| Part of the Motherhouse
complex of the Sisters of Providence and one of
the Congregation’s
newest ministries, the White Violet Center for
Eco-Justice (WVC) promotes sustainability through
a wide-range of projects, including ecosystem restoration,
organic and community supported agriculture, spirituality,
political advocacy, and environmental education.
WVC models sustainable agriculture through its
organic orchards and croplands, which are maintained
by an integrated pest management system. These
lands also supply produce for the congregation’s
dining service and Community Sustainable
Agriculture (CSA) program. The staff tends a
wild bee population,
an alpaca herd, and a large compost
pile. Animals return important nutrients to the
soil and the WVC chose alpacas for two reasons:
because they are gentle on the land and because
their fleece can provide income and work through
spinning and weaving. In addition to its agricultural
projects, the Center practices
ecological stewardship through the restoration
of wetland, forest, lake, and prairie ecosystems
on the 1,200 acre campus. In the spirit of healing,
WVC collaborates with the Nest Box Network at Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology to host twenty-five bluebird
houses built by cancer survivors. Carrying on the
congregation’s
teaching mission, the Center offers various environmental
education programs for children, college students,
and adults as well as longer-term internships.
In addition to its own educational programs, WVC
participates in the Master of Arts in Earth Literacy
Program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, which
shares the campus with the Sisters of Providence.
The Center carries out its commitment to eco-justice
through advocacy efforts, supporting political
campaigns, working with legislators and lobbyists,
raising consciousness about sustainability issues,
and running an email action alert program. The
practical, hands-on projects at WVC grow out of
a spirituality of hope and healing that is based
on the theological concept of divine Providence.
With its lakes, woods, fields, walking trails,
reflection garden, and straw-bale retreat house,
the Center provides many opportunities for spiritual
connection and rejuvenation through nature. |
Christianity
(Roman Catholic) |
United States of America
(Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods,
Indiana) |
| 1996–Present |
Since their arrival
from France in 1840, the Sisters of Providence
at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
provided much of their own food, water, and coal
on their 1,200 acres of land. With the industrialization
of agriculture following World War II, the congregation
sold its livestock, bulldozed its orchards, and
leased its fields to farmers who used “conventional” means
(chemicals, heavy machinery, and mono-cropping)
to increase yields. The White Violet Center rose
out of one woman’s persistent vision and
the congregation’s commitment in 1991 to
be “stewards of Earth’s Common Fund.”
In 1992, Sister Ann Sullivan, Founder and Director
of WVC, wrote a proposal encouraging the congregation
to become a better steward of its land and resources.
At the 1993 International Assembly of the Sisters
of Providence, the idea of establishing an eco-justice
center was endorsed. Immediately, a planning
group convened and plans for the new center began.
Logging
and agricultural chemical use was discontinued
by 1995; the greenhouse shed was transformed
into an office; and an organic gardener was hired.
The
Center officially opened in 1996, and within
a year, the newsletter was born; orchards were
replanted;
the Bluebird trail was constructed; and the CSA
program was established. In 1997, the Center
received its first Golden Eagle Environmental
Grant from
Indiana Power and Light Company for wetlands
restoration (it has received two more IPALCO
grants since then).
In 1998, the first alpacas arrived at the Center,
initiating a project made possible by a Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education grant to put
environmentally sound animals on the land. 1998
also saw the construction of a straw-bale retreat
house and the first Master of Arts in Earth Literacy
class at the college. In 2000, the administration
and education offices were moved into another
building across from the greenhouse and farm
offices, providing
more space for the Center’s many activities
and enabling its eco-justice ministry to continue
to grow.
|
| “White Violet
Center for Eco-Justice, a Ministry of the Sisters
of Providence, exists to
foster a way of living that recognizes the interdependence
of all creation. Grounded in an understanding of
Providence Spirituality as hope and healing, the
Center offers leadership and education in the preservation,
restoration, and reverent use of all natural resources.
The Center provides opportunities for many persons
to participate in creating systems that support
justice and sustainability, locally and globally.
Through organic agriculture, eco-justice education
and social advocacy, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice
strives to promote an awareness and a way of living
which supports all life.” |
Department of Natural Resources
Global Education
Associates
Indiana Environmental Council
National
Catholic Rural Life Conference
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
College
Sierra Club
Sisters of Earth
Women of
Providence in Collaboration
Local public schools
and libraries |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice
1 Sisters of Providence
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876–1089
Ph: 812.535.3131, ext. 525
email: wvc@spsmw.org
Master of Arts in Earth Literacy
Program
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876–1089
Ph: 812.535.5160
Fax: 812.535.4613
email: elm@woods.smwc.edu |
