On 1st October a one day conference was held in Torquay (sponsored by CAFOD and Caritas) The purpose was to revive awareness and implementation of the livesimply initiative in our schools and parishes. The event brought together some great speakers including Marie-Elena Arana (Live Simply Award Co-ordinator); Fr Jonathan Stewart (Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Exeter) whom many will remember from his Truro days; Rt Rev. Dom David Charlesworth,(Abbot of Buckfast); and Nicola Slack (Head of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Buckfast).
We were shown how livesimply can be a practical and systematic way for the parish as a community to embody & implement the principles of Laudato Si (and Fratelli Tutti), and can enable us to truly become Guardians of Creation. The examples of how parishes and schools as well as Buckfast Abbey have met the Live Simply challenge is truly inspirational.
Nicola Slack’s presentation is here
and Fr Jonathan’s is here
After being in abeyance for 5 years now, three simple and clear steps are all it takes for us to get up and running again, but Fr Jonathan reflected on the importance of vision and leadership to the success of their parish efforts. He also emphasised the need to sustain parish initiatives in the longer term – that gaining the livesimply parish award is recognition of a start, not an end, to living simply as a parish
THE PORTICO Newsletter 