It is important that the Church of the Presentation be a “green parish” because our parish is the sacred ground where we gather together to hear God’s Word, to break bread together as a family at the Eucharistic table, and to grow into a community of faith. This community acts in response to the promptings of God’s Spirit. It is where we are nourished by the sacraments and animated by a variety of different spiritual and pastoral opportunities. Presentation is our “spiritual centering place,” where we are nurtured and sustained to act with compassion and love for one another and for all creation.
Our parish is a place for us to study, pray, and act in ways that reflect our Catholic values. It, then, is an ideal context for becoming aware of what is happening in our environment and the resultant impact on us, others, and all of creation. Presentation can be a model of how ordinary, concerned people are contributing toward a spirituality of “Caring for the Earth” by doing what we can to make this a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable world for the future.
We have already taken steps in this direction with the formation of the St. Francis Ministry and, more recently, with the parish participation in the Green Faith Certification Program. Our parish has taken “greening steps” by installing solar panels on the roof of the church providing eco-friendly and energy-efficient bathrooms and providing guidelines for recycling and using more environmentally appropriate materials in our parish life.
Our initiatives toward the “greening” of our parish provides an example or model of what can be done to create a more sustainable future, one which is more consistent with God’s intention for a created world, our home, that was once judged to be “very good.”
Questions for Discussion:
1. What positive values do you see in our parish becoming a “green parish?” What are the challenges?
2. Is raising the consciousness of parishioners about environmental concerns a legitimate Catholic issue? Please explain.
3. How can we improve the effectiveness and outreach of the environmental mission in our parish?