EarthBeat Weekly: A community of sisters focused entirely on the earth

A community of sisters focused entirely on the earth   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change September 13, 2024   The Sisters of the Earth Community at Green Mountain Monastery and Thomas Berry Sanctuary is in Greensboro, Vt. The 160-acre site includes the monastery's main house, shown from the back. The sculpture, St. Francis and the Birds by artist Frederick Franck, honors Fr. Thomas Berry. (GSR photo/Gail DeGeorge) Earlier this summer, Gail DeGeorge, editor emerita of Global Sisters Report, took a road trip into the verdant hillsides of Vermont to visit a unique community of Catholic sisters who have devoted their ministerial lives to caring for the earth. The Sisters of the Earth community reside at Green Mountain Monastery and Thomas Berry Sanctuary in Greensboro, Vermont. The 160-acre grounds are a realization of a vision by Sr. Gail Worcelo, who with then-lay associate Bernadette Bostwick, were missioned by the Passionist nuns at St. Gabriel's Monastery in Pennsylvania in 1999 to start a new community centered on care for the earth and incorporating many of the teachings of Passionist Fr. Thomas Berry, who was cofounder. Berry is certainly familiar to longtime readers of National Catholic Reporter as an ardent proponent of ecospirituality and co-author with Brian Swimme of the 1992 book The Universe Story. A 25th anniversary celebration of the founding of the community and memorial of Berry, was held June 1 this year, drawing more than 80 supporters of the community to the monastery and hundreds more online. The memorial included a liturgy, art displays and a concert on the theme "awe and wonder." Many other women religious communities and related organizations have eco-ministries and retreat centers that focus on nature and protecting the environment, but what makes the Sisters of the Earth unique is it "is the first community of Catholic sisters founded specifically for Earth healing and protection within the ecozoic era," Worcelo told DeGeorge. While other communities approach their eco-ministries with a human-first approach, she noted, adding that all efforts to protect the environment are needed, the Sisters of the Earth Community stresses the integral connection between humans, the earth and the cosmos. Moreover, the founding of the Sisters of the Earth, Worcelo notes, was 16 years before Pope Francis published his encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home." Yet the Sisters of the Earth Community cannot join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious as members because it is not a public association, the next canonical step in receiving recognition by the Catholic Church as a congregation. That step can take decades — 50 years or more — according to canon law experts. Read more: Sisters of the Earth Community focuses on 'largest pro-life issue' — the Earth     What else is new on EarthBeat:   Youth climate leader: Timor-Leste stands with Pope Francis on integral ecology by Isaura Baptista Barros Being in the same space as Pope Francis during his visit to Southeast Asia, we wanted to show him that the seeds he planted in his encyclical Laudato Si' are growing strong in our island nation of Timor-Leste. Read more here »   Praying With Creation: Listen to the Earth's cries of sorrow by Christina Leaño This week, our prayer invitation will shift: to attune to the sorrow of the Earth. We are invited to listen to the cry of creation and connect to our own sorrow for our role in the environmental crisis. Read more here »   As wildfires rage in Bolivia, bishops warn of lasting damage to 'Mother Earth' by Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News "Today we repeat to all those in charge the words of Jesus from today's Gospel: 'Ephphatha,' open your eyes and see the reality, see how children, the elderly, the sick in hospitals, and people living in the countryside are suffering from the smoke of the fires, from the smoke that covers the purest sky in America," Auxiliary Bishop Stanislaw Dowlaszewicz of Santa Cruz de la Sierra said. Read more here »   Flash flooding temporarily closes Lourdes' grotto by Maria Wiering, OSV News River flooding forced the temporary closure of the famous grotto at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France. The shrine complex remained open to visitors. A morning Mass, however, was canceled Sept. 7 at the major Catholic pilgrimage site, which has experienced several major floods in recent years. Read more here »   Clothing 'zombie' of NY Fashion Week puts throwaway culture on full display by Céire Kealty One piece from New York Fashion Week put fashion's throwaway tendencies on full display. Some NYFW-goers found themselves face-to-face with a towering clothing pile, animated and ambling about Manhattan. Read more here »   In election year, climate faith leaders urge voters to make environment a priority by Elizabeth E. Evans, Religion News Service Polls show voters are concerned with other issues, such as inflation and immigration. But the environment continues to be a top concern for many voters, especially younger ones, and the issue crosses lines of faith and politics in ways that others don’t. Read more here »   What's happening in other climate news: What to know about fracking, false claims and other climate issues mentioned during the debate —Alexa St. John and Melina Wallng for the Associated Press GOP gets 85% of the benefit of climate law. Some still hate it. —Kristi E. Swartz for Floodlight One of the most potent greenhouse gases is rising faster than ever —Sarah Kaplan for the Washington Post Regenerative agriculture is sold as a climate solution. Can it do all it says? —Julia Simon for National Public Radio A Pennsylvania fracking company with more than 2,000 environmental violations was selected for federal environmental justice funding —Kristina Marusic for Environmental Health News     Colombia deadliest country for environmentalists in 2023, rights group says —Oliver Griffin for Reuters Those Keurig Coffee Pods? They’re Not So Recyclable, the S.E.C. Says. —Hiroko Tabuchi for The New York Times Final Beat: As of Friday morning in the U.S., Pope Francis was heading home to Rome from his 12-day trek through Asia and Oceania. At various points in the trip, the longest of his 11-year papacy, he highlighted the importance of creation and the plight facing island nations from climate change. Most notably, in Indonesia he signed a joint declaration with grand imam Nasaruddin Umar calling on religious leaders to deepen their cooperation in order to fight climate change and dehumanization. Revisit all of NCR's coverage of Francis' first trip to Oceania. Thanks for reading EarthBeat.    Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org Instagram: @broewe_ncr     Featured Advertisers   FAITH+JUSTICE IN ELECTION 2024: Teach, Preach, and Pray with Education for Justice's nearly FIFTY election-based prayers and learning resources.   Advertisement