As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ on May 24, 2025, SSND sisters, associates, and partners in ministry share some of the ways that they have incorporated the lessons of Pope Francis’ encyclical into their lives.
SSND associates Donna Haley and Miriam Hankins used the occasion of their parish picnic to display a variety of items that are easier on the environment than their traditional counterparts. Items included in the display were toothbrushes, toilet paper, and cutlery made from bamboo; disposable plates made from sugar cane fiber; bars of soap that can be used as both body wash and shampoo; and a package of laundry detergent sheets.
Miriam also passed out laundry detergent sheets to parishioners as they waited in line to fill their plates. Each sheet had a note clipped to it. One side of the note explained what the sheet was and how to use it. The other side contained the prayer In Solidarity with all Creation. “Just like a gardener planting seeds, I hope our efforts moved at least a few people to change their habits and try different products in order to leave smaller footprints on the earth,” said Miriam.
Upon moving to Benedictine Living Community (BLC) in Shakopee, Minnesota, with a group of School Sisters of Notre Dame in the fall of 2022, Sister Janis Haustein had the idea to create a butterfly garden in the space outside their new home. The proposal was well received by the BLC administration, and before long, the use of native plants and the location was decided on with the help of a Minnesota Extension Agent. A group of 5 SSNDs—Sisters Doris Welter, Rita Wollschlager, Francette Malecha, Emma Buresh and Janis Haustein—studied during the winter months to determine which plants would be most suitable.
In addition to a small budget provided by BLC, Sister Janis procured a $400 grant from Lawns and Legumes that enabled the group to purchase additional plants and equipment. The sisters were also surprised by an offer from a local landscaping company to cover the cost of initial planting. The garden now has 20+ native plants that bloom from early summer through late fall and successfully attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. “It has been thrilling to watch the monarch larvae grow and develop on the milkweed we planted!” said Sister Janis.
Sister Kathleen Storms has been involved with Laudato Si’ from its very beginning. In early May 2015, she received a call from an editor of National Catholic Reporter (NCR) asking her to be a reviewer of Laudato Si’ before its official publication on May 24. Then, in the summer of 2018, she was invited to join with 400 others at the Vatican to gain greater understanding of Laudato Si’. One of the many highlights of the conference was an audience with Pope Francis, which, Sister Kathleen says, gave her the opportunity to “look into the eyes of this holy man and say, ‘Thank you for being the face of God for so many of us’”.
Ten years since its publication, Sister Kathleen remains committed to living out the call of Laudato Si’. She conducts workshops and retreats on the subject and is a member of both the Laudato Si’ Animation Team for the Central Pacific Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Care for Creation Team serving the archdiocese, which is now part of the Minnesota Chapter of the Laudato Si’ Movement.
At Notre Dame Preparatory School, a sponsored ministry of the Atlantic-Midwest Province, students have many opportunities to incorporate the lessons of Laudato Si’ into their lessons and extra-curricular activities. Students have learned firsthand about sustainable growing by cultivating herbs in an Aerogarden Hydroponic System; celebrated Earth Day with a variety of activities; marked World Water Day with a donation to the Thirst Project; displayed handmade designs crafted from recycled materials at sustainable fashion showcases; and participated in Project Clean Stream, the Chesapeake Bay’s largest volunteer cleanup.
Sister Margaret Roozen honors the message of Laudato Si’ by recycling cans and composting. She also follows The Ten Simple Ways to Help Earth, written by Mother Teresa. “I do my part in giving that part of the world back to Creation better than it was before we worked on it,” said Sister Margaret.
Sister Stephanie Spandl has incorporated the lessons of Laudato Si’ into her life in numerous ways. An avid recycler, she is known for getting her hands dirty to retrieve recyclable items from the trash and transfer them to the correct containers in public places and at large gatherings. She has reduced her use of plastic, moving to reusable straws, bags, and water bottles whenever possible and has planted a small garden to practice tending to the earth in her own little corner. In addition to the day-to-day practical efforts she has undertaken, Sister Stephanie also writes letters to Congress, continues to educate herself, and endeavors to educate others both formally and informally. One of those educational efforts involved helping to organize a showing of The Letter, a documentary about Pope Francis’ gathering of representatives of various perspectives to discuss Laudato Si’. Sister Stephanie (far left) and fellow members of her parish’s social justice committee greeted people arriving to the showing with a life-sized cutout of Pope Francis.
A group of sisters living at Benedictine Living Center have responded to Laudato Si’ by collecting materials to be recycled at a Native American Composting Center. Sister Rose Anthony Krebs and Sister Jane Thibault (shown) are among the sisters who participate—collecting materials from apartments on a weekly schedule, bagging it, and handing it over to SSND drivers who take the bags to the composting center.
In response to Laudato Si’, School Sisters of Notre Dame in Sierra Leone have been recycling, as well as practicing organic farming, proper waste disposal, energy conservation, proper use of water, use of solar panels for clean energy, and walking instead of driving when possible. They have also reached out to the poor around them, fulfilling the aspect of Laudato Si’ that draws attention to the poor who are affected by climate crises.
Together with other religious groups, SSND have taken part in peace marches and worked to increase awareness of how negative practices like the cutting down of trees, pollution, littering, and illegal mining are destroying our common home.
In the schools, sisters use the classroom, school assemblies, and school ecological groups to educate students and staff about environmental issues and what can be done to protect and respect the school environment. During the Season of Creation, teachers and students planted trees and flowers at the pre-school and secondary school where School Sisters of Notre Dame minister.
Associates Jim Gill and Sister MacCanon Brown, SFCC, and School Sister of Notre Dame Sister Karen Walther promote Laudato Si’ at the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary (MBHS) in Milwaukee by providing healthy produce for the Sanctuary’s meal and food distribution programs. The three involve volunteers, including Master Gardeners, from the local community as well as from the wider Milwaukee area, providing gardening education to all.
To educate and inspire the wider community, Jim writes a short Laudato Si’ reflection for MBHS’s weekly newsletter. Additional efforts include a planned aquaponics system on an upper floor of the sanctuary, distribution of fresh produce from other sources, and lead awareness and lead testing for neighborhood children. To educate and inspire the wider community to live Laudato Si’, Jim writes a short article for MBHS’s weekly newsletter with quotes from the encyclical and suggestions for how to apply it to everyday life.
The resource development office in the SSND Central Pacific Province has been taking action to care for our planet by offering vegan options and eliminating plastic at their events and switching from hard copy programs to digital programs for their Women’s Leadership Luncheons, eliminating the use of 24,000 sheets of paper in 2025 alone.
SSND Associate Chris Ingrassia (pictured) and her husband Glenn have responded to the call of Laudato Si’ in a number of ways. Because there are no collection centers for recyclables in their small town of Collins, Mississippi, Chris and Glenn save their bags of recyclable items and drop them off when they travel through areas with recycling facilities. Chris and Glen also have reduced their use of single-use plastic water bottles, committing to using tap water that they filter through a water filter.
School Sisters of Notre Dame Betty Uchytil and Lucy Nigh, along with Lovers of the Holy Cross Sister Ngoc Nguyen have made composting their regular Laudato Si’ practice. “Two or three times a week, we send our vegetable and fruit scraps with our pastor for his outside compost bin,” said Sister Lucy. “Composting lessens our amount of garbage, and mixed with other organic material, creates enriched new soil. On Earth Day, we went to visit his garden, celebrate spring, and look forward to the promise of this summer’s abundant garden produce!”
Sister Ndukeobong Clement, head of administration at Caritas Makeni in Sierra Leone, worked with her staff to integrate environmental stewardship into their most recent Caritas Week activities. Team members emphasized care for creation as they undertook a dedicated environmental sanitation exercise, reaffirming their commitment to sustainability. “The effort became a powerful act of witness, as others were inspired to join in the cleaning, demonstrating their appreciation for our commitment to sustainability and shared responsibility,” said Sister Ndukeobong.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame living at St. Anthony’s Gardens in Covington, Louisiana, have a special friend in Ray O’Donoghue, husband of Amy, the wellness nurse at the senior living community. Ray helps the sisters with their commitment to recycling, volunteering to pick up the sisters’ recyclables and deliver them to a recycling facility on a bi-monthly basis.
Sister Patty Rass—who lives at Trinity Woods, an intergenerational community in Milwaukee where a number of School Sisters of Notre Dame reside—has noticed recently how much Laudato Si’ has influenced her art making. One example, a quilted piece entitled Harmony that she began as an exploration of green burial, evolved into a testament to the call and challenge to be in a caring and just relationship with all of creation both in life and in death.
Laudato Si’ also has also had a strong bearing on the monthly contemplative art sessions Sister Patty facilitates at Trinity Woods. Recent themes have led participants to be more mindful, grateful, and in awe of all creation. “As the group comes together there is always a peaceful and spirited energy that ripples out beyond our walls to the whole world,” said Sister Patty. “It’s all about connections!” Those connections are evident in Sister Patty’s current project—a Trinity Woods community quilt. All residents and staff members in the community were invited to give her a swatch of old clothing to be pieced together into a crazy quilt that depicts how their stories are all intertwined in the fabric of life.
When the School Sisters of Notre Dame’s Elm Grove Community moved to Trinity Woods in December of 2021, the Shalom Catalyst Committee moved along with them. Established as a local offshoot of the Congregational Shalom Committee, the group now has 11 members, including both sisters and lay people. The group strives to raise awareness of peace, justice, and the integrity of creation issues among all residents. Residents collect items for recycling, participate in a Laudato Si’ book club, and call attention to World Water Day and Earth Day. Some residents tend to the butterfly garden in the summer and plant vegetables and flowers in raised beds.