In this article Sue Cooper shares her reflections from the Salesian Cooperators' retreat held on 27 March 2021.
The beginning of Spring was an excellent time to focus on “Care for Creation” which was the title of last Saturday’s Cooperators Retreat. As the buds begin to open on plants and trees and birds are busy building nests, Cooperators from places as diverse as Berkshire, London and Glasgow met on Zoom to pray, learn and discuss what they can do in response to Laudato Si.
In the morning, Macson from India told us about the Don Bosco Green Alliance which is exceeding their targets in empowering young people to take action for the environment throughout the world. He also informed us that accompanying the young towards a sustainable future was one of the Rector Major’s priorities following the latest Chapter.
In the afternoon, we met with two cooperators from Asia: Shinu from India and Thomas from South Korea, who shared with us how they have responded to Laudato Si through their study of the document, spreading the word and changing their lifestyles. Shinu enthusiastically demonstrated practical things in her home and Thomas shared with us his journey into the Catholic church through a Salesian presence at his university and has now been a cooperator for over 30 years.
There was much discussion about what we could do in response to Laudato Si: what can we do in our lives, how can we empower young people to take action and thoughts about the need to do something to highlight the climate conference in Glasgow in November.
All in all, it was a very worthwhile experience, especially meeting up with Cooperators and sharing experiences. I would look forward to meeting up with more Cooperators from across the world to share our common heritage and how we can live it out in our lives.
