Parish of Glenfarne, Co. Leitrim –

On returning 30% of Church Grounds to Nature –

At its Spring meeting in March 2023, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference agreed to return 30% of church grounds to nature by 2030.  There pledge is in response to the biodiversity crisis that our world is experiencing, the call of Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common Home and the agreeements made at the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP15).   Bishop Martin Hayes is the Episcopal Coordinator for Laudato Si.

Parishes have been asked to protect and care for biodiversity and to expand circles of solidarity so that it can be enjoyed by the whole community.

Members of the Kilmore Care of Creation Group, Patricia Keenan and Barry Kavanagh visited Glenfarne Parish and met with Fr. Oliver Kelly and Carmel McTernan on Saturday 21 June to carry out a biodiversity assessment of church grounds at both St. Mary’s Church and St. Michael’s Church.  “We were so pleased to see that St. Mary’s Church are meeting their 30×30 biodiversity objectives with an extensive area of land left untouched with the exception of mowing once/twice yearly.”  Barry and Patricia have identified over 30 different species of wildflowers in the wildflower meadow, some of which are rare. 

“There was an abundance of life present in the form of 100% native Irish wildflowers, sphagnum moss and a rare orchid to insects (butterflies, grasshoppers, ladybirds, wasps, bees, ants and much more to a variety of birds, all happily singing and feeding.  It was lovely to witness what Pope Francis refers to in his Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ as the connectedness and interconnectedness of biodiversity, where he said that all creatures have an independent value in and of themselves, that they play an important role in the web of live and that we as humans have a duty of care to be protectors of nature in all its forms.” 

Over the coming weeks, Patricia and Barry will forward a detailed written report to Glenfarne Parish which will contain a number of biodiversity actions that they can implement on their church grounds. 

At present, the parish of Glenfarne has a very small team of members in their Care of Creation Group and are looking for local volunteers who have an interest in caring for nature and the environment.  Please contact Carmel McTernan at [email protected] for further details on how you can get involved. 

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some beautiful images taken in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in Glenfarne: