Laudato Voices Laudato Si Green Festival, July 19, 2025 – Holy Cross Lake View SSS, Wanyange, Jinja

On July 19, 2025, the Laudato Si Green Festival, led by the Laudato Youth Initiative, transformed Holy Cross Lake View Secondary School into a vibrant celebration of faith, ecology, and youth leadership. Under the stirring theme “Sowing Seeds of Peace and Hope for Creation,” this festival marked a powerful moment in Jinja’s  path toward sustainable living and environmental stewardship.

 Green Walk – A Walk of Faith

At 8 AM, enthusiastic students from a dozen schools—including Holy Cross Primary, Dayspring Elementary, St. Jude, Busoga College Mwiri, St. Mary’s Masese, Viva College, and Good Heart SSS—gathered at Holy Cross Parish Bugembe. Led by Rev. Fr. Mukasa Francis CSC, who offered prayers and blessed the march, the students paraded through Wanyange, waving banners and chanting environmental pledges. The walk served as both a visible prayer and a public call to action  .

Now, this earth, mistreated and abused, is lamenting, and its groans join those of all the forsaken of the world. Pope Francis invites us to listen to them, urging each and every one – individuals, families, local communities, nations and the international community – to an “ecological conversion”

 Green Mass

The central liturgy, led by Rev. Fr. Muto Gerald, Chancellor of Jinja Diocese, echoed with the rustle of leaves and the voices of liturgical dancers. The offertory included gifts from nature—flowers, fruits, and water—with the theme of caring for creation woven into every prayer. Fr. Muto pressed upon the youth their sacred duty as stewards of Earth: “Each of us has a duty to care for creation… nature does not forgive when it is tampered with.” 

 Keynote Speakers

• Rev. Fr. Muto Gerald pledged diocesan support for ongoing environment-focused initiatives and encouraged students to take eco-conscious practices from school into their homes.
  
• Rev. Fr. Prosper Atukwatse CSC explained the Festival’s three critical pillars: the new Roman Missal formulary for creation care, the Jubilee of Youth climate mobilization, and the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’.
• Rev. Fr. Olobo Leonard CSC, Director at John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre and 2024 Vatican Award winner for the Premio San Giovanni Paolo II award in the Sala Regia at the Vatican, invited attendees to heal “the wounds of creation” and become co-creators with God—sowing hope in action.
• Mr. Male Joseph, Guest of Honour, spoke on community ties and agricultural innovation, urging basic, sustainable practices: “We are called to be keepers—do your task in the best and basic way.”

 Youth Presentations

Students showcased their creativity through poems, speeches, dramas, and songs:

• Holy Cross Primary and St. Jude Primary – poems
• Good Heart SSS & St. Mary’s Masese – songs
• Viva College – speech
• Holy Cross Lake View SSS – a blend of drama, poems, and speeches
  Their performances highlighted both talent and deep environmental engagement.

 Eco Exhibitions

The Eco-Knowledge Market displayed innovative green technologies:

• Smart dustbins
• Mini-greenhouses
• Laudato AI tools
  These exhibits offered hands-on examples of how technology can help address climate challenges  .

 Awards & Gratitude

In a culminating gesture of appreciation, every participating school and sustainability partner received a certificate—an emblem of collective effort in caring for creation.

 Impact & Future Prospects

This Festival held a mirror to the Church’s call to ecological action, amplified by the voices of the young generation. By weaving together prayer, art, innovation, and education, it sowed seeds of hope that promise to grow far beyond the event:

• It reinforced the Church’s leadership in ecological justice.
  
• It empowered youth to become stewards and advocates for sustainable practices.
  
• It laid groundwork for ongoing school and diocesan initiatives—planting trees, reducing plastics, and embedding sustainability into education.
  

The Laudato Si Green Festival was a celebration to amplify voices for

1. The Vatican’s Mass for the Care of Creation (promulgated July 9, 2025)  ,
   
2. The 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’,
   
3. A powerful blend of Catholic Social Teaching and integral ecology rooted in Ugandan culture  .
   

As the sun set over Lake View that day, the seeds of peace and hope had been planted—in soil, minds, and hearts. Moving forward, the Laudato Si Club at Holy Cross, alongside its diocesan and community partners, stands ready to nurture this green legacy—one tree, one classroom, and one conscious action at a time. We thank all who partnered with us to make this event a success.

Would you like to explore more about us and partner with us to enhance impact, student-led innovations, or Participate in our next Laudato Si Green Festival email us laudatoyouthinitiative@gmail.com?