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Christian
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| Adhering to the Rule
of St. Benedict that emphasizes humility, stability,
and frugality, the monks at St. John’s Abbey
are committed to environmental stewardship and
ecological sustainability.
Rooted in a tradition of self-sufficiency and nurturing
a deep and abiding sense of place, the religious
community at St. John’s Abbey has been living
off of a 2,500 acre plot of land in central Minnesota
for 150 years. The land includes the twenty-eight-acre
campus of St. John’s University (SJU) and
the College of St. Benedict (CSB), as well as a
2,500-acre
natural Arboretum, which includes more than twelve
miles of walking trails, nearly 700 acres of wildlife
habitat reserves, and 150 acres of coniferous woodlands,
oak savanna, prairie, wetlands, lakes, and orchards.
On this large parcel of land, Benedictine-style
stewardship, environmental education, and diverse
ecosystems combine to provide an ideal environment
for ecological living and learning. Seeking to
be a place for the study of the connections between
religion and the environment, St. John’s
provides an opportunity to explore the relationship
between humans and nature through spiritual reflection
and practice, academic coursework, and hands-on
research and restoration projects. In maintaining
their entire 2,500 acres of land as a natural Arboretum,
the monks are guided by a vision of caring for
God’s creation and adhere to the principles
of preservation, sustainability, and restoration.
The Arboretum recently obtained Green Certification
through the SmartWood forest management certification
program, which verifies that the forest is sustainably
managed through a combination of harvesting, thinning,
and replanting. Areas of undisturbed wildlife habitat
provide opportunities for wildlife observation,
research, and recovery. Through the Habitat Restoration
Project, the Abbey is working to revitalize three
increasingly rare native Minnesotan habitats: prairie,
wetlands, and oak savanna. The walking trails and
boardwalk provides access to these unique habitats,
and Arboretum staff offer educational tours and
programs. The Arboretum’s newsletter, Sagatagan
Seasons, is published quarterly. |
Christianity
(Roman Catholic) |
United States of America
(Collegeville, Minnesota) |
| 1856–Present |
When the first Benedictine monks arrived in
Minnesota in 1856, they immediately began to
plant pine trees,
initiating a practice of tree planting and forest
management at the Abbey that continues to this
day. In 1894 they established the first pine
plantation in Minnesota, which is now the oldest
in the state.
Until the middle of the twentieth century, the
monks lived self-sufficiently on the land, milling
lumber and making bricks for their structures,
providing food (fruit, vegetables, milk, honey,
and maple sugar) for themselves and their students,
planting trees and maintaining the forests. While
the monks no longer raise the majority of their
food and material resources, they carry on sustainability
practices because of their spiritual belief in
the obligation to care for creation as a gift
from God. In the late 1980s, an Environmental
Coordinating
Organization was formed to assess recycling practices
and energy use on campus and to begin to formulate
an environmental studies program. During that
period, Fr. Paul Schwietz initiated a 150-acre
Habitat
Restoration Project, which entailed extensive
conifer planting as well as wetland, prairie,
and savanna
restoration. In 1997, all 2,500 acres were designated
as a natural Arboretum. In 1994, students at
the university could minor in Environmental Studies,
and in 2002, the faculty approved a major as
well.
In 2001, the Presidents of CSB and SJU issued
an Environmental Statement articulating their
commitment
to cherish, honor, and steward the natural environment
as an expression of God’s wisdom and in the
tradition of St. Benedict. The Abbey received the
Forest Stewardship Council’s certification
for responsible forest management in 2002. Around
the same time, the Department of Natural Resources
declared that the Abbey’s land was a model
of an intact, functioning oak forest.
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The Abbey’s Vision, “celebrating
and preserving the unique beauty and richness of
God’s creation and fostering the Benedictine
traditions of stewardship, education, and environmental
respect,” is expressed in the Mission of
the Arboretum, which is to:
- “Preserve the
native plant and wildlife communities of
the Arboretum lands
- Sustain the evolving nonnative
environment
of the inner campus
- Provide opportunities
for
education and research
- Model practices of
sustainable land use
- and Make accessible a
natural environment
that invites spiritual renewal.”
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Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The
Nature Conservancy
Minnesota Independent School
District 742 |
| None Listed |
| Jennifer Delanhunty Britz, “EverGreen!” in
Saint John’s Magazine, vol. 41,
no. 2 (Winter 2003): 6–15. |
| None Listed |
Saint
John’s Arboretum
Saint John’s University
Collegeville, MN 56321–3000
Ph: 320.363.3163
Fax: 320.363.3202
Email: arboretum@csbsju.edu |
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This site is hosted courtesy of the
Harvard
University Center for the Environment
Copyright © 2004 Forum
on Religion and Ecology.
All rights reserved.
Last Updated:
12/14/05
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