I took this photo last evening at Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai (Bantry Community College). I got an invitation to the Leaving Cert Graduation and my photo today is just a small section of the large backdrop they had put together. I really liked the energy and the colour of the backdrop and I would like to congratulate each student and all Leaving Certs on graduating from secondary school. We will be very much praying for you and thinking of you when you start the exams on Wednesday June 7th

Thought For The Week

‘The ecological crisis is begging us to listen. We need to be mindful that we are all impacting on one another through our
interconnection in the awesome web of life. What we do the web, we do to ourselves. We therefore, either flourish together or we stagnate together.’’ ~Martina Lehane Sheehan

This coming week from May 21 st -28 th we celebrate Laudato Si Week. Laudato Si is a beautiful ground breaking piece of work written by Pope Francis on the care of our planet earth and what we can do to combat climate change. It is one of the most discussed documents written by a Pope and it is addressed to every living person on this planet. To keep these discussions ongoing an official week has been dedicated to Laudato Si. The theme this year is ‘Hope for the earth. Hope for Humanity.’

Everyone knows our planet is under severe pressure and scientists are constantly talking about extreme weather events becoming more common. We have all heard how Spain has had to deal with temperatures of 40C in recent weeks. They are experiencing severe drought and water restrictions, and this is before the summer has even begun properly.

So, we know what is going on all around us with facts, statistics and the knowledge of scientists. But a key question to ask is are we really listening? Do we really care? Do we want to be part of solutions going forward? Do we want to stagnate or very importantly do we want to flourish and work our way through this together?

It is my firm belief that it’s not all bad news. Many people from young to old are becoming increasingly aware of and are active in environmental causes. Many are making eco-friendly changes in their lifestyles. There is a growing appreciation of the beauty of nature and a realisation that consumerism and capitalism does come with a cost. There is a growing realisation that we can do something and that we must do something.

Pope Francis wants us to reflect on all these things during the coming week. He is genuinely hopeful and positive that something can be done to protect our planet earth going forward. Where are you in all of it? We must act now, and we must be hopeful.

‘The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday