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St. Bernard Green Team

- 3rd Annual Save your Sneakers Fundraiser
  
  Did you know that more than 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in US landfills every year, while more than 600 million people in the world don’t own even one pair of shoes? (Gotsneakers.com)
  
  Please join the St. Bernard Green Team to help keep sneakers out of landfills. All donated sneakers will be sent to GotSneakers, a sneaker recycling organization, to be reused or recycled, depending on condition.
  
  Last year, we displaced 379 pairs of sneakers from landfills which reduced 11,370 pounds of Carbon Dioxide into the environment and saved over 855,000 gallons of water!
  
  When: Before/After Masses on
  September 6 & 7
  Where: Drop off at the entrance to the Jointure / Parish Center across from the church
  What: Paired pre-loved Sneakers including:
  
  Paired running sneakers
  Paired basketball sneakers
  Paired gym / training sneakers
  Paired rubber cleats (rubber only)
  Paired hiking sneakers
  Paired lifestyle sneakers
  Paired designer (Nike, Vans, etc.) sneakers
  Paired slip on or laced sneakers
  …in any condition!
  Important Note:
  Please donate SNEAKERS ONLY – no shoes please.
  Donations will be collected the weekend of September 6^th & 7^th ONLY. Please don’t drop off sneakers at any other time.
  Please do not bring sneakers into the sanctuary. All funds raised through this initiative will help fund future Green Team projects.
  Thank you for your support!
- Peace with Creation
  
  In 2015, under the shepherding of Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church officially joined other Christian denominations in the celebration of the Season of Creation, which first began in the Orthodox church in 1989. This ecumenical season, which is dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation, begins with the World Day of Prayer, September 1^st and ends with the Feast of Saint Francis, October 4^th. The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all of His creation.
  
  Ten years ago, Pope Francis established September 1^st as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging Catholics around the world to pray for creation. The day is inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our common home, the earth that we share.
  
  The theme for this year’s Season of Creation, chosen by Pope Francis is Seeds of Peace and Hope, and was inspired by Isaiah 32:15-18. In his message for the World Day of Prayer 2025, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that Christ compared Himself to a grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit. He says that “In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed ‘seeds of peace and hope.’” Pope Leo goes on to say that God’s call to care for creation is not just about caring for the environment but about caring for each and every person, especially the poor and the vulnerable. “In a world where the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity.”
  
  The Saint Bernard Green Team invites parishioners to pray in nature and to pray for our Common Home during the Season of Creation. See future bulletins for details about upcoming Season of Creation events.
  
  “a spirit from on high will be poured out on us, and the wilderness will become a fruitful field,
  and the fruitful field a forest.” (Isaiah 32:15-18)
- Seasons of Creation
  
  Celebrate the Season of Creation with Deacon Mike and the Green Team…
  Join us for a hike and prayer service at Fairview Farms Wildlife Preserve in Bedminster on Saturday, September 13^th. Come enjoy wildflowers, wildlife, and beautiful vistas as we hike approximately two miles on rolling, well groomed trails throughout the Preserve.
  We will meet in the church parking lot at 9:40 after the 9:00 AM mass and then head to Fairview Farms. The morning’s mass will be creation-themed. If you wish to meet at Fairview Farms, directions can be found on their website at https://www.raritanheadwaters.org/directions/. Please be sure to arrive at Fairview by 10:00 AM, when the hike will begin. Anticipated time for our hike and service is approximately 1 ½ hours. This is a weather-permitting event. If you are unsure as to whether the hike is taking place, please scan this code for an update, or email Liz Dransfield at [email protected] by 8:45 on the day of the event for information. Hope to see you there!
- “IF WE BUILD IT, WILL YOU COME?”
  
  The Saint Bernard Green Team has developed a proposal to install a fenced in community garden with raised beds on the church grounds. Ideas behind the garden include providing an opportunity:
  
  · For parishioners to grow their own food
  · To build community within the parish
  · To be good stewards of the land
  
  Interested parishioners (families or individuals) would be assigned a bed and be responsible for buying and planting seeds or seedlings (vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc.) and maintaining the bed (at least weekly attention). A small registration fee would be charged and interested gardeners would be expected to make a commitment to take care of their assigned bed.
  
  To gauge the level of interest and enthusiasm within the parish for the proposed community garden, the Green Team would now like to hear from YOU!!! In order to move forward with the project, we need both gardeners and people willing to support the garden in other ways, which are listed below. [Note that being a gardener and being a supporter of the garden are not mutually exclusive.]
  
  · Managing/Coordinating (e.g., processing applications for beds and payment of fees, coordinating work that needs to be done)
  · Handling communications with gardeners and volunteers
  · Contributing tools or materials
  · Contributing financially
  · Sharing gardening skills
  · Other
  We invite you to visit our table in the Narthex to complete a short interest survey after all Masses on the weekends of November 2^nd-3^rd and November 9^th-10^thand in the cafeteria during Donut Sunday after the 10:30 Mass on November 10^th. Members of the Green Team will be on hand to answer any questions. Or, you can complete the survey online, which can be accessed at https://forms.gle/iNvTasfysYEuaVxWA or via the QR code shown above. Note that completing the survey does not commit you to participate, but those interested in learning more about the project can provide their name and contact information.
- The Green Team would like to thank members of our parish Youth Ministry and their parents for participating in Raritan Headwater's 34th Annual Stream Clean Up on April 20th. This event features over 1000 volunteers from across the state who clean up rivers and streams in celebration of Earth Week. Together with members of the Green Team, and led by Youth Ministry Leader, Mark Dransfield, the group removed substantial amounts of trash from a tributary of the Raritan River in Raritan Borough. Great work everyone!
- The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. (Genesis 2:15)
  
  Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. (Pope Francis, Laudato Si)
- Saint Bernard Green Team
  Season of Creation
  
  In 2015, under the shepherding of Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church officially joined other Christian denominations in the celebration of the Season of Creation, which first began in the Orthodox church in 1989. This ecumenical season, which is dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation, begins with the World Day of Prayer, September 1^st and ends with the Feast of Saint Francis, October 4^th. The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all of His creation.
  
  Pope Francis established September 1^st as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging Catholics around the world to pray for creation. The day is inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our common home, the earth that we share.
  
  The theme for this year’s Season of Creation is To Hope and Act with Creation and is based on Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:19-25). In his message for the World Day of Prayer 2024, Pope Francis tells us that the Holy Spirit "continually guides us and calls us to conversion, to a change in lifestyle in order to resist the degradation of our environment.” The Holy Father encourages each of us to respond to the grace of the Holy Spirit who creates within us, a desire to live "a life that becomes a song of love for God, for humanity, with and for creation, and that finds its fullness in holiness."
- Fast for Lent
  
  Click on titles to read each article.
  
  Intro - Six Fasts for Lent
  Fast from Electricity
  Fast from Meat
  Fast from Driving
  Fast from Water
- Our Mission
  
  Encourage and provide opportunities for the parishioners of St. Bernard to live out God’s call to care for creation.
  
  Educate parishioners about Catholic social teaching on ecological issues, and about how we as individuals and as a parish community can take action to work towards a sustainable future.
  
  Build community within the parish through shared values and action relating to ecological issues.
  
  Work with parish leadership and staff to develop and implement programs for St. Bernard’s buildings and grounds, with the goal of reducing our environmental footprint and achieving long term sustainability goals.
  
  Partner with environmental groups on a national and local level and participate in shared initiatives.
- Affliations
  
  Mid Central Jersey Greenfaith Circle
  
  Creation Care Team, Catholic Climate Covenant
- The Creation Walk
  The Green Team invites all parishioners to take the opportunity to pray and reflect on God’s gift of creation on our beautiful parish grounds using its newly revised CREATION WALK accessible via your mobile phone. The walk includes scripted audio and music and can be done any time at your convenience. Just scan the QR code on the sign at each station along the walk to access the content. The walk begins and ends in the Alpha-Omega Garden and there are seven stations for the seven days of creation.
  Day one
  Day two
  Day three
  Day four
  Day five
  Day six
  Day seven
- Past Bulletin Articles
  Click on the titles to view article
  
  August 20, 2023 - Season of Creation
  January 22, 2023 - The Green Pope
  December 25, 2022 - Reforestation Project
  December 18, 2022 - Living Simply during Advent and Christmas part 3
  December 11, 2022 - Living Simply during Advent and Christmas part 2
  December 4, 2022 - Living Simply during Advent and Christmas part 1
  November 27, 2022 - Thanksgiving in the Garden State
  Septeber 17 - 18, 2022 - Season of Creation: Creation Walk
  August 28, 2022 - Season of Creation
  May 2022 - Stream Clean-up
  April 24, 2022 - New Jersey Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Coming May 4th
  April 10, 2022 - Fast from Noise - (April 10^th– April 16^th)
  April 3, 2022 - Fast from Driving - (April 3^rd – April 10^th)
  March 20, 2022 - Fast from Spending - (March 20^th – March 27^th)
  March 16, 2022 - Fast from Meat - (March 27^th– April 3^rd)
  March 13, 2022 - Fast from Plastic - (March 13^th – 20^th)
  March 6, 2022 - Fast from Electricity - (March 6^th – 13^th)
  February 27, 2022 - Intro: To Fast is to Care - Six Fasts for Lent
  February 2022 - St. Valentine’s Day and Fair Trade Chocolate
  January 2022 - Winter Energy Tips from PSE&G
  December 2021 - SAINT BERNARD GREEN TEAM - Living Simply during Advent and Christmas
- Resources and Information
  Catholic Climate Covenant https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/
  
  Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s Encyclical on Care for our Common Home
- Contact Information
  To reach the Green Team, contact Doreen Sekora at [email protected]

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Bridgewater, New Jersey

St. Bernard Green Team

3rd Annual Save your Sneakers Fundraiser

Peace with Creation

Seasons of Creation

“IF WE BUILD IT, WILL YOU COME?”

Fast for Lent

Our Mission

Affliations