Caring for Our Common Home

Welcome to Sparrow's Song! This is the first post of many to keep you updated on Seton Harvest's Sustainable Living Program.

Laudato Si': On Care For Our Common Home, the 2015 encyclical letter from Pope Francis, has inspired people and communities around the world to hear and respond to "the cry of the Earth" and "the cry of the poor". Many are actively making commitments to live a more integrated life, with all beings, collectively sharing this planet we call Home. Those who have joined the Laudato Si' Action Platform are on "a journey towards full sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology."

Our lives are interwoven with the most common and smallest of beings, like the Song Sparrow. Echoing St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis encourages us to see all creatures great and small as our "brothers and sisters". He urges us to have a change of heart, an eco-conversion, away from shortsighted approaches to the economy, commerce, and production. The Pope promotes a movement away from the view that different species and their habitats are "resources" for our quick and easy profit.

Humans are part of and rely on biodiverse ecosystems that are disappearing at a rapid pace. The negative impacts of pollution, climate change, and inequality experienced by the smallest and poorest of our brothers and sisters effect us all. We must tune-in to hear their call and learn to live more sustainable lifestyles, now and for future generations.

"Whether believers or not...the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and underprivileged." Pope Francis, LS 93

As a faith-based organization and believers that the world is a gift from God to be shared, we are following the Pope's call to provide opportunities for ecological education and conversion that encourage sustainable lifestyles. New tours, workshops, and events are coming to the farm as part of the Sustainable Living Program. These will be an addition to the general field trips and tours about earth-friendly farming and healthy eating. For more information, contact Amy.Rhodes@doc.org about the new program.

Upcoming Sustainable Living Program Projects and Events

• Our Common Home Trail - A new 3/4 mile path is now available for shareholders and their families, volunteers, Daughters of Charity residents and employees to connect and contemplate their relationships in nature. Ask for directions to the Trail on your next visit to the farm.

• ​Native Pollinator Plants in the Landscape - Join SWIMGA at Seton Harvest on September 10, 2022 and help install 560 native plants. Work alongside others while learning about the importance of native pollinator plants and selecting the appropriate species for your landscape. See the Volunteer page under the "Get Involved" tab of SetonHarvest.org to register.

• ​An Evening On the Farm With Indiana Poet Laureate, Matthew Graham - Enjoy this sense of place reading, talk, and book signing while listening to the sounds of nature and Matthew Graham share the timeless moments captured in his poems. See the Events page under the "Get Involved" tab of SetonHarvest.org for more information.

"Laudato Si', mi' Signore" - "Praise be to you my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs."

~ Saint Francis of Assisi ~