The Young Adult Ministries of the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise hosted a virtual event “In Conversation With EarthConnection.” In Conversation With is a series hosted by the Vincentian Lay Missionaries, Vincentian Mission Corps, and St. Vincent DePaul Young Adult Center. It is an opportunity to be in community and highlight work being done by members of the Vincentian Family.

Sister Caroljean Willie, SC, Program Director of EarthConnection, shared about the ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. EarthConnection is a center for learning and reflection about living lightly on Earth. Aware of the interconnectedness of all of Creation, they seek to integrate spirituality and sustainability through programs in sustainable agriculture, alternative energies, ecojustice, and eco-spirituality.

Over 25 young adults and members of the Vincentian family gathered over Zoom to learn and be in community and conversation about environmental sustainability.

Sahar Dar, a DePaul University junior studying Health Sciences, shares a reflection from the evening: “Sister CJ’s journey to living a more sustainable life was inspiring. One of the questions I asked was, ‘What can we do as college students to live a more sustainable lifestyle?’, “because it can often feel unattainable, inaccessible, and not affordable to transition to being (stet since these are his words) more environmentally friendly which is a lot of pressure for young people. I think it’s important to remember in our conversations about sustainability that the blame is not to be put on individuals, but rather big corporations that dominate the world. But there are still things that we can all individually do to make a difference. Sister CJ suggested some really great ideas of hosting clothing and food drives at our colleges and contributing in any small ways that we can do to being more environmentally friendly.

“I really appreciated that Sister CJ empowered us as young people and reminded us that we have the capability and strength to make a difference. Seeing Sister CJ being so hopeful reminded me that there is so much opportunity for growth and change and to keep going in the fight for environmental justice.”

The next “In Conversation With” series event will be announced in the upcoming weeks.