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Catholic Health World

For sisters in Catholic health care, love of the Earth is second nature

By JULIE MINDA

The Catholic health ministry is helping to lead the movement to make health care more "green." Among those who are most passionate about this work, are women religious who see environmental stewardship as a natural extension of their healing ministry.

As Earth Day neared, Catholic Health World spoke with seven of these sisters.

Ecology through a social justice lens

Sr. Susanne Hartung was drawn to the Sisters of Providence because of their commitment to helping the poor.

The congregation is called to advocate social justice on behalf of the poor, and "we consider environmental responsibility as central to social justice," said Sr. Hartung. She is chief mission integration officer for Providence Health & Services' Washington-Montana Region in Renton, Wash. Providence has sustainability resource groups throughout the system charged with improving environmental stewardship. Sr. Hartung sponsors the group associated with Providence's executive offices.

She said the link between ecology and the lives of the poor is most obvious in developing countries, where people struggle to obtain food, water and shelter, and environmental degradation can make it harder to get what they need to live.

In stark contrast, she said, "We in the United States have so much, and waste so much, with little thought of what it is doing (to) our environment."

She said that she makes an effort to be environmentally conscious and hopes to influence others to do the same. "God has given us this precious Earth as stewards, and I take the Earth as a gift to be treasured," Sr. Hartung said.

The illusion of separateness divides us

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, who sponsor St. Joseph Health System, trace their origins to Jean-Pierre Medaille, a priest in 17th century France who em-phasized the need for people to honor their connection to their "dear neighbor."

"Over time, we've made the connection in our congregation that the 'dear neighbor' is also the Earth," said Sr. Kit Gray, CSJ, the congregation's general superior. She said particularly over the last several years, the congregation — both in the U.S. and internationally — has grown in its understanding of the importance of protecting the earth and in its efforts to do so. "It's a mindset and a 'heart set,'" she said.

While Sr. Gray is encouraged about the growth of environmental efforts across the nation, she is concerned about how difficult it is to have a dialogue about subjects including global warming, when opinions are sharply divided and everyone is just "yelling at each other."

Everyone is interconnected, she said. "We need to break through the illusion of separateness. Jesus made us all one, and we need to break through the things that seem to separate us."

Doing things differently for Earth's sake

St. Francis' love of the Earth also inspires Sr. Mary Beth Glueckstein, OSF, chairperson of sponsorship for Wheaton Franciscan Services of Wheaton, Ill.

She said when she took her vows in the late 1960s, environmentalism wasn't in the foreground for her or other members of the Wheaton Franciscan congregation. And yet, she said, "St. Francis' love for the Earth and the way he went about caring for creation is something that has always been carried in our hearts. The focus now — that we need to do things differently in order to preserve this Earth — is very strong within our congregation."

Toward this end, Sr. Glueckstein and other sponsors audit Wheaton's progress annually, to ensure alignment with the Franciscan Sisters' mission. "Every organization has to be involved in our mission and do what they can do to develop a green environment," she said. Wheaton facilities recycle, they strive to build green and take pains to use resources efficiently, for instance.

"It's the Franciscan thing to do, to keep our Earth whole and holy," said Sr. Glueckstein.

Every day is Earth Day

As Sr. Janet Corcoran, OSF, sees it, if everyone on the planet would emulate St. Francis of Assisi, the world would be a much better place.

"Francis had that reverence and respect for all of life. He cherished all of God's creation — it's a beautiful philosophy," said Sr. Corcoran, vice president of mission services for Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, Calif.

St. Francis is the patron saint of Sr. Corcoran's congregation, the Sisters of St. Francis; and he is the patron saint for ecology. "Francis called everyone and everything his brother and sister," she said. "He'd walk up to a rat and say, 'How are you doing, little brother rat?'"

To live out the Franciscan philosophy, Sr. Corcoran said, people should do what they can every day to reduce their impact on the Earth. She promotes this approach at Marian. Among its green initiatives, the hospital is cutting waste, composting, saving water and rewarding workers who carpool.

Sr. Corcoran said, "What's really important is that we celebrate Earth Day every day."

Healthy planet, healthy people

When Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland in the 1800s, she emphasized that in addition to providing immediate help when there is a need, people should address the systemic reasons why the need exits.

This thrust continues today and it motivates the Mercies' work in environmentalism, said Sr. Susan Vickers, RSM, vice president of community health for San Francisco's Catholic Healthcare West. "The Mercies come at it primarily because of its impact on people that we know and experience in our ministries."

CHW works for systemic change in part by encouraging vendors to provide Earth-friendly products. It also uses its influence over the companies in which it invests, to push for environmental responsibility.

Internally, too, CHW is "looking at ways that we can make our own operations less impactful on the environment," Sr. Vickers said. This is important, she said, because of the intimate relationship between the health of the planet and the health of individuals.

Care of creation

While Sr. Rose Marie Jasinski, CBS, and Sr. Rosemary Moynihan, SC, are from different congregations, the women share a concern for the environment stemming from the same motivation: to support healthy communities for people.

Sr. Jasinski, who leads the Bon Secours Sisters of the U.S., said the congregation's foundresses "were basically concerned for the health of the whole person, the whole family and caring for the whole person. Over time, we have evolved that into including all of creation in that sense of being holistic."

Sr. Moynihan, a Sister of Charity, is director of ecology and global ministries for Bon Secours Health System of Marriottsville, Md. She said she grew increasingly concerned about the health of the planet as she saw how poor people are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation.

Sr. Moynihan and Sr. Jasinksi want environmental responsibility to become a reflexive part of the collective psyche. Sr. Jasinski said, "We want to come to a focus on caring for the Earth, so that (people say), 'It's just a part of who I am and what I do and part of my prayer and my spirituality.'"

Copyright © 2010 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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