"Our" Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia celebrated Earth Day by visiting their/our Red Hill Farm. Sister Ann Marie Slavin blogged about it on her "Franciscan Life" blog, describing their initial prayer in one of the hoop houses, quotations from various Franciscan writers about the Earth and its natural elements, and their adventures planting seed potatoes in the furrows. Following St. Francis's belief that all natural elements and beings are our brothers and sisters, these are the Franciscan intercessions the Sisters spoke at the farm, as quoted by Sister Ann Marie:
- As Brother Sun brightens the day and dispels the darkness of night—shine on those lost in depression or in fear of violence. Let our Brother Sun nourish these plants and each person partaking of the bounty of the crops to come.
- As Brother Wind brings every kind of weather—may farmers and agricultural workers have what they need to produce abundant crops.
- As Sister Water is useful, humble, and pure—may seasonal rains nourish our fields and refresh our Earth.
- As Sister Mother Earth sustains us—may she be respected and cared for by all peoples; may we turn from our wasteful ways.
This is one of the photographs of the Sisters and others helping to plant our seed potatoes, marveling at how many potatoes will gradually be produced by one small piece of a seed potato. The photo is from
Sr. Ann Marie Slavin's blog post about their Earth Day, which you can access in its entirety by clicking here.
