As Pope Francis stated in the encyclical Laudato Si’: “The lack of concern for measuring the damage done to nature and the environmental impact of decisions is only the most visible reflection of a disinterest in recognizing the message that nature carries inscribed in its own structures… Everything is connected” (LS 117).
The island of Madagascar is constantly affected by natural disasters that cause numerous human casualties and alarming material damage. Protecting the environment is one way to reduce the negative impact of these natural phenomena. With this goal in mind, the Redemptorist Lay Associates (RLA) of the Malagasy capital began their reforestation campaign last Saturday, February 21. As planned during their meeting at the beginning of the year, the campaign began on farmland in Imerintsiatosika, belonging to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
As part of the Lenten pilgrimage, everyone walked for over an hour and a half to reach the reforestation site. From early morning until midday, more than 200 eucalyptus trees were planted. After lunch, the activities concluded with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Ursuline Sisters’ chapel.
A significant number of RLAs from Antanarivo, accompanied by the national chaplain of the RLAs of Madagascar, Father Rémi, CSsR, and the chaplain friars of the RLAs of the capital, participated in this activity, conceived as an “environmental penance.”
The Local Action Groups (RLAs) of Madagascar plan to continue this campaign in March with reforestation efforts in Ambatolaona, a region between Antananarivo and Moramanga. This activity will be carried out in collaboration with the LARs of the Alaotra region.
Father Jean-Rémi, CSsR. and Brother Baltazar Baptista, CSsR.
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