The Landscape: Nature and Emotions
I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.' - Sylvia Plath, writer, in The Bell…
A New Mission in Napier, New Zealand
Baby swan plants being lovingly tended Laudato Si' challenges us to “care for the natural environment and all people …,” and so a new mission has started in Napier, New…
Laudato Si’ and Samoa
The more we love Planet Earth the more we will reverence and protect our natural environment. The more we love Planet Earth, the more we will be aware that we…
Responding to Climate Change in New Zealand
There are few who would claim that climate change is good for us. What is particularly problematic for me as a New Zealander are the different responses currently being suggested.…
The Beauty of Soil Part II
Previously, I left you with this question: “How does a gardener, who knows soil is alive with so many creatures, look after the soil?” Generally, gardeners care for the physical…
The Beauty of Soil Part I
It was my interest in safe and healthy food that first drew me to gardening, which seemed a good way to provide pesticide-free, nutritious meals over the summer and well…
Hope for the Ōpāwaho/Heathcote River
62 Ferry Road, Christchurch, New Zealand is well remembered by the many Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions as they made their novitiate there, the second convent home of…
Catholic Sisters as Eco-Missionaries
The Sisters of Our Lady of Missions, my congregation, was one of the many 19th century congregations founded to involve Catholic sisters in a subordinate capacity in assisting bishops and…
Come Into The Garden With Me
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), British horticulturist and garden…