On October 6, 2024, Our Lady of Hope Church, Candolim, under the aegis of the Diocesan Commission of Ecology (DCE), joined forces with the Village Panchayat of Candolim to host the 3rd edition of ‘The Season of Creation’, the event that typically marks the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, revered as ‘The Saint of Ecology’.
As a part of this event, the preceding week was observed as ‘The Week of Creation’, featuring various eco-friendly activities for all ages. The Eco Initiative started by Dr. Roshan Nazareth “12 at 12 for 12,” a home management solution to combat the spread of dengue encouraged the residents of the village to clean and decant containers outside their homes by spending 12 minutes at 12 o’clock for 12 weeks to clean their surroundings and dispose of stagnant water.
The event also featured several competitions including, a competition to decide the cleanest ward wherein community members came together to clean their respective wards, a poster making competition for catechism children to create posters on ‘Creation, Destruction, and Protection of the Environment’ and a wealth out of waste contest for the youth, aimed to promote environmental awareness and encourage community involvement. “It was very encouraging to see the youth take up the initiative and be creative in transforming waste materials into stunning pieces of art in the various competitions held”, Valucio Rodrigues, the youth DCE member and judge for the wealth out of waste competition, remarked.
Apart from this, 17 wards presented exhibits and prepared posters depicting medicinal plants and their traditional uses.
Throughout the event, parishes from the Calangute Deanery performed skits, dances and songs on ‘Creation and Destruction of Our Mother Earth’ that highlighted the importance of protecting Mother Earth and fostering a harmonious relationship with nature. The performances were both entertaining and thought-provoking, inspiring the audience to take action for environmental conservation. The venue was beautifully decorated with organic materials and traditional Goan motifs.
A captivating presentation “Candoiche Daiz” highlighting the rich heritage of the village was a focal point of the event. The presentation delved into the village’s history, traditions, culture, and unique characteristics.
Trailblazers in Art, Culture, Literature, and other fields from Candolim were honored for their pioneering contributions to the village’s development and their dedication in preserving the rich heritage of the village. The felicitation ceremony was a fitting gesture to the Season of Creation, which celebrated the interconnectedness of all life forms and the importance of environmental stewardship.
The work done by the Village Panchayat throughout the past year in reviving agriculture and cleaning the village waterbodies was highlighted in a video presentation. The Sarpanch of the Village Panchayat of Candolim, Mr. Blaise Fernandes later stated that, “We acknowledge the gesture of appreciation that the Diocesan Commission for Ecology extended, by felicitating the Village Panchayat of Candolim for the work we have done. We have done it under the supervision of the DCE who are the ones who have started such an initiative with us.” The Diocesan Commission for Ecology felicitated the Panchayat members for bringing under cultivation around 2,25000 Square meters of agricultural land left fallow for around 40 years facilitating 152 farmers to return to agriculture.
Rev. Fr. Bolmax Pereira, the Convenor of the DCE, also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the many participants and active parishioners and members of the Village Panchayat, “From the beginning, when we began to work with this Parish, it was in preparation for this day. I was extremely glad that we were able to collaborate not only with the Parish, but also with the Village Panchayat.” Deeply heartened by the support of the Hindu community of the village he added, “The first meeting with all the farmers and agriculture based officials actually took place in the Shatadurga temple.”
The parish team included all categories of people that contributed to the heritage of the village. A fruit basket as an eco prize, for the different competitions held, was very thoughtful” said Cyrus Fernandes, a parishioner of Candolim who designed a beautiful logo as an adaptation of the original for the theme for this year: ‘To Hope and Act with Creation’
“The Season of Creation celebration cannot be contained within a single day’s event and we will continue to hope and act with creation through plantation drives and e-waste collection drives” added the Parish Priest of the Candolim, Fr. Ryan Estebiero.
The DCE Convenor highlighted 2 models from Season of Creation 2024 to be presented to other parishes and regions, namely The collaborative work between Catholic Church , Hindu Temple and the Village Panchayat. The other one being the ’12 at 12 for 12′ sanitation initiative.
The event concluded with the vote of thanks, proposed by Yannah Marchon on behalf of the entire DCE team.
