Living Simply – Care for the Earth, Care for the Poor

From the first page of the Bible right through to the most recent inspiration from Pope Francis, human beings are called to be “Stewards of Creation.” In 2015 Pope Francis wrote an Encyclical – a letter to the world – called “Laudato Si’.” This means “Praise be to God” and it is the first line of a prayer of St Francis of Assisi, the Canticle of Creation, where he names the sun as “brother” and the earth as “sister.” All of creation is Divine, all of creation is inter-related.

Listen and respond, says Pope Francis, to “the cry of the earth, the cry of the poor.” You can read or download the full letter here – it is well worth taking time with it.

As a parish we have done our very best to live this part of our faith, over many years. The pictures at the top of the page tell just part of the amazing story. Below you can read more about what we have done – and hopefully this inspires you to think about what you could do, as an individual or a family. If ever you want to know more about the parish Live Simply group, make any suggestions, or share a great resource you have discovered, please just get in touch with Sandra or Gill via the parish office. Everyone is warmly welcome to be involved!

Something that we can all do is pray. There are some wonderful ideas to get you started from Cafod:

Led by Caritas Diocese of Brentwood, and with the warm encouragement of Bishop Alan and Diocesan Trustees, our Diocese has created and developed superb resources for parishes, schools and individuals, along with significant Diocesan policy on such things as ethical investment. Discover our Bishop’s words, Diocesan commitments and many resources here.

Some of what we have done in Romford is listed here – we hope it inspires you! Many of these things can be done as a family or individual:

  • We have planted bee and butterfly friendly plants wherever we can, and we have let half of the presbytery garden go wild, to help sustain wildlife and biodiversity.
  • We have a long-established (from autumn 2020) Food Bank Donation Point within the church, taking donations every week to S.M.I.L.E. (https://www.smilelondonessex.com/) – it is the local charity supporting hundreds of families in Havering and beyond. For more information about Food Banks, hunger and poverty in the UK, go to the Trussell Trust website: https://www.trusselltrust.org/
  • As part of the building project we relocated cycle racks originally installed in 2021 to a new spot in front of the church, with a covering, and encouraged people to cycle and walk to church, rather than driving, if at all possible.
  • Within the major parish building works of 2023-2024 there was great attentiveness to the environment; solar panels are fitted to the roof of the parish centre, which is immensely well insulated and uses air source heat pumps.
  • The Confirmation group do a service day as part of their programme; in 2023 they helped clear litter in Raphael’s Park, and helped clean and tidy the S.M.I.L.E. charity shop; in 2024 they helped at St Peter’s school to clear, clean and re-design the prayer garden. It is now a lovely, natural and beautiful space for the children.
  • There are regular parish walks to reflect on God’s creation in different seasons, making use of the wonderful local parks – Havering is second only to Richmond as a London Borough with a wonderful amount of green space. In the photos above you will spot Raphael’s Park – a lovely place for family walks. Bedford Park – about three miles away – even has a herd of deer!
  • Since 2020 we have been accredited as a Fair Trade parish, using products recognised by the Fair Trade Foundation as being ethically sourced, and where those working on them are paid a Real Living Wage. This includes such things as the chocolates given to our Altar Servers and young children at Christmas and Easter as well as tea, coffee, sugar, juice, biscuits and wine for parish refreshments and socials. We also use Fair Trade wine for Communion. More details at https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
  • In the new parish centre the toilets were twinned, to assist those without access to basic sanitation across the world. See www.toilettwinning.org
  • Parishioners are regularly encouraged to take both prayerful and practical action. This has included petitioning Asda to use less plastic; joining the RSPB Great Big Bird Watch; calculating personal carbon footprints; and highlighting the Season of Creation.

During 2023 we began the formal process of applying for the Cafod LiveSimply Award – more details at https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign/Livesimply-award. We have passed the first stage of the accreditation process and a dedicated group of parishioners are working on the final steps.

To Live Simply includes actions that we can all do – small changes, that gradually make a big difference:

  • Pray grace before eating any food or drink, as a reminder that it is all a gift from God
  • Take a water bottle when you go out, to avoid buying a single use plastic bottle – saving money, and helping to save precious resources
  • Turn the tap off while you are brushing your teeth / shaving – save water
  • We welcome suggestions – simple, practical, and cost-free – and will feature them in the newsletter.

We will continue to do all we can to “listen and respond to the cry of the earth, the cry of the poor” as part of what it means to live our faith, and serve our community. We will also use ideas from the Diocese of Brentwood Laudato Si’ Invitations, Commitments and Actions to continue to develop this vital part of parish life.