| Sisters of Earth is
an informal network of women from the United States,
Canada, and beyond who share a deep concern for
the well-being of Earth and seek to support each
other in the common effort to attain spiritual
and ecological healing on a global scale. Although
primarily composed of Roman Catholic religious
women, the organization welcomes all
women
whose life
and work would identify them as Sisters of Earth.
At the bi-annual general meetings that are held
in different locations over the course of several
days, members gather together for presentations,
discussions, networking, ritual, celebration, and
planning. At the gatherings, members share ideas,
experiences, and resources about sustainability
ventures such
as community supported agriculture, organic gardening,
seed saving, environmental resource and energy
auditing, conservation initiatives, institutional
greening, ecological design, earth literacy, environmental
education, earth spirituality, ecofeminism, and
eco-justice. Plenary speakers at past conferences
include: Passionist Priest and geologian, Thomas
Berry; Founder and Director of Genesis Farm, Miriam
Therese MacGillis (OP); Professor of Buddhism and
Ecology at the University of Vermont, Stephanie
Kaza; and ecofeminist author, lecturer, and teacher,
Charlene Spretnak. Sisters of Earth
has more than
300 members. |
| Inter-religious |
| International |
| 1994–Present |
| The origins of Sisters
of Earth can be traced back to 1993, when three
Sisters of St. Joseph organized a meeting of “Sisters
of Earth” for all religious women
involved or interested in Earth spirituality. More
than fifty women from seventeen different states
as well as Canada attended
the gathering that was held in July of 1994 at
St. Gabriel’s Monastery in Clarks Summit,
Pennsylvania. This initial meeting marked the official
beginning of Sisters of Earth, an informal network
of women dedicated to working together to foster
healing between humans and the rest of creation.
The second meeting was held in the summer of 1996,
at Grailville, in Loveland, Ohio, and was attended
by 100 people, primarily nuns. Around this time,
lay Catholic, as well as non-Catholic, women began
joining the organization. In 1998, the
bi-annual meeting was held in Wisconsin, at Sinsinawa
Mound Conference Center, and the fourth meeting
took place at Casa De Maria, in Santa Barbara,
California, in 2000. Nearly 150 women attended
the most recent conference, entitled “Healing
as a Planetary Agenda,” at Mont Marie Conference
Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts in August of 2002.
The most recent gathering, entitled, "Sharing the
Wisdom, Shaping the Dream of the Beautiful Wild
Forces Within," was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas
in July of 2004. |
| “Sisters of Earth
is an informal network of women who share a deep
concern for the ecological and spiritual crisis
of our times and who wish to support one another
in work toward healing the human spirit and restoring
Earth’s life support systems.” |
| Sisters of Earth is
composed of representatives from many different
religious and secular organizations, centers, and
communities engaged in ecological work. Its partner
organizations are too numerous to list. |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
Sylvia Verde, 2004 Conference
Coordinator
Sisters of Earth International
13 Foley Crescent
Thorold, ON L2V 2K7
Ph: 905.227.4357
Email: sylviaverde1804@aol.com |
