Make It Happen
Three Weeks Before Lent
- At least three weeks in advance of Lent, gather your volunteers to begin planning.
- Pick a date, time, and location for your “Greening Lent Kickoff” during the week around Ash Wednesday and also select the dates for your green activities if they will be group events. You can plan as many activities as you want during Lent. Here’s a list of suggestions:
- Recycling/Composting — This one is easy. Find out the recycling/composting ins-and-outs of your neighborhood and do one of two things. 1. Give young adults information on what/how to recycle/compost and ask them to commit to a recycling/composting challenge during Lent. 2. Set up a recycling and/or composting drop-off center at your parish during Lent and invite young adults to bring recyclables and food scraps there for collection.
- Parish or Neighborhood Clean-up — Set a day and time at your parish and in the neighborhood to pick up litter, pull weeds, add mulch to flower beds, and even start planting new spring flowers! Provide garbage bags, fluorescent vests, gloves, and other supplies.
- Swap Party — Keeping things out of our landfills is an important part of caring for the environment. Host a swap party where young adults bring gently used items to swap. This can be anything from clothing to books to picture frames to kitchen items. This is a good time of year to think about “spring cleaning” and instead of throwing things in the trash, give them a second life! Provide snacks at the event and plan to gather up any un-swapped items for donation at a local thrift store.
- Nature Walk — Plan a hike or walk in a local nature preserve. If someone in your young adult group or parish has a particular interest or knowledge of the area (think: avid bird watcher, outdoorsy type), ask him or her to be your guide.
- Advocacy Day — What are the key environmental issues in your local community or state? Invite someone from a local water or land protection agency to come to talk with your group about some of the ways they advocate on behalf of the environment and people living in harm’s way when it comes to environmental abuse and degradation. You should talk to your guest about ways your group can stay informed and get more involved (e.g., writing letters to government representatives, reading specific resources, etc.).
- Cook Fresh, Cook Local — Host a cooking class at your parish or in someone’s home that uses local, seasonal ingredients to prepare several dishes. Share recipes and a meal!
- Visit a CSA — Make a trip to your local community supported agriculture farm for a tour.
This is not an exhaustive list of ideas, but something to get you started. Plan an event for each week or Lent or three of four spread out over time. The number of activities is up to you!
Greening Lent Kickoff Event
- Start with a short time of fellowship and refreshments. Ask everyone present to sign-in (name and e-mail), so you can contact them about future events.
- Welcome everyone to the event and say a prayer: Creator God, we come to you for help in being mindful of creation and others. This Lent, we hope to connect with the spiritual importance of caring for your creation and learning more about the environment. We ask that our efforts may remind us that you have touched everything in the natural world — your beauty surrounds us! May we be nourished by these activities and do everything in our lives to glorify you. Amen.
- Remind everyone about the pope’s recent encyclical, Laudato Si (download here or purchase here), which means “Praise be to you.” In it, Pope Francis talks about the importance of recognizing God’s creation as holy and our role in caring for creation and those most affected by environmental threats such as climate change (the poor). The pope’s call to action is the motivation behind these “Greening Lent” activities.
- You might briefly discuss people’s reaction to the pope’s call to care for creation. You could ask questions like:
- What does nature teach us about God?
- If you’ve read the encyclical, or parts of it, what important messages stand out to you?
- In what ways do you think our parish can answer the pope’s call to care for creation?
- Share the schedule for your green activities during Lent. Answer any questions, and if it’s helpful, ask people to sign-up for the green activities they’d like to participate in. They could always sign-up later, too, but this gives you an initial headcount.
- Close your time together by praying this prayer from Laudato Si:
A Christian prayer in union with creation Father, we praise you with all your creatures. They came forth from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.
Praise be to you!
Son of God, Jesus, through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother, you became part of this earth, and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!
Holy Spirit, by your light you guide this world towards the Father’s love and accompany creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!
Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined to everything that is.
God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth, for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you! Amen.
Ideas
- Invite the larger parish to participate in some of your “green activities” (e.g., Parish/Neighborhood Clean-Up, Nature Walk).
- If there are a lot of young families in your parish, designate one or more of these events for “young families” and either provide childcare or make the event family friendly with activities for children.
