Our Earth is the only planet with the continuity of life, so it becomes more and more important to generate a sense of urgency of saving our mother earth from all sorts of planet harming activities. Our mother earth needs to be saved as our survival depends completely on this planet. It is our responsibility to raise awareness about saving our mother earth. Laudato Si’ encyclical of Pope Francis encourages every human being on caring for our common home — planet earth. It calls for a dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet through our daily actions.
We the novices of Pallottine Missionary Sisters from the international Noviciate in Polisingisi, Arusha / Tanzania, by studying and reflecting the Laudato Si’ encyclical understood our responsibility of taking care of the mother earth to improve our well-being and create healthy surroundings to improve the quality of our life. Saving our earth and its environment becomes highly important as it provide us food and water to sustain life.
To create an eco-friendly environment in the campus of the novitiate, some months ago the novices with the guidance of Sr. Marie Claire Mukeshimana, General Councillor, and formators started a project to plant the trees and grow the vegetables. As a result, today we have lot of fresh vegetables, fruits, and greenery all around us.
The lesson we learn from this project is an eco-friendly garden takes time and commitment. But we are not discouraged. It’s just different, not difficult. The truth is if we are cultivating and growing our own vegetables and fruits, we are practicing sustainability and fighting climate change.
All praise and glory to God who created earth and heaven.
Novices of International Novitiate, Tanzania
Photos by Sr. Josephina D’Souza, SAC