Editor’s Note

Salesian Garden

on Earth

editor’s note

The containers which hose our plants are recycled from big oil cans given by some friends who own restaurants.

PHOTO BY FR. DONNIE DUCHIN DUYA, SDB Fresh hauls from our rooftop garden: pepper mint, lemon grass, kangkong, basil, and more!

CHALLENGES

Manang Nora, our laundrywoman and a plant enthusiast herself warned me that the cell site tower transmitters installed on our rooftop would thwart the growth of our plants. This, I noticed, in our squash plant and even guyabano tree which would bear fl owers initially but would not yield fruits.

Along with this challenge are pollution, excessive sun exposure, and even the scarcity of soil. And of late, we’ve noticed that caterpillars and snails have joined the fray in torturing our helpless plants.

And yet, the plants continue to thrive and populate because of care and attention.

This issue of St. John Bosco Today is likened to the garden, pestered by many harmful elements. Our experience of this pandemic, which has been over a year now, has continued to challenge our Salesian ministry. The most convenient thing to do is to just rest easy in order to keep the COVID-19 risk at bay.

However, fl ipping the pages of this issue, you’ll see the rich harvest the Salesian Family in the Philippines continue to generate despite all odds. No pandemic will stop the children of St. John Bosco from the task of education and evangelization.

“Those who cultivate gardens cultivate joy.“ I must have read these words etched on a pebble placed in the gardens of Don Bosco Batulao. The Salesian Garden promised by Don Bosco in Paradise, we enjoy right here on earth.

One item in our community plan of life is to maximize the rooftop of the Provincial House to grow plants that could be used in the kitchen for food or plants that could adorn our community chapel. More than just following the bandwagon due to the pandemic, this step is our way to minimizing the cost in our community expenditures and also as our way of showing support to the Laudato Si movement begun by

Pope Francis in caring for the environment. That tiny garden has yielded our community harvest–kangkong, alugbati, mints, tarragon, lemon grass, okra, pechay, ternate, calamansi, and eggplant, to mention a few. Our once barren chapel is now teeming with greens.

The mini garden in the community has given a refreshing verdant feel that breaks the monotony of the urban jungle. On top of all these, we’re able to practice segregation of our trash. Kitchen wastes such as vegetable trimmings, eggshells, and brown paper are added to our vermicomposting bin. Rice water (hugas bigas) is kept in a receptacle that is used to nourish the plants and to ward off pests.