During the course of Bishop Paul Colton’s 25th anniversary year in 2024 as Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, a total of 29 trees were planted by him in an initiative inspired by the Communion Forest programme of the Anglican Communion.
So far, a total of 519 trees have been planted by the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross inspired by the Communion Forest initiative. 490 of these trees have been planted by the Bishop in partnership with the Irish charity ReforestNation – one for each young person confirmed in the Diocese since 2023. In the case of 190 of those trees planted in Ireland, a matching tree was planted by the charity in Madagascar or in Kenya.
The Bishop’s 25th anniversary visitations brought him on 128 visits to all parishes and schools in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. As part of these visits a combined number of 29 trees were planted across diocesan schools, churches, nursing homes, and recreational spaces. He had hoped to plant 25 trees – one for each year – but then he lost count and 29 were planted!
The tree plantings were brought in by Bishop Paul’s personal concern with sustainability and the safeguarding of creating, but they also are part of further implementing the Communion Forest initiative in the Diocese.
Bishop Colton said:
I think my love of and fascination with trees goes back to childhood days of going to camp on Fota Island in Cork Harbour with the cubs and scouts – of enjoying the woodlands and hearing the sound of the wind, birds and wildlife. It was a particular joy, therefore, to be invited by the Scouts to return to Fota to plant a tree at the Scout Centre there. Each year of living at The See House in Cork, over the last 26 years now, we have planted at least one tree a year also.
The Communion Forest was first conceived in late 2019 and was eventually inaugurated at the Lambeth Conference 2022 at Lambeth Palace, by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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