In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
… God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1: 1, 31).
Totally dependent on Earth, humans are called to live sustainably so that future generations may enjoy the plenitude of God’s creation. Living sustainably is rooted in CSA’s history and mission. Father Caspar Rehrl, earliest founder of the Congregation, once said, "Oh, how I wish that the Sisters of St. Agnes might someday live on this beautiful land watered by springs." That land eventually became CSA’s St. Joseph Springs Farm and, in 2002, the congregation fulfilled his vision and opened their current motherhouse on the land. We commit to being good stewards of the land and collaborating with First Nation People today on issues that impact our common home and the common good.
For more than 160 years the Sisters tended this land by:
Caring for creation is an urgent responsibility, Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si’ (2015). In response, the Sisters of St. Agnes intensified their commitment to sustainability by adopting a corporate stance to Care for Earth (2016). In 2017, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes voted to begin the process of preserving their property for future generations. Sister Jean Steffes, general superior of the congregation said, “Through this commitment we are living out the Care for Earth: Home of All Living Creatures corporate stance as well as our membership in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.”
On January 10, 2022, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) signed a Conservation Easement Document, in partnership with Glacial Lakes Conservancy (GLC), protecting 237 acres of Earth in perpetuity. CSA land, with its buildings, forests, prairies, wetlands, farm fields, cemetery, labyrinth, nature trails, and three stream channels running down the Niagara Escarpment will be protected from commercial development for all time.
While the sisters will continue to serve as owners and caretakers of the land, GLC is entrusted with upholding the provisions of the easement.
Sister Susan Seeby, a general councilor for the congregation, said, “Considering our Mission Statement, we may say that this conservancy, too, will bring about a manifestation of the risen Christ in our world for those who take the time to come and see the prairies, the wetlands, and the woods teeming with life. The Conservation Easement journey has had many steps, and each of us in CSA has participated along the way. From the careful environmental considerations during the construction of the motherhouse in 2000, to the building of hermitages, planting and maintenance of prairies and woods throughout the years, gardening in the raised beds, even to the choice to offer a ‘green burial’ and the generosity of spirit of those who choose them.”
CSA property is privately owned. Our solar site is open for public viewing any day of the week from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We request that visitors stop at the main entrance to sign-in or call 920-907-2300 prior to touring the array. Tours of the remaining portions of our conservation easement must be scheduled in advance.
Corporate Stance on Care for Earth
In light of the growing impact of climate change on the global community, we, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, honoring our interdependence with all of God's creation and in a spirit of nonviolence, personally and communally renew and recommit to care for Earth, home of all living creatures.
We commit to actions that:
- Flow from a spirituality of integral ecology (Laudato Si’ – Chapter 4) that expresses interconnections among environmental, economic, scientific, social and cultural systems,
- Respect Earth and the interdependence of all life,
- Consume less of Earth’s nonrenewable resources through the six R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and restore,
- Educate ourselves and others about the equitable development of renewable, cleaner energy sources in order to
- mitigate the impact of climate change and
- enable the most vulnerable to adapt to climate change
- Promote a low-carbon economy especially in Nicaragua and the USA where we serve,
- Cooperate with governmental and non-governmental organizations that are committed to care for Earth.
Developed by the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee
Adopted by the Congregation May 31, 2016
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community November 30, 2020
Check out this great
"Guide to Going Green"
for ways you can make an impact.
Interfaith efforts to
Care for Earth:
For more information contact:
Tracy Abler
Justice Coordinator
320 County Road K
Fond du Lac, WI 54937-8158
Phone: (920) 907-2315
Fax: (920) 921-8177