St. Francis of Assisi is the patron of ecology. St. Francis is the most popular saint, he always comes in first and he believed that every creature is sacred and the world was a "sacred ladder," by which we can ascend to our Creator. To me, Assisi is one of the most amazing places on Earth. I was there in the Jubilee Year 2000, with my son, on a Brooklyn diocesan pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi and Florence. I hope to return one day, on another pilgrimage.
Catholics are realizing, that it is our responsibility to care for the Earth, since it is God's creation and we should be good stewards of creation. I found an article written in St. Anthony Messenger Press on-line titled, Going Green: For the Sake of God's Creation by Mary Jo Dangel. It mentions a lot of good points. For one, more and more parishes are establishing environment committees, what a great idea. As mentioned in the article, People of faith including Catholics are going green because of their religious convictions. Some of them are finding it saves money too...It seems Dioceses, parishes and individuals are finding new ways of fulfilling our moral responsiblity towards creation.....
An example of this is the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery in North Dakota. They slashed their electric bills by installing two wind turbines. The Sisters are implementing wind energy and raising llamas. There is so much that can be done to save energy and help the environment. But for now, on this beautiful Spring day, I'm going to do my part to beautify the Earth and plant some annuals.
NJA
Quotes on Flowers
Earth laughs in flowers--Ralph Waldo Emerson
I will be the gladdest thing, Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers, and not pick one
Edna St. Vincent Millay-"Afternoon on a Hill"
Where flowers bloom, so does hope. Lady Bird Johnson
