Members of the Northern Dioceses Environment Group gathered for the annual in-person meeting held on Friday 19th June at the Laudato Si’ centre, Wardley Hall, Salford.
The meeting reflected the purpose of the centre, ‘A statement of hope – rooted in the belief we can make a difference’ and opened with prayers and quiet reflection led by Emily Cahill, the Environment and Learning Officer who led us for much of the day.
The vision and operating model is rooted in the belief that we can all make a difference through the actions we take in response to the cry of the earth and cry of the people, so powerfully expressed by Pope Francis in his letter ‘Laudato Si’ – Care for Our Common Home’.
In response to the call of Pope Francis, the Centre began life in 2019 and has welcomed over 9,000 visitors to this impressive place of education offering a model for parishes, schools and the wider community to follow and emulate.
Emily took us on a tour of the Laudato Si’ Centre – its poly-tunnels, flower and vegetable beds, fruit trees, woodlands and outdoor classroom - explaining the centre’s ambitious mission to put into practice our Faith and look after the environment and the poor of our world.
In the afternoon, we spent time sharing our ‘hopes’ and ‘fears’ and looking towards the need for collective action if we are to be agents for change. We looked at a set of resources on Salvation and Creation Care for a short parish course developed by Dr Finlay Malcolm, a theologian at Manchester University, as part of his work with Salford Diocese the last 3 years. He has developed 3 sessions each 90mins long on themes of Communion, Reconciliation, and Redemption. Full materials – leaders’ notes, participant notes, short videos, etc can be downloaded and freely used from Formation and Training Resources - Salvation and Creation Care - Research Explorer The University of Manchester
We concluded this part of the day with an input on engaging school children on the issues of plastic waste and the forthcoming Cop 31.
Before Mass we were invited to take our time in quiet reflection through a Woodland Walk moving slowly, noticing the woodland, using our senses and hearing the sound of the forest. We were invited to look and feel the beauty of God’s creation in the design of what God has created.
We ended the visit with Mgr. Paul Smith who celebrated Mass with the group in the woodland area under the canopy of a donated parachute strung between the trees in case it rained. A perfect way to conclude a wonderful day appreciating nature!
One member summed up the day,
‘It was great we could meet together in Salford on Friday. Thank you for coming. I found it a brilliant day, informative and reflective; and came away with lots of ideas to share more widely. And very many thanks to Emily and Mgr Paul for all their time, and enthusiasm’.
A couple of future meetings for the diary:
Monday 14th September 6:30pm a reflective evening for the Season of Creation – joint meeting with the Southern Dioceses Environment Network.
Tuesday 10th November 6:30pm NDEG meeting – Environmental Developments at Ladyewell Shrine (near Preston) with Dr Stephen Garsed
This Zoom event is a joint meeting of the Northern Dioceses' Environment Group and the Southern Dioceses' Environment Group.
This meeting will be lked by Finlay Malcolm
Finlay has recently been delivering sessions in the Diocese of Salford on spiritual formation, exploring how the Catholic faith connects with care for God’s creation. His work brings together theological and spiritual reflection, fellowship, and practical resources that support priestly ministry, including preaching and pastoral practice.
This seminar will present key findings from a major recent research project hosted at the University of Manchester, followed by discussion on how these insights can support the ongoing work of clergy and dioceses in responding to climate change.
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This was the title of a talk give by Sr Joan Kersey FSMJ at the recent Zoom meeting of the Northern Dioceses' Environment Group.
Sr Joan explored her topic by referring to the writings of Clare of Assisi and Christine Valters Paintner’s book, 'Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice'.
The theme of getting the right balance between reflection and action is one that the Commission has returned to again and again over the years. Sr Joan gave it a new twist with this exploration of Clare's idea of 'gazing on the face of Christ' - and examining where we see the Face of Christ.
People had the opportunity to reflect and comment on her talk in small groups and the meeting concluded with updates from across the dioceses about upcoming events.
If you would like to find out more about the NDEG and join their mailing list then simply email climate.ndeg@gmail.com
The NDEG have made Sr Joan's talk available as a pamphlet. Use the button to download a copy and find out more.
The Northern Dioceses Environment Group (NDEG) organise at least one in-person event every year. This year they are doing a mini-pilgrimage from Leeds City Station to Kirkstall Abbey in celebration of 10 years since the publication of Laudato Si. A similar mini-pilgrimage, organised by the Diocesan Communications Director, took place at the end of May.
The pilgrimage itself will take place on Saturday 20 September, with everyone meeting in the main concourse of Leeds City Station (near the public toilets) at 12:45pm for a short briefing and for a prompt 1pm start. NDEG welcome everyone to come and join them and take part in this opportunity to meet with people from across the Northern Dioceses and to find out how Laudato Si has inspired people in different dioceses to act.
Today, I did a trial of the walk with Paul Kelly, from Our Lady and St Boniface parish covering Settle and Bentham. He will be the walk leader on the day. With a little detour at the start, because of the work to improve the entrance to Leeds City Station, we set off along the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool canal starting at the canal basin. The walking is on good paths throughout. The towpath is in good condition, which is more than can be said for the canal itself; if you come then don’t expect to see any narrowboats chugging along! There is a short stretch along roads when we leave the canal towpath at Hollybush farm in Kirkstall. However, after only a couple of hundred yards we join another good footpath that lead right into the grounds of the abbey itself.
The walk itself is just a little under 5 miles, on the level (apart from the locks) and along a good path. If you do not think you could walk that far then you would be very welcome to join us for a short prayer service in the abbey church itself. We will be setting off at 1pm promptly from the station, so we will probably arrive at the abbey church between 3pm and 3:15 pm.
There is a café at the abbey which stays open until 4pm and a good bus service back into Leeds to near the station from the main road outside the abbey.
If you think you might join us then please follow this link to give some contact details so we can send you a more detailed information leaflet and update you about any last minute changes.
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