I think for many of us, when we hear ‘Season of Creation’ we think – St. Francis!! Any certainly – he IS the Saint of the season! However, the Catholic tradition holds a rich tapestry of lesser-known saints whose lives also reflected a deep reverence for nature, creation, and the interconnectedness of all life. These saints may not always be the first names mentioned in ecological conversations, yet their spirituality, simplicity, and stewardship of the earth continue to inspire modern efforts toward care for creation. Here are a few of my favorites:
St. Hildegard of Bingen
St. Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 in Germany, into a noble family. From an early age, she had visions of grandeur – the harmony of the universe, relationship between God and creation, and encounters with animals. She was a poet, mystic, artist, healer, and skilled herbalist – often using natural remedies and holistic healing approaches to health. Hildegard advocated for responsible stewardship of the environment, emphasizing humanity’s role as integral caretakers of God’s creation. One of the main themes of her writings was the idea of ‘viriditas’ meaning ‘greening power’. She saw the vibrant, colorful hues of God’s life giving energy flowing through all things, and described the Holy Spirit as the ‘sap’ inside us, the vitality and creativity from which God can work through our lives.
St. Kateri Tekawitha
St. Kateri Tekawitha was the first Native American to be declared a saint. Her care for the environment flowed naturally from her deep spirituality, her Native heritage, and her reverence for God’s creation. She grew up in 1656 in present day New York, and is often called “Lily of the Mohawks”. After surviving the smallpox epidemic in her early years, she was left disfigured and blind. Her impairment gave her a profound appreciation for the world around her at a very early age, paying close attention to the sound of birds, the gentle breeze surrounding her tribe, and the smell of sweetgrass. After her conversion to Christianity, her relationship to nature took an even deeper meaning as she began to see it as a reflection of the beauty of God himself. She lived simply and gave of what little she had — a model of sustainable living and generosity.
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Ignatius of Loyola, born in 1491, was a Spanish soldier-turned-mystic and the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) — one of the most influential religious orders in the Catholic Church. He was not connected so literally to the environment as some of these other saints, however, his teachings and spirituality contain a profound reverence for creation that has become a foundation for modern catholic environmentalism. One of the most notable tenets of what would become integral to Ignatian spirituality, is the emphasis on the inseparability of humanity and creation – right relationship with God cannot be separated from a right relationship with the created world. A misalignment in the human-divine relationship inevitably has consequences for our earth. This lens by which to see the world revealed a profound unity between the human person and the created world, grounded in the belief that all creation exists to lead us to God.
Mother Theodore Guerin
Mother Theodore Guerin was born in Étables, France, in 1798. As a child, she would walk along the beach and admire God’s creation. As an adult, she founded Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana, USA. Though she is best known for founding schools and religious institutions, she also had a strong reverence for the natural world and saw it as a reflection of God’s care, beauty, and sustenance. Mother Theodore wrote in her journals about the beauty of the woods, the harshness of the winters, and the abundance of the land when it was respected. She practiced what we now see as early sustainability — making full use of local resources with minimal waste, planting gardens and orchards to feed her community. She was a talented herbalist, using plants and herbs in her town to help the sick. In statues and paintings, she is often seen depicted with her three most used herbal remedies: American Coneflower, Dandelion, and Linden leaves.
If you are looking for more examples of ecologically minded saints, check out “Green Saints For A Green Generation” by Libby Osgood.
Theresa Ptak
Creation Justice Committee