White Violet Center for Eco-Justice
Teaching, caring, inspiring for all creation. A ministry of the Sisters of Providence, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana was established in 1996. Here you’ll find a herd of alpacas, a flock of laying chickens, a 5-acre USDA certified organic garden, orchards, bee hives, a Farm Store, nature trail and internship opportunities.
A more colorful existence as a fiber arts intern
Earlier last year, I decided to make a change in my life. As I told some people that I was quitting my job so I could go work on an alpaca farm for three months I got a lot of confused looks and many, many questions.
Come with me
With a dramatic outflung hand, Ann points at me and says, “Come with me.” Today it meant learning the arcane art of needle felting. Last week, “come with me” meant holding a chicken in my lap so Dave didn’t have to drive the big white pick-up truck and hold the chicken at the same time. I’m fairly sure he was joking. I hope.
Sustainable living: beyond the basics
“Shop locally. Consider environment as a whole." White Violet Center for Eco-Justice interns offer some practical tips.
Rainy day on and off the farm
Tuesday was a rainy day in Vigo County, Indiana, but it didn't mean everyone at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice organic farm was sitting around twiddling their thumbs.
Sustainable farm living and learning
Interns from New Jersey, Texas, Chicago, California, Louisiana and Indiana living and learning at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice this summer.
Go out and make a difference
Being a sister doesn’t ensure my going to heaven or living a hurt-free or pain-free life. It does not give me prestige or pay a six-figure salary. On the contrary, I have no earthly idea where the pursuit will take me, but I am learning to trust in Providence. The Providence, which, our foundress Saint Mother Theodore reminds us, “has never failed us.” When I look at the person in the mirror, I like who I am becoming.
Maren Van Cleave: A wonderful year at WVC
'I've seen what this life is like and I like it.'
No time for despair: climate change reality
So, why must we change? Drought, floods, fires, extreme weather, uninhabitable places, rising sea levels, species extinction, refugees, disease, food insecurity, inescapable heat … I could go on. Virtually nothing that we know about Earth is untouched by climate change. And no one.
Isabelle McCurdy: Involved in all aspects at WVC
'I've learned so much. It is definitely interesting living community-style, how you experience things together. I've grown a lot.'
Sustainable agriculture internships
An internship at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice has been described as the chance of a lifetime by those who have come and gone. There are many sustainable agriculture learning experiences in the world, but one at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana,…