| Feature 28 October 2009 | Christian responsibility for the environment |
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On Tuesday 10 November in the St Francis of Assisi primary school in Belmayne, Dublin - located beside Fr Collins Park - the Irish Bishops' Conference will publish a new pastoral reflection addressing our Christian responsibility to care for the environment. Archbishop Dermot Clifford and the pupils St Francis of Assisi school will launch the pastoral reflection which will be available in parishes in the English, Irish and Polish languages with an accompanying reflection in DVD format. Fr Collins Park is sustained using renewable energy.
In this feature:
“You are a steward of God’s creation ..." In the following video interview Archbishop Dermot Clifford talks about the responsibility that the Church has to teach its people about caring for the environment. He also talks about our Christian responsibility to care for the environment, and to hand on a planet that is not polluted for generations to come.
Get the Flash Player to see this player. “We have about a decade to get our act together on climate change ...” Professor John Sweeney, Director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units at NUI Maynooth, is interviewed about global warming, its consequences, and our responsibility to act.
Get the Flash Player to see this player. Additional resources
Saint Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of the environment  St Francis lived from 1181 to 1226. Known as "the Poor Little Man" - il Poverello, Francis is one of the best known and loved of saints. A native of Assisi in Umbria, he was the son of a merchant. In his youth he loved pleasure, until a series of providential happenings led him, in 1209, to found the order of Friars Minor, characterised by a loving, joyous worship of Christ, and by a profession of poverty which was both individual and collective. The appeal of the new order to that generation may be gauged from the fact that at the General Chapter of 1219 five thousand friars were present. The same year Francis sailed for Palestine. Meanwhile the new order was passing through a period of painful internal difficulties. Francis returned to Italy, sent friars into all western European countries, with instructions to establish themselves preferably in university centres. His rule was approved by Pope Innocent III, and his life and message received a direct sanction from Christ in 1224, when on 14 September Francis recived the stigmata of the Passion on Mt Alvernia. He died in deacon's orders and was canonised two years after his death. He is depicted in the habit of his order, grey, brown or any drab colour: usually he has the stigmata, with a winged crucifix before him, or preaching to the birds.The Canticle of the Sun The Canticle of the Sun, also known as the Laudes Creaturarum ("Praise of the Creatures"), is a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi. It was written in the Umbrian dialect of Italian but has since been translated into many languages. It is believed to be among the first works of literature, if not the first, written in the Italian language. The Canticle of the Sun in its praise of God thanks Him for such creations as "Brother Fire" and "Sister Water". It is an affirmation of Francis' personal theology as he often referred to animals as brothers and sisters to mankind, rejected material accumulation and sensual comforts in favor of "Lady Poverty". English translation: Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name. Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful. Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance. Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure. Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong. Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned. Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them. Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility. |
