Caritas Dalat Holds Outdoor Mass During Laudato si' Week

CARITAS DIOCESE OF DA LAT ORGANIZES OUTDOOR MASS DURING LAUDATO SÍ WEEK

On the morning of May 24, the plan to hold an outdoor Mass of the Social Charity Committee - Caritas Dalat was fulfilled under the blessing of the Heavenly Father. After two days of rain, on the morning of the 3rd day of Laudato sí week, the sky stopped and became clear. Bishop Dominic - Bishop of Diocese of Dalat, the parish priests, the priests in the Diocese of Dalat, the Caritas community of parishes in the diocese, all staff of the diocesan Caritas Office and NGOs together offered a Mass of prayer and thanksgiving on the occasion of Laudato si Week at the Dalat Pastoral Center amidst peaceful nature.

From early morning, our brothers and sisters welcomed the new day by welcoming a gong troupe from Dung K No, a small parish in Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province, about 50 km from Dalat. Each of us had a hand, one person prepared the ceremony, the other group arranged the chairs, prepared the altar and welcomed, etc. Everything was prepared under the transition from night to day, from when it was still dark until it was completely bright, as if bringing a hope that everything would go smoothly.

By 6:30 a.m. all preparations were ready for the Mass to take place.  After "Prayer for the Earth", the entrance song resounds mixed with the sound of gongs: "All creatures, join me in singing a song, singing praises to the mighty God who created all creation...". The liturgical community invites all created brothers and sisters to celebrate and praise God. In that solemn and universal atmosphere, the procession moved towards the altar.

At the beginning, the Bishop said this was a rare and special occasion to hold an outdoor Mass with an ecological spirit. Next in the homily, he shared about "ecological conversion" which is at the heart of the encyclical Laudato si - the message on integral ecology issued by Pope Francis seven years ago. The Bishop reviewed 8 practical suggestions of Diocesan Caritas for the 8 days of the week of Laudato si. He stops and goes deep and suggests “contemplation and thanksgiving” and more specifically describes the feeling or fantasy of “contemplating the face of a poor person”.According to the Bishop, there is a special beauty there than any other face. The Bishop's sharing evokes and supports the spirit of ecological conversion. Specifically, each individual prays and reviews their personal lifestyle to see if it causes any harm to the environment and the poor? Exposing the faces of those who harm the environment and giving up their passion for the virtual world while losing real relationships.

It seems that each one of us is breathed by the Holy Spirit, opening our hearts and minds to feel and understand what it means to "Contemplate and give thanks" through nature. Caritas Dalat's work together to preserve and take care of the common home creates the combined strength of a charitable community. The Bishop advised that when doing these things we need to pray and not be afraid of difficulties. From there, harmony with God's creation can be restored.

After the Bishop's final blessing, Vicar General Gioan Bosco, on behalf of the community, thanked the Bishop for his presence at the Mass and encouraged the spirit. At this time, the Sun had risen, signaling a bright new day. At the end of the Mass, the entire community sang the "Peace Prayer" of Saint Francis of Assidi and left in peace.