Outdoor Mass celebrated in thanksgiving for God's gift of nature

BOUND BROOK — The young sapling stood along busy Mountain Avenue, its leaves rustling in the morning breeze. Though spindly now, it represented hope for a better tomorrow, an attitude more tuned to nature and respect for the environment, declared Msgr. Joseph J. Kerrigan, pastor, St. Joseph Parish.

“‘The harvest is abundant, but laborers are few’ is no longer just a metaphor for the fruits of the Gospel mission,” he said during an Oct. 1 outdoor Mass in thanksgiving for God’s creation. “The preservation of the harvest itself, Mother Earth itself, has become an urgent part of the mission of proclaiming and living God’s reign.”

An anonymous gift of the young red oak tree to the parish prompted its pastor to hold a Mass to honor God’s gift of nature and pledge to protect it. “Since Pope Francis issued ‘Laudato Si’ [On Care for our Common Home] five years ago,” he said, “the impetus has been to redouble our efforts. This is the season of creation.”

Msgr. Kerrigan noted that “Pope Francis’ words ring even more with an alarm bell. Mother Earth cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted upon her by the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods of which God has endowed her. A little gesture like today, hopefully, all that see us know we are serious about taking our worship into creation.”

Caring for the environment is the responsibility of all, the priest asserted, and the pandemic “has tragically brought out our interconnectivity. It is our time to care for [the environment] in a more enthusiastic way. What we do with the relative amount of seconds we have in the history of the planet has an enormous impact on the years for everybody who follows us…

“The harvest of mother earth is, thank god, still abundant, we can see it in the beauty of the trees, the birds, the sky. It is there for the taking. The labor of those who work for it and champion it are few,” Msgr. Kerrigan said.

Noting that Oct. 1 is the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, known as the “Little Flower” who had uttered, “I am only a very little soul who can offer very little things to our Lord,” he declared, “Even a legacy of a little flower can bloom and flourish. If we just let creation be creation, we are fine… If I had no homily today, I think just adlibbing it as creation unfolds before us would give us all we need.”

As Tony Varas, director, diocesan Office of Worship, beat a drum and sang “From the corner of creation to the center where we stand / Let all things be blessed and holy. All is fashioned by your hand,” Msgr. Kerrigan walked a few yards from the steps of the church to a grassy hill upon which the red oak was planted, and blessed it.

The red oak (Quercus rubra) was chosen the New Jersey state tree in 1950. It is a moderately fast-growing oak with a deep root system which can reach heights of 60 to 75 feet and a spread of 45 to 50 feet. The tree was donated as part of the parish’s ongoing landscaping and beautification project.