WelCom June/July 2022
“All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education.” – Pope Francis, Laudato si’, #214
Pope Francis described in his 2015 encyclical ‘Laudato si’ on caring for our common home’ how we need to move beyond urgent and partial responses to immediate environmental problems – and develop a distinctive way of thinking and looking at issues. We need ‘educators capable of developing an ethics of ecology and helping people grow in solidarity, responsibility and compassionate care.’
Ecological education is one of the seven areas of the Laudato si’ action plan promoted by the Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
Several communities in the archdiocese working with children, young people, and adults have taken up challenge to provide opportunities for ecological education. Here are three examples.
Garden to table – Cardinal McKeefry School, Wilton
Each Wednesday, Years 4–6 students at Cardinal McKeefry School spend half a day in their ‘Garden to Table’ programme, which teaches children to grow and cook food. In 2018, the school began by establishing garden planters, composting and collecting kitchen supplies and Cardinal John Dew blessed the kitchen and garden.
Through the programme students learn to grow vegetables and to cook vegetarian cuisine. As well as teaching essential skills, it also benefits the wider community. The children bring home information about what they are growing, cooking, preparing, and harvesting and families try it out for themselves.
Estelle Henrys, a coordinator of the programme at Cardinal McKeefry School, says the work comes from the sense that creation is a gift from God and gardening is a way of caring for creation.
‘It’s about a relationship with the soil, and what we can grow to live more sustainably.’
The programme emphasises sharing food, and anything grown not used and eaten is provided for families to take home. ‘We put recipes in the newsletter, and we hope children are helping in the kitchen at home to make these vegetarian meals.’
Preparing for the future – students’ environmental action
Around 15 environmental leaders from St Mary’s College, St Patrick’s College Wellington, St Catherine’s College, and St Patrick’s College Silverstream, teamed up for a beach clean-up on Petone foreshore, on the last day of Term 1.
St Catherine’s environmental leaders Faith Escarlan and Nikita Xaixo were among the group. Faith said the intention was to commit to practical action and to help raise awareness. ‘It’s really important to take care of our environment. We don’t want to leave a lot of trash and let future generations solve our problem.’
Student environmental leaders have also been active planting plants around school grounds and encouraging recycling.
Parish environmental education – Integral Ecology Committee
The Integral Ecology Committee of the Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission for the Archdiocese of Wellington, gives people opportunities for Laudato si’ formation. This work is inspired by the archdiocesan 2017 Synod recommendation 8b that: ‘formation in Laudato si’ is available, which leads to practical actions by individuals and groups.
In 2019, committee member Catherine Gibbs, a teacher and educator, developed and led a programme for her parish community of St Theresa’s Plimmerton. With funding from the Tindall Foundation the programme, called Stronger action together on climate, was further developed and offered to three more parishes in 2020. With support from Caritas, the committee organised a gathering for 2021, but Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions prevented the face-to-face formation opportunities.
Instead, this year the committee is offering online seminars and educational opportunities in order to continue Laudato si’ formation opportunities.
Catherine says one of the challenges of faith-led ecological education is to communicate the necessity of serious and urgent environmental action, while encouraging a positive, hope-filled response to the planetary crises around us.
‘We’ve been committed to a considered and prayerful process that begins with ourselves and ensures we “walk the talk” throughout the process.’
As New Zealand emerges from the Covid-19 restrictions, the Integral Ecology Committee is keen to offer support to any parishes and communities seeking opportunities for local ecological education.