Chaplaincy thoughts for the week: 28 June

On Wednesday 26 June we were delighted to welcome Bishop Bosco to St Gregory’s for the blessing of our rain garden and to give him an opportunity to visit our school for the first time. The weather could not have been more apt for a service that spoke of the importance of nature and power that our own cultural changes associated with the environment can make. All of Year 9, who were instrumental in the formation of the garden as part of the SUDS project twelve months ago, basked in the sun as we were led in prayer by Bishop Bosco. Some of our new Year 10 Prefects guided us in a reflection entitled ‘Pope Francis’ call to action on the environment’ highlighting the importance our Holy Father continues to place upon our common home as demonstrated with his updated document, Laudate Deum.

One of our new prefects, Lydia, read the following sections from Psalm 103 (104):

Bless the Lord, my soul!

O Lord, my God, how great you are!

You are clothed with majesty and glory;

wrapped in light as in a robe!

You have set the earth firmly on its foundations,

and it will never be moved.

You placed the ocean over it like a robe,

and the water covered the mountains.

You make springs flow in the valleys,

and rivers run between the hills.

They provide water for the wild animals;

there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

In the trees near by, the birds make their nests and sing.

From the sky you send rain on the hills,

and the earth is filled with your blessings.

Bishop Bosco shared with our young people and staff the image of two gardens that appear in the Bible: Eden and Gethsemane. In the garden of Eden we see God and humanity begin in harmony with creation at the centre, whilst in the garden of Gethsemane the divine and humanity struggle and are challenged. The two images are a reminder of what Pope Francis keeps reiterating, the way humanity and our world are interconnected. We are incredibly grateful for the Bishop’s kindness, words and time; may the eagerness of caring for our common home continue to spring up and be watered in the hearts of our students, in the same way that the rain garden has done so in the last year.

Mr Robinson

Lay Chaplain