Care for the environment, respect for Creation, and commitment to protecting our common home resonate deeply in the lives of the Holy Union Sisters. Since the publication of Laudato Si', Pope Francis' encyclical addressed "to every person living on this planet" (LS 3), the Holy Union has embraced its teachings, welcoming the call to ecological conversion that is both personal and communal. The story we share today is an expression of this journey.
Sr. Odette Asheri, now serving in the community of Tournai, Belgium, some years ago was part of the novitiate community in Nkongsamba, Cameroon. Her love for Laudato Si' runs deep, particularly when it comes to caring for Mother Earth. Through gardening and farming, she witnesses firsthand how tending to the earth yields vegetables and nourishment, not just for her community, but for the wider community as well.
Each year on February 18th, the Nkongsamba community celebrates the anniversary of the Holy Union Founder, Father Jean Baptiste Debrabant, with environmental action. They organize awareness campaigns, clean the town, and plant trees, living out their commitment to ecological stewardship.
In preparation for one such celebration, Sr. Odette was asked to teach the novices about Laudato Si', focusing on care for Mother Earth. Inspired by courses she had taken in Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) with Sr. Caroline Njah - the current Superior General - she embraced the challenge with enthusiasm.
By the end of the sessions, the novices had learned what they called "the 10 commandments of Laudato Si'" (see image).
But the learning didn't stop there. An idea began to take shape: "In order to help the novices remember the 10 commandments," Sr. Odette recalls, "we decided to share them amongst ourselves. We had nine novices and myself, making ten. Each person took responsibility for learning and practicing one commandment."
One day during chapel prayers, inspiration struck. "I was reflecting on the best way these ten commandments could be kept and practiced, and that's when the song came to mind."
What began as a simple idea blossomed into a collaborative creation. Together, the community developed lyrics for each commandment, gradually building a complete song. Fr. André, their parish priest in Bare who was teaching the novices music, joined the project and helped refine their work. "It took us almost three to four months to complete the song and produce the video," Sr. Odette shares.
The result is a joyful celebration of faith and creation, a video now available on the Holy Union Sisters' YouTube channel, where music and dance become a prayer for our common home.
By Maria Chiara De Lorenzo