anticipation of being with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Merton and Thomas Berry, all three twentieth century Roman Catholic brothers who were giants in that century’s movement towards a greater earth “consciousness.” These brothers had lived their passion for Mother Earth and wrote into being cutting edge theologies to encourage clearer vision of how to live with and care for the matter and spirit of all of life.

As remarkable as these three brothers were, I found it as inspirational to journey throughout this retreat, not just with those brothers, but with all the sisters who gathered from around the United States for this retreat. Beth and I were seeped in the mother church milieu of the Roman Catholic tradition among approximately two dozen nuns with a passion for caring for the earth and educating others in caring and advocating for increased ecological awareness for the planet we all share with all the living things that inhabit it with us. An amazing group of women who received the two non-Roman Catholics (me and Beth) in their midst like sisters, too. The retreat was led by a remarkable presenter, Kathleen Deignan, CND, PhD, who guided us creatively through our study of the brothers’ life and work within a contemplative design. The location, the Mother House of an order of Franciscan nuns with its extensive lush grounds (labyrinth included), offered us