Book notes: Catholic eco-awareness deserves attention

WHILE I WAS A JESUIT in formation, I had the privilege of taking part in several Zoom meetings with hundreds of religious sisters focused on ecology. In my time with these communities, and in my research in ecology education, I was surprised to learn that many seemingly novel ideas about caring for the planet have roots in religious and scientific concerns from the 1970s. Whether through prayer, questioning, preaching, or ministry, the sisters I met on Zoom carry forward the spark of ecological action that has resurfaced in recent years. As I look to the future, it’s clear that we will need new stewards to preserve and foster this interest in ecology within the church. It’s also clear through my peers and work in education that Catholics in their 20s and 30s are already concerned about environmental issues. In light of these realities, the book Green Saints for a Green Generation (Orbis 2024) provides an opportunity to hear a variety of young Catholics reflect on environmental responsibility from a faith perspective. 

The book’s editor, Sister Libby Osgood, C.N.D., gathers essays from 11 other women, including a graduate student friend of mine and several religious sisters, whose ecological outlook is informed by faith and scholarship. Sister Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J., provides a foreword to the collection, outlining the theological underpinnings of the ideas of sainthood and ecology while also showing the intellectual continuity with this newer generation of scholars. The essays range from the meaning of the bouquet that Our Lady of Guadalupe provided to Juan Diego to Thomas Merton’s connection to Indigenous eco-theology.

Each essay focuses on one or more green saints, canonized or not, who reveal an aspect of Catholicism’s connection to caring for our common home. Amid the variety of subjects, several key threads weave through the essays. Each includes personal anecdotes from the authors in a refreshing shift from many academic texts. The authors write not only from their studies but their lived experience and spirituality. In one chapter, Sister Réjane Cytacki, S.C.L. shares her personal encounters with Sister Paula Gonzalez, S.C., who worked mainly in Cincinnati to inspire others in ecological action. In another chapter, Flora X. Tang writes about her experience of daily practices in an immigrant family that is practical, spiritual, and incidentally ecological. This communal approach highlights experiential wisdom alongside expertise in science and theology, which also appear in the essays. Readers are invited to reflect on their encounters with nature and how faith might call them to deeper engagement.

Another unifying theme is resilient hope amid a stark consideration of reality. A frequent concern in current ecology education is how to address high rates of ecological despair among young people. As Osgood notes in her introduction, all the writers express their concern for the planet through the lens of their generation, whether they are Millennials or Gen Z. They speak to past and future generations of Catholics, including the younger members of Gen Alpha who share an even more heightened concern for environmental issues.

But more than expressing the specific tenor of these generational concerns, the essays reveal the deep well of tradition within the Catholic Church to help young people encounter these deserts of despair with clear sight and actionable steps. For example, Sister Jessi Beck, P.B.V.M. shares several tools from Saint Ignatius of Loyola that provide practical and spiritual guidance, with reminders to “stay the course, resist paralysis, know you’re not alone, and patiently look for hope.” In her chapter, Osgood shares the story of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre-Dame of Montreal, the first uncloistered congregation in North America, one that included two Indigenous women from the Huron and Onondaga nations. Especially in a country like Canada that has grappled with a brutal history with Indigenous communities, Osgood presents a model of a green saint as a beacon of reconciliation and ecological stewardship.

In one of my favorite chapters, LaRyssa D. Herrington explores the ecological themes in the writing of Toni Morrison. I only recently learned of Morrison’s Catholic faith, which is not often recognized as an influence in her life. In fact, as Herrington shares, Morrison’s pen name of Toni comes from her baptismal name of Anthony, which she chose at age 12. Herrington traces how Morrison uses color in her work to express ecological and theological concepts, such as “a brown ecology of fertility, a green ecology of healing, an orange ecology of death and renewal, and a blue(s) ecology of resistance.” The chapter reveals the theology present in Morrison’s work, seeing it as an inspiration for our own Catholic lens on suffering and the natural world.

Finally, the book’s essays share four main threads of ecological wisdom that can be woven into our Catholic faith.

• Humans as part of nature  As suggested in Aquinas’ vision of the holiness of all creation, we exist as part of nature rather than separated from it.

• Intrinsic value of creation  Every aspect of creation possesses worth beyond its economic or instrumental value. 

• Environmental justice and solidarity  The people who suffer most from environmental damage are often the poor and marginalized. Care for creation must include the Catholic social teaching of solidarity with the most vulnerable.

• Personal action and structural change  Daily choices can contribute to our spirituality of ecology even while larger structural changes are essential to have a noticeable impact on global issues.

Green Saints for a Green Generation could be an excellent resource in discussion groups for discerners. Many essays could spark conversation about how our Catholic faith can connect with ecological principles. Readers could also compare and contrast the ecological concerns and hopes across generations. Finally, religious community members might find inspiration in these young Catholic essayists, who blend academic, theological, and ecological wisdom into a seamless garment of care for creation. 
 
Philip Nahlik is a science education researcher and practitioner who spent eight years in formation as a Jesuit.