COLLINGSWOOD – Prayer and ecology were at the forefront of parishioners’ minds Oct. 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
With a handful of faithful gathered around a refreshed grotto on the grounds of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Father Yvans Jazon, pastor blessed the newly donated Saint Clare statue, a repainted Saint Francis, fresh plants and new birdhouses hanging from trees adorned in lights.
“The basic intention was to beautify the grounds and make the area outside the church a more prayerful place for people to sit or visit,” said Mary Biazzo, who with fellow parishioner Kate Frydrych, spearheaded the project.
Donations from the parish men’s club helped with some of the upgrades, including the Prayer of Saint Francis, erected in the middle of the garden.
Frydrych hopes the grotto will become known in the parish and community at-large as a place of prayer, comfort and perhaps ecological reflection.
“The environment is critical to our survival, she said. “Maybe by making it more desirable and more beautiful, people will look at nature as something important to take care of.”