The 2025 National Ploughing Championship toof place 6-18 September in Ireland. FCJ Companion in Mission Sue writes about her time at the FCJ stall at The Dome.
A few months ago, I received an invitation to join three FCJ Sisters in Screggan, Co. Offaly, Ireland, at The National Ploughing Championships, described as the largest outdoor agricultural show in Europe, held over three days, in September, each year.
Sisters Ger and Maria fcJ warmly welcomed Bernadette fcJ (who has attended and supported all Ploughing Championships since the beginning) and myself, to stay overnight at Laurel Hill Court in Limerick and the following morning, we were fortunate to enjoy a happy reunion with many familiar FCJ Sisters and celebrate the Eucharist with them, before we headed off to Kinnitty, Co. Offaly, to join our Ploughing companions, Srs Marion and Margaret fcJ, for the week.
It seemed entirely appropriate that there would be an FCJ presence, celebrating the Season of Creation, as part of the Ploughing Championships, summoned as we are, during this period, to deepen our relationship with God, with our neighbours and the earth, becoming more aware of the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Really, at The Ploughing Championships, you might well ask? Well, for the gardeners amongst us, you’ll be familiar with the importance of pollinator plants, in attracting bees and other insects into your garden, to ensure a good yield. In hindsight, it struck me that these same principles worked beautifully in yielding a wonderful harvest, out of the FCJ ‘garden’ in Screggan.
Principle One – Plant a variety, choose a range of flowers with different shapes, sizes and colours to attract diverse pollinators.
My three companions and I brought a great variety of life to our shared experience and we did indeed attract a rich and diverse range of visitors, some prompted by curiosity, others by a need to share their burdens and experience the gift of companionship, as we listened attentively to their stories. We had created a Prayer Box, where people could write a prayer for themselves or another, post it in the box and be assured that their prayer intentions would be faithfully held before God, by our older sisters in Limerick. Every day, the box had to be emptied once or twice a day, as the young and the old poured out their needs, children missing their recently deceased grandparents, mothers wondering how they might care for their children as their husbands’ health deteriorated, and young adults anxious about exam results and their futures.
Principle Two – Provide continuous bloom, selecting plants to ensure a continuous food source
Sr Marion had organised resources for the whole week and our tables looked fabulous and so enticing. We quickly learnt that we needed to ration how many FCJ pens, prayer cards and sweets we had on show each day. We were also mindful that our companions needed sustenance too and we encouraged each other to take time and recover our energies. Collaboration was much in evidence as we ‘buddied up’ with the nearby Methodists space, exchanging prayer cards and FCJ pens for cups of tea, coffee and biscuits.
Principle Three – Include native plants
Srs Margaret and Marion were fantastic sources of stories and memories, as so, so many families and grandparents with their grandchildren, saw the FCJ logo and recognised a familiar sight. It was a privilege to witness the love and gratitude expressed by so many who eagerly described their fond experience of an FCJ education at Bruff, Bunclody and Laurel Hill.
Principle Four – Avoid over-tidiness, leave some areas of your garden undisturbed, allowing wild flowers to grow and provide habitat
At times, we witnessed that reading through our prayer cards offered our visitors a moment of peace and quiet reflection, in the midst of the surrounding mayhem and often led to a deeper, spiritual conversation, e.g. one young woman shared that she was thinking about religious life.
Principle Five – Consider planting locations, pollinator gardens can be grown even in small spaces
The Ploughing Championships covered a huge area of fields, over 225,000 people attended the event, the FCJ stall was indeed ‘a small space’ but I believe that everyone, of the hundreds of people who visited us, went away seen, heard and will themselves be a ‘pollinator’, sharing the memory of companionship they experienced at FCJ Sisters, Stall 256, The Dome, widening the circle of love, once more.
