Returning to my passions through Laudato Si’

On Saturday, June 21, the Franciscan Institute continued its Tree Reforestation Project at Mount St Benedict. Mark Salina, a member of the Institute’s Justice, Peace, and Integrity for Creation Committee, offers his personal reflections and a synopsis of the project.

As a child, photography and writing were two of my greatest passions. But over the years, the demands of life slowly pulled me away from them. It had been a long time since I last picked up a camera or put pen to paper—until two weeks ago, when a Religious sister challenged me to take some photos and write an article.

I took her up on that challenge, and on Saturday, June 21, I visited Mount St Benedict to document and reflect on the ‘Laudato Si’ Reforestation and Beautification Project.’

Laudato Si’—Italian for “Praise be to God”—comes from St Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures, which praises God for the Earth and all living things. This year marks the 800th anniversary of that Canticle.

In 2015, Pope Francis echoed that spirit when he released his groundbreaking encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. The document calls for urgent global action to address environmental degradation and climate change, and invites humanity into a renewed dialogue about how we care for the planet.

The ‘Reforestation and Beautification Project’ at Mount St Benedict is a collaborative initiative led by the Franciscan Institute (a ministry of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother), the Benedictine Monastery, and the Seminary of St John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs. Its goal is to plant trees around the Monastery grounds—beautifying the space while promoting environmental stewardship and soil conservation.

Being part of this project was truly uplifting. I watched as students from schools like St Xavier’s Primary, Fatima RC Primary, Fatima College, and St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph—alongside their parents, teachers and principals—joyfully dug into the soil, planting trees near the seminary library. Their faces lit up with excitement and pride.

It was heartening to witness young people so deeply engaged in caring for the Earth—a vital act in a time when our region faces serious environmental challenges such as climate change, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, coral reef degradation, pollution, deforestation, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.

That evening, I captured dozens of photographs—images of little hands and smiling faces planting saplings, and the rich, green landscape. It reminded me how much I’ve missed photography, and how deeply meaningful it is to use my creative gifts to tell stories that matter.

The ‘Laudato Si’ Reforestation and Beautification Project’ runs through October 2025. The next planting event is scheduled for August 23. I hope many more schools, parents, teachers, religious congregations, parishes, lay communities and others, will join this important mission to care for our common home—and maybe rediscover a few forgotten passions along the way, just as I did.

The Mount serves as a sacred space for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago—a place of peace, relaxation and prayer. Let us give back by keeping it green!