Cedar Hill Enrichment Center

 

 

Churches' Center for
Land and People

 

Crystal Spring

 

 

 

 

Jubilee Farm

 

Shepherd's Corner

 

 

Sisters Hill Farm

 

 

 

Springbank Retreat

 

Voices for Earth Justice

 

White Violet Center
for Eco-Justice

 

 

Green Sisters

Ecology Centers and Initiatives Founded or Directed
by U.S. Catholic Sisters

It would be an understatement to write that the last few years have been particularly troubling ones for the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Widely publicized abuses within the male hierarchy have created an atmosphere characterized largely by divisiveness, betrayal, and the violation of trust. But amid the painful furor over sex scandals and lawsuits, a much quieter movement is now beginning to garner notice. At the very grassroots of the Church, Catholic religious sisters have faithfully and steadfastly taken up the mission to heal and restore the life systems of the planet. Beginning with the communal lands in their own backyards, sisters are extending their ecological repair efforts from their local bioregions to those of the world’s poor, who are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and resource depletion. Popularly referred to as “green nuns,” “green sisters,” or even “eco-nuns,” a growing number of Roman Catholic vowed religious women have committed themselves to addressing the most pressing environmental concerns confronting both human and nonhuman life communities.

~ Sarah McFarland Taylor, Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology (Harvard University Press, 2007)

We honor these efforts with this (partial) listing of the various ecology centers and initiatives founded or directed by Catholic Sisters in the United States. Similar efforts are being undertaken by Catholic Sisters on every continent in the world.

The Bridge Between Retreat Center
Denmark, Wisconsin
Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters
A place where all are welcome to deepen relationships with God, self, neighbor, and creation

Canticle Farm
Allegany, New York
Franciscan Sisters of Allegany
A nonprofit Community Supported Agriculture farm guided by a dedicated core of local residents

Cedar Hill Enrichment Center
Gainesville, Georgia
Dominican Sisters of Adrian
Connecting Earth and Spirit

Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry
Mankato, Minnesota
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Strengthening connections, creating hope

Churches’ Center for Land and People
Sinsinawa, Wisconsin
Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters
Supporting the spiritual integrity of rural life and farming

 

Clare’s Well: A Spirituality Farm
Annandale, Minnesota
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
Wisdom is simple and deep within. Drink from your own well.

Crown Point Ecology Center
Bath, Ohio
Sisters of St. Dominic of Akron
Renewing Earth and Spirit since 1989

Crystal Spring
Plainville, Massachusetts
Dominicans Sisters of Peace
A center for learning our place in the universe story

Dominican Community Garden
Houston, Texas
Houston Dominican Sisters
Donating food to those in need and teaching organic practices

Earth Hope
Dayton, Wyoming
Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg
Sisters of St. Joseph
Within a flourishing web of life, just and compassionate human communities

EarthLinks
Denver, Colorado
Loretto Community
Dominican Sisters of Hope
Sinsinawa Dominicans
Connecting People-at-Risk with Earth-at-Risk

Earthworks
Plymouth, Indiana
Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ
An environmental learning center demonstrating and teaching how all species on our fragile Earth are connected

Eco-Justice Center
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine Dominican Sisters
Rooted in hope: environmental education and care of Earth

EverGreen
Villa Maria, Pennsylvania
Sisters of Humility of Mary at Villa Maria
Spirituality, simplicity,and sustainability

Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin Franciscans
Recognizing our oneness with all creation, we promote healthy relationships with our natural environment to achieve sustainable living

Bowling Family Pharmacy
315 Hospital Drive Suite 6
Barbourville, KY 40906
Medication Adherence, Durable Medical Equipment, Flu Shots & Immunizations, Med Synchronization

Full Circle EcoHouse of Prayer
Port Huron, Michigan
Sisters of Mary Reparatrix
Celebrating Earth’s Interconnected Web of Life

Genesis Farm
Blairstown, New Jersey
Caldwell Dominican Sisters
Fostering Earth literacy and Transition culture

Grailville
Loveland, Ohio
Grailville Community
A center for retreats, spirituality, women’s empowerment, the environment, and good old peace and quiet

Green Mountain Monastery
Greensboro, Vermont
Sisters of Green Mountain Monastery
Placing ancient monastic values at the service of the entire Earth community to promote a sustainable future

Heartland Farm and Spirituality Center
Pawnee Rock, Kansas
Dominican Sisters of Peace
A place for experiential learning of small-scale sustainable organic agriculture, holisitic health, alternative energy, and the integration of body, mind, and spirit

IHM Motherhouse Eco-Village Project
Monroe, Michigan
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Our IHM community considers sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century.

Jubilee Farm
New Berlin, Illinois
Springfield Dominican Sisters
A 111-acre center for ecology and spirituality to help people learn how to live more sustainably with Earth

Knowles Mercy Spirituality Center & Mercy Earth Project
Waterloo, Nebraska
Sisters of Mercy, Omaha Regional Community
A ‘place apart’ dedicated to prayer, reflection, and renewal

Mercy Ecology Institute
Madison, Connecticut
Sisters of Mercy
A center for teaching reverence for the Earth

Michaela Farm
Oldenburg, Indiana
Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg
Embodying the Franciscan spirit, Michaela Farm nurtures sustainable relationships

Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
Hiawatha, Iowa
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of La Crosse, Wisconsin
A spirituality/ecology enter with 70 acres of green space

Prayer Lodge
Busby, Montana
Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg
A sacred sustainable place for women of all nations helping women to help themselves and their communities

Red Hill Farm
Acton, Pennsylvania
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
A six-acre CSA located on 183 acres of woodland and meadows, providing food for 130 members as well as for the Sisters of St. Francis

ROAR: Religious Organizations Along the River
Hudson River Valley, New York
Since 1998, a network of religious congregations and organizations with property in the Hudson Valley of New York State, dedicated to protecting the ecosystem and addressing the interrelated issues of poverty, justice and ecology in this bioregion.

San Domenico School
San Anselmo, California
Dominican Sisters of San Rafael
A distinctive program of ecological literacy and environmental science at a K-12 school powered by solar energy

Santuario Sisterfarm
Welfare, Texas
Dominican Sisters of Adrian
A sanctuary in the Texas Hill Country for cultivating biodiversity and cultural diversity and living in right relationship with the whole Earth community

Shepherd’s Corner
Blacklick, Ohio
Dominican Sisters of Peace
A small corner of creation seeking to recreate the lands’ wholeness byrediscovering the life-giving harmony between the people and the land

Sisters Hill Farm
Bronx, New York
Sisters of Charity of New York
An expression of our reverence for creation, the mission is to grow healthy food, which nurtures bodies, spirits, communities, and the Earth

St. Mary Organic Farm Community Garden
Monroe, Michigan
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Spirituality, sustainability and education are key components of the two-acre
St. Mary Organic Farm

Homecoming: Sophia Garden ~ Sophia Learning Center
Amityville, New York
Amityville Dominican Sisters
Committed to understanding that the human and natural world are one sacred community of life

Springbank Retreat
Kingstree, South Carolina
Dominican Sisters of Adrian
Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg
A center for eco-spirituality and the arts: Healing Self ~ Healing Earth

Spirit Mountain Retreat
Idyllwild, California
Dominican Sisters of Adrian
A special place for people to awaken to the deepest sense of who they are and the Great Work of our time

St. Catharine Farm
St. Catharine, Kentucky
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Rotational grazing of beef cattle on 170 acres of pasture in cooperation with the University of Kentucky to demonstrate ecologically sound intensive grazing techniques

Voices for Earth Justice
Southfield, Michigan
Dominican Sisters of Adrian
An interfaith network of people committed to prayer, education, and action that deepen our sense of wonder, responsibility, and gratitude for all creation.

Waterspirit
Elberon, New Jersey
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
Inspiring people to deepen their consciousness of the sacredness and interdependence of all creation with a focus on the role of water as critical in sustaining all life.

The Well
LaGrange Park, Illinois
Sisters of St. Joseph
A place where people of all faiths and cultures are invited to recognize and affirm our communion with God and all creation

White Violet Center for Eco-Justice
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
To foster a way of living that recognizes the interdependence of allcreation

The Woodlands
Osseo, Wisconsin
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
A retreat and learning center for nature, organic gardening and composting, food preservation, permaculture and workshops