Get ready to meet a ‘green’ Santa this eco-friendly Christmas

The New Indian Express , Monday, December 15, 2014
Correspondent : Anuradha Mascarenhas
The Sacred Heart parish in Yerawada will welcome a ‘green’ Santa this Christmas as part of its eco-friendly campaign. The parish, which is the first among 34 parishes and centres under the Diocese of Poona to launch such an initiative, will offer saplings instead of bouquets at felicitation programmes, promote kitchen gardens and use recycled material for decoration.

To start with, at least 48 Catholic children who received one of the church’s sacraments, First Holy Communion, at the parish on Sunday, were given saplings. “We told the children to plant the saplings near their houses,” said Father Anton D’Souza, priest, Sacred Heart parish, Don Bosco Church, Yerawada.

Besides, parishioners at the Sunday eucharistic service were made aware of various factors impacting climate change and its effects. “The earth was once so beautiful and a divine place. Over the years, the human race has exploited its natural resources beyond limits and polluted its rivers with factory waste and chemicals. The air we breathe today is poisoned with burning plastic, waste materials and pollution. The value of trees has been lost as they are being cut to build concrete jungles, “ said Father D’Souza, exhorting that it was high time to take a ‘go green pledge’ and save the mother earth.

Keeping with the green initiative, priests offered several items made of recycled products during the offertory procession. To promote the idea of ‘Go Green Parish’, a team will create a rosary garden at the church besides launching other initiatives focusing on three key ‘go green’ themes — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

“From now onwards, we will give saplings instead of flowers at felicitation programmes. All the groups and associations in parish will undertake a tree plantation drive from time to time. We have asked families to promote kitchen gardens,” said Father D’Souza.

Father Malcolm Sequeira, Vicar General of the Diocese, said this is a first such initiative and will reach out to as many as 80,000 Catholics.

According to Father D’Souza, the parish calendar will also highlight themes of ‘go green’ apart from conducting sessions on environmental care. The parish’s team will also organise an eco-friendly tour to Ahmednagar while the development cell will educate women on the importance of promoting kitchen gardens.

 
SOURCE : http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/get-ready-to-meet-a-green-santa-this-eco-friendly-christmas/
 


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