The Climate Crisis necessitates urgent high-level international, national and local political and business decisions to reduce carbon emissions across all countries and communities: our own parish, school and diocese included – but our Catholic bishops also remind us of what we can achieve right now as individuals by simple, personal choices, actions and undertakings.
One such choice is returning to the Catholic tradition of ‘Friday Abstinence’. The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) urges all Catholics to refresh or return to weekly observance of refraining from eating meat on Fridays. A recent study at Cambridge University published research suggesting that this penitential act can address the environmental impact of meat production by lessening carbon emissions by 55,000 tonnes each year. This is equivalent to 82,000 people taking return flights to New York from London.
Combining care for creation and acting in solidarity with those who face hunger and poverty every day, can be just ‘one small step’ for an individual or family, which, when replicated across the world, could help accelerate towards the ‘giant leap’ in saving the earth, whilst dedicating to God the pressing need for us all to live more simply.
The CBCEW also commends CAFOD’s LiveSimply Award as a response to Pope Francis’ invitation in Laudato Si’ to ‘work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us’. The bishops encourage all schools and parishes to consider signing up to this award as a sign of their solidarity with the poor and their desire to live in harmony with God’s creation.
Across the Church many schools and parishes already have similar projects to encourage sustainability. In our own Diocese of Leeds, ways in which parishes and schools have gained CAFOD ‘LiveSimply’ Awards or responding in practical ways to the ‘Cry of the Earth and of the People’ include going ‘plastic free’, or creating allotments, spaces for wildlife and prayer gardens.
St Joseph’s Primary School (Wetherby) was the first school to report gaining a CAFOD LiveSimply Award in 2020 – and amongst other schools teaching the young about Living Laudato Si’ are:
Christ the King Primary School (Bramley); Holy Family Primary (Armley); St Joseph’s Primary School (Hunslet); St Patrick’s Primary School (Leeds; and St Joseph’s Primary School (Barnoldswick).
Amongst our parishes CAFOD has acknowledged for ‘Walking for Hunger’ and ‘LivingSimply’ are: St Benedict’s (Garforth); Our Lady of Kirkstall (Leeds); SS John Fisher & Thomas More (Burley in Wharfedale); St Joseph’s (Pontefract); and St Mary and St Michael Parish (Settle), the story of which is worth re-publishing here as an inspiration of how good stewardship, sustainability and simplicity go hand in hand to create a lasting legacy.
(With thanks to Paul Crossley and Paul Kelly for the text and photographs and congratulations on the CAFOD LiveSimply Award which the parish gained in 2021.)
A lasting legacy – energy saving at SS Mary & Michael, Settle, North Yorkshire.
By 2006 it was clear repairs were badly needed to the 1962 built church hall because of deterioration and settlement of the structure from age and its location on sloping ground. Along with the cracks in the wall, the roof was leaking, the toilets at the rear of the church hall were in poor condition and down steep steps, and many of the single glazed windows were rotting. The draughty hall was very high from floor to ceiling, the floor being some 400mm drop from the attached Chapel floor. The only heating were infrared overhead bars.
Plans were drawn for refurbishment, initially involving a re-ordering of the church to take over the hall space but later modified to retain the hall as a parish and community facility. Although the Catholic Church in England had engaged very little publicly with the climate crisis at that time the project leaders saw from the outset an opportunity to improve energy efficiency, prioritising lowering of the ceiling, insulating the roof and double glazing the windows. But then God had bigger plans!
As the repairs and insulation progressed the parish received a completely unexpected legacy from a long-standing annual visitor to the area. A man whose own life epitomised simple living and without family who split his estate between his home parish, ours and other Catholic charities. Despite his intense humility and modesty we think he would be delighted his provision, complementing the growing awareness and influence of Laudato Si’, encouraged the parish to embrace the LiveSimply award and greatly extend the measures we could take.
In the church hall we were able to raise the floor throughout to match the chapel, insulating it as we went. The heat-losing cracked blockwork/brick walls could be heavily insulated using external cladding and now look smart with acrylic flexible render. The whole roof was refurbished and a south-facing 3.6Kw solar panel installation contributes electricity to the local grid – so far 11,500KWh since 2018 – and, easily seen from the road, is a visible sign of our commitment to energy efficiency.
With a new energy-efficient boiler and separate thermostatic controls for chapel and hall, low energy lighting (that switches off in some areas if no-one is present) together with redecoration, refurbishment of the kitchen and toilet areas and a loop sound system the hall is now fantastic for parish events and hiring for use by the local community. It is wonderful to share such a welcome and welcoming facility in our rural small market town; it is toasty warm in winter at modest cost to the environment. Another part of our LiveSimply award has involved the development of a group of volunteers for Community Sponsorship of a refugee family from the conflict in Syria; they have been in Settle two years now. The improved hall is the perfect place for organising group training, public meetings and welcoming events.
And then there was money left over! As we held Laudato Si’ services and arranged talks to become familiar with Church teaching it soon became clear an energy makeover for the church itself would be a fitting use of the remainder. An investment in the future, not only of the parish but a contribution towards caring for our common home. Of more modern construction we were able to internally insulate the walls with cladding and insulate the church roof by installing a lowered ceiling and replace the old floor with new, easy to maintain hard wearing flooring. A glazed folding hardwood screen was also installed to allow the church to open up into the hall to cater for larger congregations. We were also able to install dimmable recessed very low energy lighting, seal off a draughty porch (now refashioned into a light, fully glazed mini side chapel) and add a new glazed entrance porch both improve both restricted mobility access and provide an additional barrier to unwanted heat loss from the body of the church.
This year we feel so encouraged to hear the Bishops speaking from the heart, asking politicians for a new global understanding of our world and our common responsibility but also about the need for local concern and action which they point out may have far-reaching consequences (CBCEW Pastoral Letter for Pentecost 2021). We feel we are showing we can play our part as a Catholic community in our choices and everyday decisions. The legacy is all used now but we are certain we are building our own legacy of concern for God’s Creation. Already parishioners are looking at how we can alter the car park by replacing hard-packed stone that causes bad water run off with a plastic grid (recycled of course) planted with grass that encourages rain to replenish the ground. We intend to adapt lawn to wildflower meadow to encourage pollinators, and will continue holding ecumenical services for care of creation, and blessings of animals. All the time sharing our hopes, experiences and prayers with nearby churches who also are ‘greening’. The Methodist church not 100yds from us has an Eco-congregation Award. It’s not a competition; together we can joyfully share the Gospel values that stewardship of the Lord’s creation is the essence of Christian responsibility.
