New tour booklet showcases ecology Sisters promote care of the Earth

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"Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly."

Hildegard of Bingen

Good Stewardship

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Blessings

to You

The Mississippi River Valley is home to an abundance of life. Muskrats forage for food along the river banks and herons hunt the waters. White tail deer browse tall grasses as bald eagles catch the sun on their wings, glinting against the sky.

People have graced these bluffs and prairies-hunting, planting crops and praising God for the bounty. When we follow the paths once trod by Native Americans and early settlers, we do so with gratitude and reverence.

We are among the many people who today make this place our home. We are Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi Valley working together to create awareness of the values we hold in common. We value this gift, this land.

We invite you to learn more about our communities and our stewardship efforts. May our efforts inspire your efforts, and your efforts inspire others.

The Earth Charter

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The Earth Charter is an international people's (not governments, UN or organizations) agreement for a compassionate, just and sustainable world that was written by thousands of folks in 78 countries over the course of 12 years and was launched at the Hague Peace Palace in June 2000. It has the core value of interdependence and calls for economic and social justice, peace, democracy and ecological integrity. The complete document is found at www.earthcharter.org .

"Sharing sacred spaces" is not a new concept for the Sisters of St. Francis of Clinton, Iowa. Ever since their founding in Gethsemani, Kentucky, in 1866, the Franciscan sisters have shared their homes and their lands with their neighbors, their students and patients, and their co-workers.

Today, "Sharing Sacred Spaces" has taken on a new meaning. The Clinton Franciscans, along with sisters of twelve other congregations of Catholic women religious based in the Upper Mississippi Valley, have joined in publishing and distributing a tour book describing their properties and the special ways in which each care for the gifts of creation entrusted to them.

"Sharing Sacred Spaces" invites the public to visit and celebrate creation with the sisters at their motherhouses, retreat and spirituality centers, prairies and woodlands. It is being made available in the Clinton area by the Chamber of Commerce Visitors and Convention Bureau.

"We are among the many people who today make this place - the Mississippi River Valley - our home. We are Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi Valley, working together to create awareness of the values we hold in common," say the sisters in their booklet.

"Sharing Sacred Spaces" was prepared and published by the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton; Sisters of Humility of Mary, Davenport; Sisters of Charity BVM, Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of the Presentation, Sisters of the Visitation, and the Trappistine Sisters all of Dubuque; Carmelite Sisters, Eldridge; Dominican Sisters of the Roman Congregation, Iowa City; Sisters of Mercy, Cedar Rapids; Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, and Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, LaCrosse, Wis.; and the Benedictine Sisters, Rock Island, Ill.

"We believe that all people can become better friends of the Earth and all of its inhabitants," wrote the authors -- communications personnel of the thirteen congregations known as SUN - Sisters United News - who work together regularly. "Contemplating the spirit of God within all things will enable persons to see more clearly that each individual, the Earth, and the whole universe are part of the collection of subjects to be reverenced and are not objects to be used and discarded."

"As Franciscans, we are committed to care of the earth," said Jan Cebula OSF, President of the Clinton Sisters. "Our corporate mission of active nonviolence and peacemaking begins with care of creation. Our home in Clinton, The Canticle, is named for St. Francis' hymn to creation, ' The Canticle of the Sun.' Francis saw all creation as brother and sister - all one in the family of God. Today it is more important than ever that we learn from Francis' example and live in ways that sustain and not drain our Earth."

"We share our homestead with species of plants and animals who inhabited the prairie long before our congregation arrived in Clinton in 1891," she noted. "Our commitment to respect and care for the Earth, especially the land entrusted to us in Clinton, has resulted in our work to preserve and restore native plant systems on our property wherever possible. In the last 12 years, we have commissioned two ecological surveys to identify the underlying causes of environmental damage and recommend practical solutions."

As a result, the Franciscans are restoring the natural ecosystem on the nearly 60 acres that surround The Canticle. They have restored the native tall-grass prairie as a means of natural water management and expanded the edible landscape - apple orchard, grape arbor, berry bushes, natural herbs, and a large, organic garden. They have also taken special care to preserve savannah and trees that pre-date European immigration to the region.

"Restoring the natural ecosystem provides biological diversity and fosters the interconnectedness of ecosystems. This connectedness with creation is integral to our Franciscan lifestyle," said Sister Jan.

"We welcome visitors, as do all the congregations who participated in publishing 'Sharing Sacred Spaces,'" said Sister Jan. "We value this gift, this land. We invite you to learn more about our communities and our stewardship efforts. May our efforts inspire your efforts, and your efforts inspire others."

"Sharing Sacred Spaces" is being placed in city and state welcome centers and other visitor venues and businesses throughout the region. It is available in Clinton at the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber's Kiosk on River Drive, the Clinton Public Library, the Clinton Historical Society, and at Ashford University and The Alverno Health Care Facility.

To receive copies of "Sharing Sacred Spaces," contact Sallyann McCarthy at the Clinton Franciscans, 563-242-7611 or sisters@clintonfranciscans.com