International Mother Earth Day
Answering the call to care for the earth.
Members of the OLA Lay Mission Movement in Letterkenny discuss 'Laudato Si' ahead of International Mother Earth Day.
April 22nd is International Mother Earth Day. The day, designated by the UN General Assembly in 2009, brings into focus the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit. The theme for 2016 is ‘Trees for the Earth’. According to the UN, trees help combat climate change by absorbing Co2, giving us fresh air to breath – free from pollutants, combating loss of species and providing livelihoods for communities across the planet.
Last May, Pope Francis released his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ which focuses on climate and justice. He calls on all humanity to preserve the great gift of ‘Mother Earth’. Care of the Earth is a central part of the OLA mission and the OLA Lay Mission Movement (LMM) groups are playing their part in answering the call of Pope Francis. Áine Deeney, a member of the Letterkenny LMM group, explained that they recently began studying Pope Francis' document: "we are in the process of leading reflections at our meetings on the Encyclical. The sharing is inspiring and hopeful”.
To mark International Mother Earth Day, world leaders will gather in New York to sign an agreement which was reached after talks in Paris last December. The agreement will see countries sign-up to limiting the rise in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius and strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.
More information:
To join an LMM group, email lmm@olaireland.ie
Click here to read 'Laudato Si'.
Click here to visit our Care of the Earth page.
