Small actions, big change for Lent

Ash Wednesday, 22 February 2024, marks the first day in the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice’s new calendar specially produced for Jesuits, colleagues, and friends this Lent. The calendar is a way of marking our commitment to ecological care, according to Dr Ciara Murphy, JCFJ’s Environmental Policy Advocate.

One of the daily suggestions on the lenten calendar is to attend a workshop on climate care. One option is the Climate Collage Workshops in Dublin, run by Ciara, on the 9, 22, and 29 March. These are half-day events where participants are led through a series of questions, in groups, that will help to explain the exact nature of our carbon footprint and how it can be altered.

To register your interest in the workshop or if you have any questions, email [email protected]

The Lenten Ecology Calendar has some simple ideas to help people reduce their carbon footprint and lessen their impact on planet earth. 

“The calendar includes some highlighted dates with suggestions for small positive changes we can make to our daily routine, to become more environmentally friendly. Examples include walking or taking the bus instead of driving to work, not buying any single-use plastic, or having a day where we don’t eat meat,” says Ciara. 

Printed copies of the calendar have been sent to all Jesuit works and communities, and the JCFJ also has a digital copy available to download here »

Climate Collage Workshops

Regarding the Climate Collage workshops, Ciara says that most dates marked on the calendar are just suggestions – “Any day where we make a change to lessen our footprint is the ‘right’ day,” she says, urging people in particular to attend the climate workshops.

Small changes add up

She is also urging people not to dismiss any action, no matter how minor, that can be taken to help care for the earth. “If you think that the changes you make might be too small to matter, just remember that every action makes a little impact but taken together, these small actions can amount to momentous change.”