08.02.2012
Rathfarnham Parish Wins Eco–Congregation Award
Rathfarnham
Parish has scooped an Eco–Congregation Ireland (ECI) award in
recognition of its environmental endeavours.
Since setting up its
eco group three years ago, the parish has held a
number of events to raise eco awareness. These have included two ‘Walk or Cycle to
Church Sundays’, a ‘Carbon–Cutting Cycle’ by the River Dodder and screenings of
several eco films, including The Age of
Stupid and The Economics of
Happiness. A litter pick, a series of eco awareness evenings based on
Cultivate’s Powerdown DVD and a
number of talks on the environment have also been held. The
group has also distributed over 300 copies of a Local Food
Directory they compiled, which lists local shops and stalls that sell
locally–produced food. They also started a ‘Local Food – South Dublin’
Facebook page. Services
regularly feature sermons, hymns and prayers with a Creation or environmental theme
and an environmental policy has been adopted by the select vestry. Parishioners
regularly support Stop Climate Chaos campaigns and an eco stall has become a new
addition to the parish fete which last year included a Guess the Number of Worms
in the Wormery competition. Presenting
the award to Revd Ted Woods, ECI chairperson, Sr Catherine Brennan, congratulated
the parish on “the excellent work done in caring for God’s creation”.
“This
“Who
will negotiate the crossing of the swamp for us on this journey to a new
promised land in the church today? Where is the new Moses for our time? The eco
group in this parish is certainly beginning to play that role. May you continue
this journey into the future with enthusiasm and
generosity,” she stated. In
his sermon, Revd Woods said, “As a parish, thanks to our eco group, we have been
made more environmentally aware and, thanks to their efforts, have been given an
Eco–Congregation award – as, indeed, has the parish school in its Green Flag.
“But
in all prayer we must be part of the solution to what we pray for. ‘God helps
those who help themselves’. God, in this prayer, will not do for us what we can
do ourselves. Prayer is not an opt–out but an opt–in to commitment and action.
And when we pray for the world, we must remember our part to preserve and
conserve all that is good and not abuse and exploit … ‘this fragile earth, our
island home’. “We
are not absolute masters of the world. In God’s eyes, we are managers, not
masters, and the question is, ‘Are we responsible or irresponsible in our
management, in our stewardship, of this fragile earth’s finite resources?’ Are
we transformers or trespassers? Consumer conformists or committed conservers? We
have a part to play in helping to transform for good our groaning planet,” Revd Woods said. 
To find out more about Rathfarnham
Parish’s eco activities – and about Eco–Congregation Ireland – see www.ecocongregationireland.com
The only other Church of Ireland parishes to have received Eco–Congregation awards are St Molua’s, Stormont and Whitechurch Parish, Dublin.