Tag: Earth Fair

A few days before the event, I headed out to Marquee Plaza to stand in line among the hundreds who wanted to get a free tree to enhance efforts to make the City of San Antonio “green.” The tree was the prize that we planned to give away for the UIW students and advocate for Care of Our Common Home.

Sr. Mary Pezold, Sr. Josetta, and myself gathered all the materials necessary for the event. We along with the Brothers Adolf and Alejandro from Holy Cross, and Pax Christi’s Texas President Arthur set-up for the 9th Annual UIW Earth Fair attended by a variety of nature lovers, some who introduced their green organizations, some sold eco-friendly items, others gave away free plants, and healthy food items. We gave away bookmarks that talked about the Laudato Si and the United Nation’s Climate Action, we also gave prayer cards from the vocation ministry, along with information from Headwaters to promote the sanctuary.  Brother Adolf and Alejandro are both Laudato Si Certified Animators and have been teaching youth about the Care of the Earth and encouraging about Laudato Si and its causes.

We talked to the students about the Laudato Si Animators program which is a free educational and certification program sponsored by the Laudato Si Movement open for anyone who would be interested in Climate Action and solving the Climate Crisis. We gave away Texas Native Flower Seeds and stressed the importance of native plants in having a thriving local ecosystem.

Several visitors were eager to know about the Laudato Si and the need for the voice of the poor, voice of nature, voice of the youth, and voice of the indigenous to be heard. These are the vulnerable voices highlighted from the movie called “The Letter” by Pope Francis. At the end of the event, a student adopted the avocado tree. Through Earth day events, God’s work in creation can be given an importance and people can share the many ways we can listen to the cry of the unheard, unspoken, and sometimes silent.

Written by Sr. Marylou Rodriguez.