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Earth Concerns
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The Swamp White Oak: Earth Symbol of the Congregation Sometime in the early 1990s, Sister Marion Honors, CSJ, who lives in The Studio at St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham, discovered an immense tree on our grounds in the woods near a cemetery along Delatour Road. Sister Marion eventually learned that this was a Swamp White Oak, (also known as White Marsh Oak), and most likely the tree was over 350 years old. As excitement grew over the tree, members of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Albany Province began to use it as a logo or symbol for the province. Truly, the roots of this tree connect symbolically with our own roots, not only because of the Marquise and Madame de La Tour Du Pin, who lived in what is now the Novitiate House after they fled the Revolution in France), but also because of the fact that the tree most likely began as a seedling at the same time that Father Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ, was joining with six women in France to found the Sisters of St. Joseph! This magnificent tree was chosen to be one of the sacred spaces on our property at the Provincial House. (See Swamp White Oak section.) You will read more about our Earth symbol in this section of our website. You will also learn of our call as Sisters of St. Joseph to be caretakers of the Earth, to work always toward right relationship with the Earth, to deepen our communion with the Earth in recognition of this gift by God to all living creatures.
We welcome you to Earth Concerns! View the slideshow below to meditate on God's beautful gift of creation in the words of Psalm 104! |
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Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet • 385 Watervliet-Shaker Road • Latham, NY 12110-4799 Main Provincal House Number (518) 783-3500 • Fax (518) 783-5209 All Artwork Copyright © 2012 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet |