May/ Bealtaine….Summer is here…Alleluia.
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today.
Beltane-May Day Festival, cross quarter day, halfway between between Spring Equinox & Summer Solstice. Celebrated for thousands of years as the point of fertility and beauty of the flowering earth. For Catholics it’s the month to celebrate Mary, Queen of the May and also the first reception of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
#NoMowMay is an annual campaign asking everyone to put away the lawnmower during the month of May to help our native wildlife.
Native Irish wildflowers like Dandelions, Clover, and Birds-foot trefoil provide the best source of pollen and nectar for our hungry wild pollinators. By mowing less, we can give them a chance to appear naturally – no seeds needed!
This year, the National Biodiversity Data Centre are delighted to partner with An Post to invite everyone to join the buzz to save the bees. Keep an eye out in your letterbox for a recyclable No Mow May postcard, which will be posted to 2.3 million Irish homes in the coming weeks.
1 May/Bealtaine
St. Joseph the Worker
‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart’ Col. 3:23
Action: Think of some ways to support those unemployed in your own locality and parish community.
5 May/Bealtaine
Dawn Chorus on RTE from midnight on Sat 4 to 7am on RTE1
Action: Make sure your window is open on Saturday night. Visit your garden in your dressing gown in the early hours! Stay under the duvet and turn on your radio! Give thanks for the gift of your hearing and the chorus of birdsong!
8 May/ Bealtaine
Julian of Norwich (14th Century mystic)
“You will see yourself that every kind of thing will be well”
Action: Allow Julian’s writings to inspire you and help you to grow in trust and compassion.
11 May/Bealtaine Sunrise
“Darkness into Light”
Darkness Into Light 2023, proudly supported by Electric Ireland, will take place at sunrise on the morning of 6th May.
No matter how you choose to take part this year, you’ll be giving the gift of hope to those in your community in suicidal crisis, or self-harming.
Action: Take part or consider donating online and support with your prayer.
16 May/Bealtaine
Feast of St. Brendan- Patron of the Diocese of Kerry
‘Give us the courage and commitment of Brendan to navigate our voyage through life’ (Millennium Prayer)
Action: Pray for all who work at sea around our island home.
9-11 May /Bealtaine
Rogation Days-the days leading up to Ascension. Rogation means petition or supplication.
The time to ask God’s blessing on your animals, fields, garden, allotment, tractor and farming machinery.
Action: Look for help and support to start growing some of your own food, no matter how little, in a window box, allotment, raised bed etc. Share extra seeds, skills and support. Visit local allotments or community gardens in Tralee, Miltown/Castlemaine, Killarney, Kilcummin…
12 May/Bealtaine
Ascension of the Lord
“While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven” Luke 24:50 “Why do you stand here looking up at the skies” Acts 1:11
Action: Offer a helping hand to someone this week –a friend, a neighbour, an organisation in need of volunteers and pray for all volunteers and others working in our communities .
18-26 May/Bealtaine Biodiversity Week.
Explore the rich variety of life in Ireland with a host of wonderful events and activities for the whole …watch out for events near you and take part.
‘other living beings have a value of their own in God’s eyes: by their very existence they bless him and give him glory’ Laudato Si’ 69
Action: Get out and about and see, smell and taste the biodiversity all around…and give thanks. Consider what you can do in your own garden or your parish garden! Can you leave an area for biodiversity, add in some native plants, mow less often, leave a log pile in the corner, build a tiny pond…Become an ARK, a haven for wildlife, like in St John’s Tralee. Start small and involve others.
and
19- 26 May/Bealtaine Laudato Si’ Week (9 th Anniversary of its publication)
Theme: Seeds of Hope
Action: Consider how you will mark this week. Share seeds;gift others with seeds you have from your garden or locally. Be ‘a seed of hope’ in all your actions.
Watch ‘The Letter’, film documentary on climate change with Pope Francis
Listen to the Call of Pope Francis: in both this film or his original letter/encyclical.
Read a paragraph of Laudato Si’ eg Paragraph 1 “Our Common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.”
Action: Pause and look, smell and listen and give thanks for the gift of God’s creation..have you seen the swallows or heard the cuckoo? Look for the hawthorn blossom and the buttercups and so much more./
22 May: The UN has proclaimed 22 May the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Action: Get out and about and see, smell and taste the biodiversity all around…and give thanks.
Consider what you can do in your own garden or your parish garden!
Can you leave an area for biodiversity, add in some native plants, mow less often, leave a log pile in the corner, build a tiny pond…?
Become an ARK, a haven for wildlife, like in St John’s, Tralee. Start small and involve others. Now the Irish bishops have asked parishes to set aside 30% of parish grounds for biodiversity by 2030. Why not help this to happen!
19 May/Bealtaine
Pentecost An Chincís
‘He breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit’ John 20.22
Action: Let the Spirit of God fall afresh on you and fuel your desire for justice.
23 May/Bealtaine
Diocesan Gathering in Killarney @7.30pm Pastoral Centre, Rock Road.
Parish Reps are warmly invited to a evening to present resources for parishes wanting to take steps towards supporting biodiversity in Parish gardens.
SAVE THE DATE
- National Holy Wells Day: Sunday 18 June This will focus on how we treasure the gift of water
It invites us to: 1) to become aware of how precious water is and 2) to visit a local Holy Well and pray for the protection of water and 3) to plan with others how you can protect the water in your area.
“We are all involved in the construction of a better world” Pope Francis