As we mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical, “
Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” Holy Infant is making strides of its own in caring for the environment on our campus and beyond.
Our environment committee, formed late last year, investigates and makes recommendations for our Parish facilities to ensure environmentally responsible use of our land and buildings.
One such effort is the hosting of a beehive in the Holy Infant Food Justice Garden in mid-April. The hive idea was born of a casual conversation Father Robert had with a parishioner who explained the apiary set up in her neighborhood from
Buddha Bee Apiary. Father Robert asked the garden ministry and the environment committee if they were interested in pursuing an apiary at the parish.
Holy Infant’s Environment Committee and the gardeners realized that a beehive would increase the productivity of the garden and enhance the ecological environment surrounding the parish.
So how do bees enhance the environment around our campus? In their search for nectar to feed the bee colony, bees excel at pollinating vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other plants. About 80 percent of crops in the U.S. are said to be dependent on honey bees. The health of bee colonies currently is at serious risk due to pesticide use, climate change, habitat destruction and mites.
Other efforts afoot
Holy Infant is also committed to caring for our environment as we build our new church, chapel and columbarium. That’s why the building plans include features that enhance and protect the environment, including planting trees and shrubs, installing a stormwater management system, and using high-efficiency windows, doors, insulation and HVAC systems and renewable wood frame roof-ceiling construction to reduce its carbon footprint. For more information on these efforts, see our
fact sheet.
The church also donates to groups that care for our creation, such as
Student Action with Farmworkers, which works with farmworkers, students and advocates to create a more just agricultural system.
"The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor" cannot continue to go unheeded, the pope said in March as he designated May 16 – 24 as a week to mark the anniversary. "Let's take care of creation, a gift of God, our good creator."