We were delighted to welcome so many of our dear neighbors to the Motherhouse grounds on Saturday, April 24th to celebrate Earth Day.
Under a bright blue sky, families, friends, and Sisters gathered to spend time in nature, picnicking under the trees on the front lawn, visiting our chickens and community gardens, and learning about the many gifts of creation – and what each of us can do to care for Earth, our common home.
We are especially grateful to Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters for their generous $1,000 grant that helped us host this free, community event.
Crowded onto benches inside Starla the Storyteller’s tent, children learned a few words of sign language, cheerfully accepting Starla’s invitation to help her tell stories about nature and the Bible before moving to the neighboring tent where Sisters and Girl Scouts from Troop 52911 helped them make binoculars from recycled toilet paper rolls, tree bark nametags, and pinecone bird feeders.
Wonderful music from Bobby Thompson and Rich Manion floated through the air, as did the savory smells radiating from Papa Duke’s Food Truck. Groups filled the tents of local environmental advocates from the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Committee, Moms Clean Air Force, Community Advocates for Economy (CAFE), Big Sewickley Creek Water Association, Clean Air Council, and Communities First Sewickley, learning about how our neighbors are working to protect our local air, land, and waterways from pollution and degradation.
Local geologist Doug Fowler’s display included a variety of rock samples representing the compositions of the Earth’s crust and mantle, and Crop and Kettle, a local nonprofit working to address food insecurity and barriers to employment, sold seedlings. Buster, Muffin, and Zoey from the Pets with Heart Team brought smiles to all who stopped to give them a pat on the head, and neighbors got a chance to exchange gently used clothing and household items, reducing waste.
As Sisters of St. Joseph, we believe in a “sacramental universe” of wondrous diversity, a gift of God that requires our care and respect. On Earth Day, we celebrate this gift and recommit to caring for our common home, together.
We are so grateful to all who joined us for this beautiful day and for the opportunity to work together to preserve the resources entrusted to us by God for future generations.
Click here to learn more about our commitment to the Laudato Si Action Platform, a seven-year journey of education, advocacy and action for the sake of Earth and all who live on it.
