Laudato Si’ Week 2023 is being celebrated 21- 28 May marking the eighth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on care for creation. The theme this year is ‘Hope for the Earth. Hope for Humanity’.
Pope Francis inaugurated Laudato Si’ Week at the Sunday, 20 May Angelus prayer held at midday (Rome time) from St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
The program for Laudato si’ Week can be found on the website here
A highlight of the program is the film “The Letter” which tells the story of a journey to Rome of frontline leaders to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ with Pope Francis. Watch it here
La Semana Laudato Si’ 2023 se celebra del 21 al 28 de mayo, coincidiendo con el octavo aniversario de la histórica encíclica del Papa Francisco sobre el cuidado de la creación. El tema de este año es “Esperanza para la Tierra. Esperanza para la humanidad”.
El Papa Francisco inauguró la Semana Laudato Si’ en el rezo del Ángelus del domingo 20 de mayo, celebrado a mediodía (hora de Roma) desde la Plaza de San Pedro del Vaticano.
El programa de la Semana Laudato si’ puede consultarse en el sitio web aquí
Uno de los platos fuertes del programa es la película “La Carta”, que narra el viaje a Roma de líderes de primera línea para debatir la encíclica Laudato Si’ con el Papa Francisco. Véala aquí
On Tuesday May 21 about thirty of us attended a grand celebration in the parish of Eucharist followed by a hot roast beef dinner. Sister Roisin Gannon represented the Presentation Sisters. Bishop Anthony Daniels surrounded by seven priests of the Grand Falls Diocese celebrated Eucharist in St. Anne’s Church with participation of the sisters and parishioners in readings, music and other moments in the liturgy. The church was sparkling and beautifully decorated with roses. A large banner hung in the church acknowledging the 150 years’ anniversary – Our Journey Together! At the end of Mass, a plaque was presented to the Congregation which will be placed in the church to commemorate the anniversary. In his homily Bishop Daniels connected the call and ministry of the sisters to that of the early disciples of Jesus and gratefully commended their life and ministry among the people of Conception Harbour and surrounding area.
By this time, the Sisters had been in Newfoundland for almost a year, a year in which they devoted themselves to the visitation and care of the poor and the sick of the town, traversing the narrow streets and visiting the rude shacks in which many of the Irish Catholics lived. Forty-two pupils were enrolled when the school opened, and in the following year fifty-five students were in attendance.
O’Murchu set the context of our reflection and discussion by outlining the throes of change that mark our time, noting that there is a paradigm shift of global impact. In searching for a faith to sustain us today, home-coming is the key – coming home to our cosmic and planetary identity, to our spiritual story, to our people of soul, to our relational individuation, to our need for ritual, to the wisdom of the feminine ( the feminine is not exclusive to women). Most importantly, he says, it is necessary to reclaim a sense of the cosmic Christ as well as the historical Jesus, the central role of the Kingdom of God, the radical inclusiveness of Jesus, the concept of Jesus as suffering servant, the relational understanding of personhood.
During the evening, four young choristers were awarded apprenticeships, named in honor of four Mercy and Presentation Sisters. Tribute was paid to Sister Kathrine Bellamy, rsm, for her outstanding work in music and she was given the honour of presenting a member of the choir with an apprenticeship; a second one was presented in honor of Sister Mary Baptist McDermott, rsm, who was one of the first Newfoundlanders to be awarded an Associate Diploma from Trinity College of Music. Ms. Knight sees the apprenticeships as being a way of carrying on a chain of mentoring that began with the Mercy and Presentation Sisters.
The focus of the event was the presentation of Millennium Development Goals, which were central to the 2-day event.
Upon arrival at Sandy Point, the sisters received an enthusiastic welcome from the people of Sandy point. The Evening Telegram of August 12, 1893 reported as follows: