Bells at Saint Mary’s to ring on Oct. 24 for climate change action

Notre Dame, Ind. — As part of the Sisters of the Holy Cross’ commitment to the Global Day of Action for Climate Change on Saturday, October 24, the bells at the Church of Our Lady of Loretto at Saint Mary’s will ring 35 times beginning at 3:50 p.m. The number of rings and the time the bells will be rung are a way to call attention to reducing carbon emissions (CO2) in the atmosphere back to a sustainable level of 350 parts per million (350 ppm).

The goal of the Global Day of Action for Climate Change is to build international support for 350 ppm, the safe level for CO2 in the atmosphere, and to ensure this goal is included in the global climate agreement that will be negotiated at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark (December 7-18).

At the ringing of the bells on October 24, Sisters of the Holy Cross throughout the world are invited to stop for a moment of prayer of gratitude for the beauty and diversity of life on Earth, and to make a renewed commitment to live in right relationship with all beings. They also have been encouraged to ring church bells, school bells or to take a similar action at the same time, wherever they are ministering around the globe. It is the hope of the congregation that more people will recognize the urgency of taking action to avert catastrophic climate change.

The Sisters of the Holy Cross are also collaborating with the entire Holy Cross family of sisters, brothers and priests worldwide in sending letters to political leaders of the countries where they live regarding the 350 ppm commitment and other priorities for the Copenhagen climate agreement.