A third grader won the inaugural “Garden Challenge” sponsored by Holy Trinity parish in Washington, DC with support from Honoring the Future. The student’s award for “Best Garden by an Elementary or Middle School Student” was announced at the annual parish picnic on June 12, 2016 along with awards for “Best Fruit, Vegetable or Herb Garden” and “Best Flower Garden,” both won by adults.
The Garden Challenge was a response to Pope Francis’ exhortation in his recent environmental encyclical: “We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.” To encourage urban parishioners to restore and deepen their connection to nature, the parish invited its members to start or re-start a garden – “to work the earth, get to know it better, appreciate it” – and to share photos of the results.
Kate Tromble, the parish’s Pastoral Associate for Social Justice, observed: “Despite our rain (or maybe because of it), we had some beautiful submissions. Parishioners are composting, utilizing rain barrels, growing herbs, vegetables, and flowers. People have created spaces for meditation. We saw gardens crafted with creativity and love as well as a commitment to care for creation.”
The challenge was part of a partnership between Holy Trinity Church and Honoring the Future to create a year of climate education programming for this 7,000 member parish – both for its own value and as a model for faith-based institutions. The collaboration yielded 13 programs, from artists’ talks to lectures, social service trips, book club discussions, an energy efficiency workshop, and a gardening information session, reaching every age group from the very young to seniors. As the year draws to an end, Holy Trinity and Honoring the Future are working to spread “lessons learned” to other parishes.
