of us in the parish, we have a Care of the Earth Group, and we’ve worked on activities under four categories.

“Some are practical activities, some are spiritual activities and then activities that reach out to the wider community and the fourth one then, activities that reach out to the wider world,” she explained. 

ECI encourages churches of all denominations to take an eco approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, community outreach and contact with the developing world.

Ms Twomey said the Care of the Earth Group completed 30 different environmental initiatives which have earned it the accolade.

“Some of the activities included just raising awareness of the climate crisis and praying for it at mass and giving out seeds after mass and making sure that we had pollinator-friendly plants and having ‘no mow May’ where we didn’t mow any grass in May,” she said.

Ms Twomey said the group have been inspired by the leadership shown by Pope Francis.

“We’re very inspired by Pope Francis’ work on the environment.

“Pope Francis is a scientist as well and has written books on the environmental crisis where he has addressed it to people of all faiths and none, saying the time for action is now.

“The name of that book is Laudato Si’ and there’s a film of it called The Letter… that is really worth watching,” she said.

The eco award she said has given the parish a boost. “We have a lot done but we have so much more to do,” she added.