Zambia: Young people in Livingstone Diocese celebrate season of creation

Vatican News English Africa Service – Vatican City

Livingstone Diocese Youth Chaplain, Fr. Bruno Hamukali has commended young people of the Diocese who came together from the various parishes for a Day of Reflection to celebrate the “Season of Creation.” The young people organised the day as a way to respond to the call of the Holy Father, Pope Francis based on the encyclical, Laudato sì. The idea was to encourage young people to discover the importance of implementing the core values of Laudato sì.

Laudato sì speaks to what happens in our Diocese

The young people themselves led the reflections, sharing and presentations. Innocent Malambo of Livingstone’s Our Lady of Angels Parish and Bupe Chongo of St Peter’s Parish -Airport, made the key presentations.

Innocent’s presentation focused on the contents of Laudato sì. He summarised and highlighted significant sections of the encyclical and demonstrated how the message was just as relevant to what happens in the area. It was not entirely an alien message. He encouraged his fellow young people to come up with ways through which they could reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

Do not forget to pray for the earth

For her part, Bupe Chongo addressed the specific issues of the “Season of Creation.” The earth, emphasised Bupe, was our Common Home. As young people, they should not shy away from presenting ideas on how to manage waste disposal which was a growing problem in the Livingstone area. At the end of it all, young people, said Bupe, should not forget to turn to prayer. Praying and sharing the encyclical, Laudato sì, was just as important as practical action.

Later during the Mass, Fr. Hamukali, challenged the young people, of the diocese, to resolve to do better in repairing the harm done to mother earth. He appealed to all young people to take personal responsibility and ‘care for our common home’ -planet earth.

Clean your surroundings; plant flowers

“We need to deliberately develop a culture needed to confront the negative and indifferent attitude exhibited towards the destruction of our planet,” he said. Father Bruno further appealed to the youth to live by good example. “To start with, begin by caring for the surroundings of your homes. Clean your surroundings, plant flowers, dispose of garbage in designated places, start a garden. Do small practical things,” said the Diocesan Chaplain.

Trees to be planted in respective parishes

As the day came to an end, the young people engaged in the ceremony of planting trees around the parish. They shared and distributed more trees to other young people for them to plant at their respective parishes.