Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry
As part of the Provincial House campus and one of the ministries of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry sits atop Good Counsel Hill in Mankato, Minnesota, where it serves as an educational, spiritual, and community resource for the surrounding land and people.
Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry-Events
Parade of Community Gardens across Minnesota, August 16th, 10am-2pm. In our 16th year, we’ll celebrate with a potluck lunch and an open house, special events and tours of the gardens.
Little Sprouts, Gardening for pre-schoolers, Wednesdays, 10 a.m., through August, Good Counsel Community Garens.
Kids Peace Garden – Fall Harvest! Mondays, Sept. 8-22, 4:00-5:30. We’ll dig potatoes, eat homegrown popcorn, and make fall decorations from the garden.
Fall Equinox Harvest Celebration, Monday, September 22, 5:30-7:30. Join us for food and fun!
October 3rd and 4th – Living Well the Second Half of Life Retreat with Kathleen Mary Kiemen, SSND.
Spring Forest Qi Gong Level I Workshop – Saturday, October 18th, 9am-5pm.
Saturday, November 15th – 3rd Annual Earth Justice Conference, “Web of Life, Way of Life.”
Sunday, December 21 – Winter Solstice Community Celebration.
For more information, call the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry at 389-4272 or e-mail lcoons@ssndmankato.org
The Center promotes and fosters awareness and ways of living
that recognize and support the interconnection and interdependence
of all life. Click to view the summer issue of the Earth Almanac. In embracing people of all spiritual paths, the
Center strives toward earth justice and sustainability through
education, spirituality, sustainable agriculture, rural ministry,
and political advocacy. One of the purposes of the Center
is to model environmental stewardship on the SSND land itself
through ecological awareness, ecosystem restoration, support
of local food production, and environmentally sensitive maintenance
practices. Click to view a brochure on Water.
In addition to an environmental education and resource center,
the Center hosts a two-acre organic community garden (Garden Brochure, Garden Contract) that
is tended by SSND sisters and staff, as well as immigrants,
and low to moderate-income people from the area. Through retreats,
discussion groups, community events and advocacy efforts based
on the social teachings of the Catholic Church and the Universe
Story, the Center aims to recognize the sacred all around
us.
Agricultural Roots of Mankato SSND
After the farm crisis in the 1980s, however, a renewed interest in small-scale, sustainable agriculture emerged eventually leading to the founding of the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry. The Center was founded in 1996 as a response to both the pressing concerns of rural people and the emerging environmental awareness of the sisters themselves.
Volunteer
Volunteer opportunities abound at the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry and allow volunteers to grow in knowledge of earth spirituality as well as spend time within the beautiful environment of Good Counsel Hill.
From planting, maintaining and harvesting vegetables for the organic food shelf garden to updating library resources and office files to assisting with events or offering workshops on a variety of topics, there is something for everyone with any level of skill or expertise. Volunteers can donate time year-round, for a short period, seasonally or for a one-time event. Arrangements can be made for groups under 18 years of age.
For more information or to volunteer contact Lisa Coons or call 507-389-4272.
