Catholic health ministries across the nation are joining other Catholic groups in marking the Season of Creation by taking part in Pilgrims of Hope for Creation.
Pilgrims of Hope is the theme of the Catholic church's 2025 Jubilee year. Season of Creation is an annual ecumenical celebration of prayer and action to protect the planet. It takes place from Sept. 1, which is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who is revered as the patron of ecology.
CHA is one of 22 collaborating organizations behind Pilgrims of Hope for Creation, an initiative encouraging Catholic communities and organizations to plan brief events, or pilgrimages, throughout the Jubilee year that orient them to the sacredness of nature.
The organizations describe the initiative's goal as "to lift a unified voice around Laudato Si' and the importance of care for creation in the United States and the Catholic church." Laudato Si' is a call to action issued by Pope Francis in 2015. It urges Catholics to care for Earth and all its inhabitants, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized.
In a press release, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of CHA noted: "In Catholic health care, we see firsthand this inseparable link between the environment and the health of communities. People cannot thrive when their air and water are polluted or when their communities are continually ravaged by extreme weather events fueled by global warming, such as wildfires, floods, and heat waves. Pilgrims of Hope for Creation brings Catholics and Catholic institutions together to renew our sacred relationship with nature, build community, and take action to protect our common home so all can flourish."
Indu Spugnardi, CHA's senior director of community health and eldercare, hosted a virtual gathering in August to share an overview of the initiative and the motivation behind it.
"We are facing an ecological crisis that requires widespread, urgent action," Spugnardi said. "We need to connect and energize the Catholic community on this issue, going beyond our own members. But before we can call people to action, we need to help them understand the true cause of the crisis, which is broken relationships with God, with nature, and with each other."
The groups behind Pilgrims of Hope for Creation are urging Catholics to take pilgrimages that are not so much physical journeys as spiritual ones, Spugnardi explained. "Please keep in mind, you don't have to do a three-day pilgrimage to a holy site," she said. "This is something that we can all do within the context of our organizations."
Spugnardi pointed out that there are resources for planning pilgrimages as well as a place to register a pilgrimage on the Pilgrims of Hope for Creation website. By early September, more than 150 pilgrimages were listed.
As part of the virtual gathering Spugnardi hosted, representatives of three Catholic health systems shared how their organizations are marking Season of Creation and taking part in Pilgrims of Hope for Creation. Here's a brief look at what each shared.
Ascension: Lois Sechrist, manager of sustainability, said Ascension is promoting "culture councils" in all its markets. The councils are charged with streamlining and promoting various Ascension initiatives, such as those focused on diversity, ecology and mission. Those councils will be encouraged to plan pilgrimages that include statuary, respite areas and healing gardens at Ascension sites.
In addition, Sechrist said Ascension facilities will continue a tradition of holding Blessing of the Animals services on the Feast of St. Francis.
CommonSpirit Health: Sr. Mary Ellen Leciejewski, OP, system vice president of environmental sustainability, showed a brief agenda for a 30- to 45-minute service that CommonSpirit created for pilgrimage events.
She said the system is encouraging its hospitals to use natural spaces on their campuses for pilgrimages. Among the sites identified as good prospects for the short journeys are a labyrinth on one campus and a rooftop garden on another. But she said CommonSpirit also has suggested to hospitals that walks to nearby places "where the wounding of creation is apparent," such as those that have been destroyed by fires, droughts, floods or affected by pollution, would be equally appropriate for a pilgrimage.
Sr. Leciejewski said some facilities might give away keepsakes, such as glass rocks with inspirational words or small wooden hearts, at events and invite community groups with environmental missions and clergy and women religious to participate.
Providence St. Joseph Health: Beth Schenk, chief environmental stewardship officer, said Providence is inviting mission and green team leaders to plan pilgrimages. The system is sharing ideas that include holding reflections in healing gardens, hosting community cleanups and arranging storytelling circles. "We want the mission leaders who will be working on these to develop what is meaningful to their local ministry and culture," Schenk said.
In the first week of October, Providence plans to put out a systemwide call for anyone to share their pilgrimage experience.
Reflecting on all the pilgrimage plans being outlined by Catholic health ministries, Schenk noted that "it's really good to see what we are all doing and to share our notes together like this, get inspiration from each other, and also to affirm that we're on a shared path."