An Irish virtual calendar for an authentic advent

London, England, Oct 17, 2018 / 12:34 pm (CNA).- A Catholic school in London has turned its horticulture lessons into meals for the homeless.

St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in northwest London educates nearly 1000 children, aged 11-18. Many of the students volunteer for social and environmental work.

This year, horticulture students grew pumpkins from seed in the summer term and harvested their fruit in early October. The pupils used the pumpkins, along with thyme from their garden, to make soup. They sent that soup to London’s Ealing Abbey Soup Kitchen, an ecumenical initiative of service for the city’s homeless population.

Ealing Abbey Soup Kitchen has been serving people in need since 1973. The pumpkin-thyme soup provided more than 150 portions.

“I’m really proud of our pupils for sharing the fruits of their labours with those in our community who will benefit the most,” the school’s headteacher, Andrew Prindiville told the UK’s Independent Catholic News website.

The students of St Gregory’s have also been recently involved with environmental projects, among them helping to clean nearby Woodcock Park. Wealdstone Brook, which runs through the park, has had a problem with misconnected water lines dumping waste into the water from some 140 nearby homes.

Thames Water and Friends of Woodcock Park, who worked alongside the students, have been flushing dirty water away from the brook for the past five years. Receiving $1,300 worth of donated flowers, shrubs, and bulbs, the students and other community volunteers were able to revitalize the landscape.

Earlier this year, St Gregory’s Catholic Science College won the Horticultural Society’s School Gardening Team of the year award. The school has also been awarded the Eco Schools Green Flag Award for its commitment to the environment as seen in its curriculum.

The school was nominated for the 2018 Sustainable Schools TES AWARD. Headteacher Andy Prindiville said consideration for that award was an incredible honor.

“This is a wonderful accolade for St Gregory’s as we are one of only eight schools to have been shortlisted and is the result of the hard work and dedication of the staff, governors, local community and pupils of St Gregory’s,” said Prindiville, the Harrow Times reported.

[…]

Santa Rita Parish in Milan, Italy, September 2017. / Credit: Béatitudes Community

Paris, France, Oct 1, 2023 / 04:00 am (CNA).
For more than 30 years, the Community of the Beatitudes has been hosting “rose petals” evenings dedicated to the Fren… […]

Mainz, Germany, Mar 7, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- The new president of the German bishops’ conference has emphasized his support for the ongoing synodal process of German bishops and laity, and for a paper supporting intercommunion with Lutherans.

Speaking at the closing of the plenary assembly of the German bishops in Mainz on Thursday, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg also affirmed he is following in “the big footsteps” of Cardinal Reinhard Marx in continuing along the “synodal path” currently underway in Germany.

Bätzing described as having gotten off to a “good start”, despite strong criticism about the first synodal assembly in January from a number of attending bishops.

Bishop Bätzing also claimed Pope Francis supported the controversial process, stating the “synodal way” was “in line” with  and exactly what the Holy Father wanted.

Pope Francis has issued a cautionary personal letter to all German Catholics on the matter, and the Vatican has repeatedly intervened, raising a number of concerns about the process.

Asserting that ecumenism is “on the right track” in Germany, Bätzing reiterated his support for a document titled “Together at the Lord’s Table” by the ecumenical working group of Lutheran and Catholic theologians (ÖAK) in Germany, a body chaired by himself and the Protestant bishop Martin Hein.

The document promotes non-Catholics receiving the Eucharist at Catholic Mass. Bätzing also suggested in future, Christians of any denomination should simply decide on their own, individual accord if – and when to receive the Body of Christ.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has dismissed the document, saying it was based on an “assumption” he could not share, “namely, that the Catholic Eucharistic celebration and the Protestant last supper are identical.” Koch also pointed out that there were several further “open questions” that needed clarifying.

This year’s spring plenary assembly of the German bishops’ conference also saw the announcement that the bishops had reached an agreement about compensation payments for victims of clerical sexual abuse.

A version of this story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

[…]