Our ecology-minded Sisters are opening new windows of the world to let all creation become more visible to others.

The Eco Group brings together Sisters who share an interest in creating and enhancing relationships between nature and God and educating others about that connection.

What began as an "interest group" developed into a hands-on committee that mapped out goals and channeled energies into practical projects.

As a starting point, the Eco Group had recommended an extensive Environmental Resource Assessment be conducted on the Baden facilities and properties. The 1999 report serves as a guiding document in areas such as land resources, waste management, wildlife management, energy conservation, physical facilities, and community relations.

With the help of volunteers and members, the Eco Group has developed additional projects that draw on the natural beautyof the 80-plus acres on our Baden grounds. Eco members constructed a labyrinth through which visitors may pray or reflect as they walk the maze-like paths. The group also initiated a tree identification project to raise awareness and knowledge about "other members of God's creation." The development of a workable compost site for the Motherhouse property is a long-term goal of the Eco Group.

On a broader scale, the 24-member Eco Group strives to educate and enrich our Sisters and others interested in Earth and environment and to raise consciousness around simple living.

Two Eco Group members, Sister Lyn Szymkiewicz and Sister Cynthia Comiskey, believe that respect and reverence for Earth begins with one's own "inner landscape." That is why both have participated in educational programs to expand their views of Earth and to promote its sustainability as a habitat for all life - human and non-human.

Sister Lyn, who is Director of Formation Ministries for our Sisters, is working on a master's degree program in Earth Literacy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana. The program is a natural extension of her deeply rooted passion to "find a way to translate to others how ecology issues are critical in terms of social justice," she said. Pointing out that our excesses are the necessities of poor nations, she added, "The extra food and energy that I have are not mine. They belong to someone else."

Sister Lyn's love of Earth can be traced to her grandparents' small farm in Natrona Heights where she saw firsthand how they worked the fields and respected creation - the land, the animals, the crops. Her family's small cabin in Cook's Forest offered Sister Lyn more opportunities to appreciate the outdoors.

It was five years ago on a camping trip in northern Pennsylvania where Sister Lyn said that she was deeply moved to share her gift for understanding the complex implications of ecology with others. It was a desire that had stirred within Sister Lyn after she "put it on hold" while she entered the Congregation and then developed her ministry in formation.

Sister Lyn also participates in Earth Tones, a ministry that uses camping, environmental education, and creative projects to support and encourage understanding of God and creation. She has served as a spiritual director and volunteer naturalist on the camping retreats. Sisters Sue Clay and Mary Pellegrino often team up with Sister Lyn as Earth Tones camp directors.

Also active in the Eco Group is Sister Cynthia, a family systems counselor. She says her "inner landscape" changed significantly after she studied at the Sophia Center at Holy Names College in Oakland, California, and at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, New Jersey. After her nine-month educational experience, Sister Cynthia earned a Certificate in Culture and Spirituality and Earth Literacy.

"The experience has put me in such awe, wonder, and mystery about all of life and God and our interconnectedness, " said Sister Cynthia whose long-time interest in creation spirituality led her to new perspectives on how she views Earth.

"We should regard Earth as a subject, not an object," she said. Not only has she shifted her thinking about the Universe, but Sister Cynthia also has moved from "being a consumer to being a partaker." This personal shift has made Sister Cynthia more aware of Earth and the "sense of peace that comes with a sense of place."

Sister Cynthia believes her view of life as a whole parallels a global phenomenon that is occurring. "There is a paradigm shift to a holistic vision of the Universe," she said. "Within the wider view, whether conscious or unconscious, the human race is being propelled toward recognizing its absolute interconnectedness with the whole."

Sisters Cynthia and Lyn challenge others to listen to the rhythm that emanates from Earth for "this rhythm calls to us, educates us and invites us to understand and know this great Universe and ourselves."

©2008 Sisters of St Joseph - Baden
1020 State Street, Baden PA 15005
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