Rome (Italy). On 7 April 2024, 15 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Temporary Professed of the Preprovince Mary Mother of the Church (RMC) and two of Mary Help of Christians community of the Generalate (RCG) met for their formative meeting on the theme: “Care of the common home. Experiences and concrete choices in the light of Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum”. The meeting was held in Rome at the General Curia of the Comboni Missionaries where the community, on the occasion of Laudato Si’ Week 2020, decided to create an educational path on the care of the common home, creating the Park Laudato Si’.
Account of the experience:
“In the morning, Comboni Brother Alberto Parise gave us a unique experience, guiding us through a path inside their Park Laudato Si’. It was an invitation to regenerate our relationship with God, nature, and the world. The six stations along the route offered us the opportunity to explore in an engaging and interactive way, the fundamental themes of Laudato Si’. In each station, the route proposed: an awareness of reality; a sensory experience of awareness and connection with our common home; a brief reflection of deepening; an invitation to action with a proposal for collective and individual commitment.
In the first station, ‘Everything is connected’, we contemplated the deep interconnectedness between humans and nature. Through moments of silence and listening to the sounds of nature, we realized that we belong to a large interconnected ecosystem.
Next, we faced the challenge of climate change and the socio-environmental crisis, at Station 2: ‘Integral Ecology’. Here, Wind perception and sun radiation reminded us of the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking concrete action to protect the environment.
Station 3: ‘Lifestyles’ prompted us to examine our ecological impact and to commit ourselves to changing our habits, to live more sustainably. Through an ecological footprint test and reflections on our eating habits and waste management, we understood the importance of changing our daily behavior.
Station 4: ‘The earth feeds us’ confronted us with the problem of desertification and inspired us to promote sustainable agricultural practices to preserve the land that feeds us.
We then explored the importance of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover’ at Station 5: ‘Beyond Waste’. We understood better our responsibility to reduce waste and adopt accurate and consistent differentiated collection.
Finally, at Station 6: ‘Ecology and Mission’, we reflected on the integration of ecology into our mission of life, understanding that caring for the environment is a call to mission and evangelization.
At the end of this journey, we lived a spiritual experience led by Br. Alberto. We were invited to walk together in silence, a labyrinth as a metaphor of our journey towards a single goal that is God.
In the afternoon, after the fraternal agape, we lived a moment of joy playing ball and contemplating the green of the beautiful park.
Next, we saw a short video about Laudate Deum and the documentary film ‘The Letter’. The final sharing of our impressions increased our awareness and our responsibility towards the world we live in.
This experience deeply touched us, made us more aware of the interconnectedness between human beings and nature, our impact on the environment, and the responsibility we have to promote sustainability.
We are grateful to God for His creatures and we thank our leaders, the Superior of Preprovince, Sister Jessica Salvana, and the Vicar, Sister Anna Trotti, as well as our Animators, for the commitment and organization of this precious experience. Our gratitude also goes to the Comboni Missionaries who hosted us”.
Grazie mille. Infatti era davvero una bellissima giornata di laudato Si 🌿