Moving forward with the Legacy of Care for Creation

A pronounced focus on environmental issues has been woven into the fabric of who the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, ever since Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and her companions stepped foot on the hallowed grounds of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840.

“This has always been part and parcel of who we have been,” Vicar/General Treasurer Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, SP, recently said. “It’s our responsibility to steward this well.”

From taking care of the land at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods since 1840 to the creation of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. From penning the Land Ethic to establishing the new Laudato Si’ Awards, recognizing care for creation is in the heart of all within the Providence Community.

And during this 2026 Laudato Si’ Week, the Congregation is still moving forward.

Following the writing of the encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, in 2015 by the late Pope Francis, the Sisters of Providence established the Climate Change Task Force.

Sister Kathleen Desautels and others discussing climate change and more.

Through this task force, the Congregation reached out to everyone within the Providence Community and committed to a “seven-year journey toward sustainability and integral ecology by developing a Laudato Si’ Action Platform Plan.”

The platform names seven goals, including:

Response to the cry of the Earth,
Response to the cry of the Poor,
Ecological Economics,
Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles,
Ecological Education,
Ecological Spirituality, and
Community Resilience and Empowerment.

As it turns out, seven years was too short of a timeframe. After all, the Sisters of Providence have been at the forefront of care of creation for nearly 200 years. They have opted to continue moving forward.

Sister Marilyn Kofler, SP, chairperson of the newly-named Climate Crisis Task Force, said moving forward with care of creation is essential to not only the Providence Community, but the world.

“We want to continue to honor what we began in 2017,” Sister Marilyn said. “And it has to be a practical reaction, a renewed commitment to creation of care. We have to build awareness through advocacy and paths of action.

“We’re building on this legacy. The continuation for caring for creation will happen. That will not change. The work will continue, but the shape of the structure may change.”

One of the ways the Sisters of Providence intend to continue displaying care for creation is the new Laudato Si’ Awards, which will be handed out every year moving forward during the annual Earth Day Festival.

In April 2026, the Congregation honored the four directors of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, including foundress Sister Ann Sullivan, SP, Sister Maureen Freeman, CSJ, Lorrie Heber, and current director Mary Riley.

Each received a certificate of appreciation from the Sisters of Providence and the Congregation had four trees planted in what is called the “Green Space” but will be renamed “Laudato Si’ Grove” in the near future.

Sister Marilyn places an emphasis on how continuing this momentum will take the entire Providence Community.

“It’s happening. It is growing,” Sister Marilyn said. “I see hope in the fact that there is a future. The future is in the hands of the Providence Associates and sisters who are called to care for creation.”