Creation Care Action Drive (CiCADa) - September 1st through October 4th
CLICK HERE FOR CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Basilica parishioners and friends are invited to join a month-long challenge to act for God’s Creation - as an individual and as a community.
Each CiCADa participant is encouraged to reach, or even surpass, a goal of 5 hours of action through October 4th. The participant with the most hours will be awarded a special honor!
Basilica Day of Stewardship and Service for Creation - Saturday, October 4th - 9AM to 12PM
Join CJC members for a service outing to Lake Hiawatha to help restore its shores with native plantings. Please dress for the weather and bring a water bottle!
Terra Divina - Fridays in September
Developed by the Basilica Creation Justice Committee (CJC) and modeled after the Benedictine practice Lectio Divina, Terra Divina is a nature-based opportunity for individuals to practice 'listening' to God through Creation in a natural setting.
CJC members will convene small groups of individuals (up to 10) in a natural setting to follow the traditional order of Lectio Divina. Creation-focused readings will be intentionally chosen from traditional scripture (i.e., Old and New Testaments) and the writings of Catholic saints, prophets, and theologians - both historic and contemporary. Participants will be invited to meditate and reflect on the reading while opening themselves to experiencing God within the surrounding landscape. Participants will also have the chance to ask their CJC guides about the landscape.
We will offer Terra Divina opportunities each Friday in September at 5:30pm, at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, a short drive from the Basilica. To accommodate and include those with less mobility, accessibility considerations will be factored into site selection. Contact Janice for questions about accessibility.
To register, click on the date:
Pilgrims of Hope Lecture Series: Following in Francis’s Footsteps: Applying a Catholic Conservation Framework in a Dynamic Landscape - Sunday, September 21, 11:15am
Speaker - Rachel Holmes
Living in this Land of 10,000 Lakes, most can appreciate the grace and beauty of the natural world, which Catholics consider the gifts of God’s Creation. With those gifts comes the responsibility to ensure our Common Home – our Earth – can provide nature’s benefits for not only our generation, but the many generations to come. Previous Basilica lectures and workshops have highlighted individual actions we can take in our own backyards. In an effort to complement those conversations, we will explore a contemporary Catholic framework to conserve nature at multiple scales, focusing especially on opportunities to act for systems-level change. This nonpartisan exploration will draw on the teachings of both historic and contemporary Catholic saints, theologians, ethicists, and lay leaders to answer the question of how we can individually and collectively use our own respective prophetic voices to conserve Creation. Hint: we start with Hope.
Basilica Laudato Si Action Plan Community Meeting - Friday, October 3 from 5:30PM to 6:30PM
Join us for a lively dialogue and lend your creative energy to The Basilica's Laudato Si Action Plan currently in development. All are welcome!
After the meeting, stay for our FEAST of St. Francis: Community Dinner and Celebration!
The Feast of St Francis: Community Dinner and Celebration - Friday, October 3 from 6:30PM to 8:00PM
Join the CJC and parish staff in celebrating the close of the Season of Creation, and the many gifts of the harvest by enjoying a responsibly-sourced and delicious Italian meal honoring St. Francis of Assisi and help us to celebrate the 2025 Green Halo Stewardship Award winners.
Click Here to register for the October 3, 2025 Events.
We invite and encourage you to celebrate the Season of Creation by participating in events specifically hosted by The Basilica of St. Mary and in addition, other activities and events - click on the link to find a variety of activities.
The Vatican’s global Laudato Si’ Movement offers the Laudato Si Action Platform - seven goals designed to support individuals and communities as they journey toward a just coexistence with the rest of nature.
Season of Creation 2025:
Responding to Laudato Si Through Benedictine Spirituality by Gregory Harris - 9/3/2025
Be Still and Know That I AM God. Psalm 46:10 by Deb Sundquist - 9/12/2025
Season of Creation Saints by Theresa Ptak - 9/23/2025
Pray with your Feet by Andy Willette - 9/26/2025
Lent 2025:
RESPONSE TO THE CRY OF THE EARTH - 2/28/25
CREATING AN ECOLOGICAL ECONOMY - 3/6/25
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION - 3/21/25
ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY - 3/28/25
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE & EMPOWERMENT - 4/4/25
CJC Team
Andy Willette has been a parishioner and choir member at the Basilica since 1996. He and his beloved wife, Amy, have raised 2 children. Andy had a 28 year career in Information Technology before transitioning to an assistant role at Open Circle Adult Day Services in Hopkins. He is involved with various other climate action efforts, including leading the Minneapolis chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-partisan organization which seeks political will for a livable world. Being a part of the Creation Justice Committee creates room to explore the spiritual connection to the world at large. Perhaps you also feel that the wonder and beauty of creation provides both inspiration for spiritual growth and a call to action. As Peter Mayer sings, “Everything is holy now.”
San O’Brien is a retired nurse by trade, a life-long Catholic, a multi-year social justice advocate and a grandma. She came from Annunciation parish in SW Minneapolis and joined the Basilica when she and her husband, Kevin, moved downtown in 2019. San and her husband raised their three boys in the Annunciation Parish and community. San was Co-Chair of Annunciation's Peace & Justice Committee for several years, where they focused on many social justice issues, including the environment, which ignited her passion for environmental causes. She also helped the Academy of Holy Angels start their composting program and most recently started a "Green Team" at the condo where she resides. San recently joined the Creation Justice Committee at the Basilica because their goals align so closely with her personal “calling.”
Gregory Harris has been a parish member of the Basilica since shortly after moving to Minneapolis from Tennessee in 2011. He is a research forester at the University of Minnesota studying the dynamics of dead trees in forest ecosystems and their role in carbon cycling, biodiversity, and other ecological services. Gregory is a Benedictine oblate associated with Saint John’s Abbey. As an oblate he dedicates himself to praying the Liturgy of the Hours and applying the principles of the Rule of Saint Benedict to his life.
Joe Fargione is a parishioner at the Basilica of St. Mary and a native of Minneapolis. He received his PhD in ecology from the University of Minnesota in 2004. He is the Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Region and a coauthor of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. His work focuses on quantifying nature’s benefits to people, including the potential for nature to contribute to fighting climate change.
Rachel Holmes is a conservationist called to protect nature - human and nonhuman alike - for current and future generations. She has a particular passion for trees and forests, and after a decade at The Nature Conservancy, she recently joined the USDA Forest Service - Washington Office as the Forest Health Specialist. She is also a wildland firefighter. A transplant from the East Coast, Rachel became a Basilica parishioner in January 2023. She considers herself fortunate to deepen her faith through serving on the Creation Justice Committee alongside her inspiring colleagues. Rachel earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Forestry, both from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University.
Deborah Sundquist returned to the Catholic Church and joined the Basilica in January 2023 after spending 40 years as a Lutheran. She was born and raised as a Catholic in St. Paul, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in Middle Eastern studies and energy policy. She earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and was a partner at the law firm of Aafedt Forde where she represented employers in employment law and workers’ compensation litigation. In 2015, Gov. Dayton appointed her as a judge to the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals where she continues to serve. Deb is a proud mom of four children and grandmother to one grandchild. She married Mick in 2011 and is blessed with an extended family of two sons, daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. Her goal for the CJC is to reduce The Basilica’s energy costs through renewable alternatives like solar.
Theresa Ptak has been a parishioner of the Basilica since 2013, living and working in south Minneapolis as a professional graphic artist. Her career in creativity has explored avenues of branding, advertising, retail design and packaging– but her most rewarding work has involved supporting local land advocacy initiatives and parks in the state of Minnesota. She has developed creative educational content in partnership with Friends of the Boundary Waters, Stop Line 3 Movement, as well as co-designed the first certified Forest Bathing Trail in the state with Three Rivers Park District. Theresa also serves on the Minnesota Climbers Association board of directors, and loves connecting people to the beautiful rocks and cliff sides of the midwest! She looks forward to serving the Basilica community on the Creation Justice Committee and has big love for the mission of Laudato Si'.
Pope Francis set out in his encyclical Laudato Si’ on the care of creation and his more recent Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Dominum.
Center for Mission - Care for Creation
Fr. Daniel Griffith: Catholic Foundations of Caring for Creation (9/8/24) - click HERE for the recording
Dr. Joe Fargione: Climate Change 101 (9/15/24) - click HERE for the recording
Greg Stanley: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint (9/22/24) - click HERE for the recording
2024 Lenten Fast for Creation Reflections by CJC Team Members
Consider an Energy Fast by Andy Willette
Fast for Creation: Going Meatless by San O'Brien
Plastic Fast by Gregory Harris
Curb your Climate Pollution by Driving Less by Joe Fargione
Reflecting on Our Internal Environment by Rachel Holmes
Fasting from Materialism by Deborah Sundquist
If you are interested in learning more or joining this committee, please contact:
Janice Andersen
Director of Christian Life
Janice Andersen has been on staff at The Basilica of Saint Mary since 1994, working with programs…
MoreCreation Justice
Creation Justice
Creation Care Action Drive (CiCADa) – September 1st through October 4th
CLICK HERE FOR CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Basilica parishioners and friends are invited to join a month-long challenge to act for God’s Creation – as an individual and as a community.
Each CiCADa participant is encouraged to reach, or even surpass, a goal of 5 hours of action through October 4th. The participant with the most hours will be awarded a special honor!
Basilica Day of Stewardship and Service for Creation – Saturday, October 4th – 9AM to 12PM
Join CJC members for a service outing to Lake Hiawatha to help restore its shores with native plantings. Please dress for the weather and bring a water bottle!
Events Activities Blogs CJC Team Resources/Reflections Events
Terra Divina – Fridays in September
Developed by the Basilica Creation Justice Committee (CJC) and modeled after the Benedictine practice Lectio Divina, Terra Divina is a nature-based opportunity for individuals to practice ‘listening’ to God through Creation in a natural setting.
CJC members will convene small groups of individuals (up to 10) in a natural setting to follow the traditional order of Lectio Divina. Creation-focused readings will be intentionally chosen from traditional scripture (i.e., Old and New Testaments) and the writings of Catholic saints, prophets, and theologians – both historic and contemporary. Participants will be invited to meditate and reflect on the reading while opening themselves to experiencing God within the surrounding landscape. Participants will also have the chance to ask their CJC guides about the landscape.
We will offer Terra Divina opportunities each Friday in September at 5:30pm, at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, a short drive from the Basilica. To accommodate and include those with less mobility, accessibility considerations will be factored into site selection. Contact Janice for questions about accessibility.
To register, click on the date:
Pilgrims of Hope Lecture Series: Following in Francis’s Footsteps: Applying a Catholic Conservation Framework in a Dynamic Landscape – Sunday, September 21, 11:15am
Speaker – Rachel Holmes
Living in this Land of 10,000 Lakes, most can appreciate the grace and beauty of the natural world, which Catholics consider the gifts of God’s Creation. With those gifts comes the responsibility to ensure our Common Home – our Earth – can provide nature’s benefits for not only our generation, but the many generations to come. Previous Basilica lectures and workshops have highlighted individual actions we can take in our own backyards. In an effort to complement those conversations, we will explore a contemporary Catholic framework to conserve nature at multiple scales, focusing especially on opportunities to act for systems-level change. This nonpartisan exploration will draw on the teachings of both historic and contemporary Catholic saints, theologians, ethicists, and lay leaders to answer the question of how we can individually and collectively use our own respective prophetic voices to conserve Creation. Hint: we start with Hope.
Basilica Laudato Si Action Plan Community Meeting – Friday, October 3 from 5:30PM to 6:30PM
Join us for a lively dialogue and lend your creative energy to The Basilica’s Laudato Si Action Plan currently in development. All are welcome!
After the meeting, stay for our FEAST of St. Francis: Community Dinner and Celebration!
The Feast of St Francis: Community Dinner and Celebration – Friday, October 3 from 6:30PM to 8:00PM
Join the CJC and parish staff in celebrating the close of the Season of Creation, and the many gifts of the harvest by enjoying a responsibly-sourced and delicious Italian meal honoring St. Francis of Assisi and help us to celebrate the 2025 Green Halo Stewardship Award winners.
Click Here to register for the October 3, 2025 Events.
ActivitiesWe invite and encourage you to celebrate the Season of Creation by participating in events specifically hosted by The Basilica of St. Mary and in addition, other activities and events – click on the link to find a variety of activities.
Activities and Events Calendar
BlogsThe Vatican’s global Laudato Si’ Movement offers the Laudato Si Action Platform – seven goals designed to support individuals and communities as they journey toward a just coexistence with the rest of nature.
Season of Creation 2025:
Responding to Laudato Si Through Benedictine Spirituality by Gregory Harris – 9/3/2025
Be Still and Know That I AM God. Psalm 46:10 by Deb Sundquist – 9/12/2025
Season of Creation Saints by Theresa Ptak – 9/23/2025
Pray with your Feet by Andy Willette – 9/26/2025
Lent 2025:
RESPONSE TO THE CRY OF THE EARTH – 2/28/25
CREATING AN ECOLOGICAL ECONOMY – 3/6/25
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION – 3/21/25
ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY – 3/28/25
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE & EMPOWERMENT – 4/4/25
CJC TeamCJC Team
Andy Willette has been a parishioner and choir member at the Basilica since 1996. He and his beloved wife, Amy, have raised 2 children. Andy had a 28 year career in Information Technology before transitioning to an assistant role at Open Circle Adult Day Services in Hopkins. He is involved with various other climate action efforts, including leading the Minneapolis chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-partisan organization which seeks political will for a livable world. Being a part of the Creation Justice Committee creates room to explore the spiritual connection to the world at large. Perhaps you also feel that the wonder and beauty of creation provides both inspiration for spiritual growth and a call to action. As Peter Mayer sings, “Everything is holy now.”
San O’Brien is a retired nurse by trade, a life-long Catholic, a multi-year social justice advocate and a grandma. She came from Annunciation parish in SW Minneapolis and joined the Basilica when she and her husband, Kevin, moved downtown in 2019. San and her husband raised their three boys in the Annunciation Parish and community. San was Co-Chair of Annunciation’s Peace & Justice Committee for several years, where they focused on many social justice issues, including the environment, which ignited her passion for environmental causes. She also helped the Academy of Holy Angels start their composting program and most recently started a “Green Team” at the condo where she resides. San recently joined the Creation Justice Committee at the Basilica because their goals align so closely with her personal “calling.”
Gregory Harris has been a parish member of the Basilica since shortly after moving to Minneapolis from Tennessee in 2011. He is a research forester at the University of Minnesota studying the dynamics of dead trees in forest ecosystems and their role in carbon cycling, biodiversity, and other ecological services. Gregory is a Benedictine oblate associated with Saint John’s Abbey. As an oblate he dedicates himself to praying the Liturgy of the Hours and applying the principles of the Rule of Saint Benedict to his life.
Joe Fargione is a parishioner at the Basilica of St. Mary and a native of Minneapolis. He received his PhD in ecology from the University of Minnesota in 2004. He is the Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Region and a coauthor of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. His work focuses on quantifying nature’s benefits to people, including the potential for nature to contribute to fighting climate change.
Rachel Holmes is a conservationist called to protect nature – human and nonhuman alike – for current and future generations. She has a particular passion for trees and forests, and after a decade at The Nature Conservancy, she recently joined the USDA Forest Service – Washington Office as the Forest Health Specialist. She is also a wildland firefighter. A transplant from the East Coast, Rachel became a Basilica parishioner in January 2023. She considers herself fortunate to deepen her faith through serving on the Creation Justice Committee alongside her inspiring colleagues. Rachel earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Forestry, both from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University.
Deborah Sundquist returned to the Catholic Church and joined the Basilica in January 2023 after spending 40 years as a Lutheran. She was born and raised as a Catholic in St. Paul, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in Middle Eastern studies and energy policy. She earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and was a partner at the law firm of Aafedt Forde where she represented employers in employment law and workers’ compensation litigation. In 2015, Gov. Dayton appointed her as a judge to the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals where she continues to serve. Deb is a proud mom of four children and grandmother to one grandchild. She married Mick in 2011 and is blessed with an extended family of two sons, daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. Her goal for the CJC is to reduce The Basilica’s energy costs through renewable alternatives like solar.
Theresa Ptak has been a parishioner of the Basilica since 2013, living and working in south Minneapolis as a professional graphic artist. Her career in creativity has explored avenues of branding, advertising, retail design and packaging- but her most rewarding work has involved supporting local land advocacy initiatives and parks in the state of Minnesota. She has developed creative educational content in partnership with Friends of the Boundary Waters, Stop Line 3 Movement, as well as co-designed the first certified Forest Bathing Trail in the state with Three Rivers Park District. Theresa also serves on the Minnesota Climbers Association board of directors, and loves connecting people to the beautiful rocks and cliff sides of the midwest! She looks forward to serving the Basilica community on the Creation Justice Committee and has big love for the mission of Laudato Si’.
Pope Francis set out in his encyclical Laudato Si’ on the care of creation and his more recent Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Dominum.
Center for Mission – Care for Creation
Fr. Daniel Griffith: Catholic Foundations of Caring for Creation (9/8/24) – click HERE for the recording
Dr. Joe Fargione: Climate Change 101 (9/15/24) – click HERE for the recording
Greg Stanley: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint (9/22/24) – click HERE for the recording
2024 Lenten Fast for Creation Reflections by CJC Team Members
Consider an Energy Fast by Andy Willette
Fast for Creation: Going Meatless by San O’Brien
Plastic Fast by Gregory Harris
Curb your Climate Pollution by Driving Less by Joe Fargione
Reflecting on Our Internal Environment by Rachel Holmes
Fasting from Materialism by Deborah Sundquist
If you are interested in learning more or joining this committee, please contact: