Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) Sister Mary Soh says that the local Church should do more to raise Catholics’ awareness of the need to care for their environment.

“We are God’s stewards, and so must care for creation,” she told a candlelight prayer vigil held to coincide with the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Sister Soh also highlighted the importance that Franciscans place on caring for the environment.

Saint Francis of Assisi, whose spirituality her congregation adopts, is patron saint of animals and ecology.

During the vigil, Sister Soh asked participants to reflect on their lifestyles as to whether they impact negatively on the environment.

Speaking to UCA News, she suggested ways that churches can use less air-conditioning while the drivers among the congregation could leave their cars at home instead of driving to church for Masses.

“But everyone wants convenience,” she said. Although the transportation system in Singapore is “great,” many people still prefer to drive, she said.

There is a need to promote an ethic of sufficiency, she added. “It’s more than recycling and reusing. We shouldn’t be over-consuming or over-eating.”

The vigil on Dec. 12, at the FMM House of Prayer and Formation, was one of several round the world — from Denmark and Australia to Nepal and Bangladesh — spearheaded by international organization 350.org.

The Singapore event attracted more than 100 participants. Everyone was asked to make a silent pledge to do something for Mother Earth, then light a candle to show their solidarity with the planet.

One young attendee, Francis Neo, 14, said that it is good to know that Church members are making a stand on climate change.

“To be honest, I think that the local Church has been silent on this issue. Tonight’s prayer vigil is the first related event I heard of,” Neo said. “Being Catholics means we have to take care of the Earth.”

For Maria Gian, who is in her 50s, the message that the Earth is in peril struck a chord with her. She said that she intends to cut down on her use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in her groceries shopping, and switch to a reusable grocery bag.

Source:  Nun leads prayer vigil for Mother Earth (UCAN)

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