White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is a non-profit eco-justice education center focusing on

organic agriculture Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...

spiritual ecology Spiritual ecology is an emerging field in religion, conservation, and academia recognizing that there is a spiritual facet to all issues related to conservation, environmentalism, and earth stewardship. Proponents of Spiritual Ecology assert a nee ...

and social advocacy. Founded in 1996 by Sister of Providence Ann Sullivan, the center is a ministry of the

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mother Theodore) at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Mother Theodo ...

, Indiana. The center grew out of the Roman Catholic women religious congregation's commitment to eco-spirituality and sustainability. The center maintains a herd of alpacas, of state-certified

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

farmland,

bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

, a berry patch, a farmers' market, classified

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and

orchards An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

. White Violet Center hosts field trips, workshops and film series to educate both children and adults. The center has hosted a variety of speakers including cosmologist

Brian Swimme Brian Thomas Swimme (born 1950) is a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, where he teaches evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program. He received his ...

, beekeeper Günther Hauk, author

Judy Cannato Judy Cannato was an American Catholic author, retreat facilitator, and spiritual director. Educated at Ohio University and John Carroll University with master's degrees in education and religious studies, she was an associate member of the Congr ...

and essayist Scott Russel Sanders. White Violet Center is considered an "engaged project" by the

Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology is a multireligious and interdisciplinary project founded in 1998 and based at Yale University since 2006. Since 2023, it has operated under the auspices of the Yale Center for Environmental Justice (YCEJ). In ...

. It is also featured in

Sarah McFarland Taylor Sarah McFarland Taylor is an American academic and author. She is currently Associate Professor of Religion in the Department of Religious Studies at Northwestern University, where she also teaches in the Environmental Policy and Culture Program ...

's 2007 book ''Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology.''

Philosophy

The White Violet Center mission statement states the center exists "to foster a way of living that recognizes the interdependence of all creation. Grounded in an understanding of Providence Spirituality as hope and healing, the center offers leadership and education in the preservation, restoration and reverent use of all natural resources." As a congregation, the Sisters of Providence have practiced this mission by installing a

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

boiler to heat and power the buildings on their motherhouse grounds, producing

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...

, maintaining a significant

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

program, and using sustainable

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

systems for the

gardens and

Alpacas

Herd

White Violet Center's herd of alpacas operates under the name White Violet Farm Alpacas. The center acquired its first six animals as a donation in 1998. White Violet alpacas entered in shows have won numerous awards from associations including the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA). The animals are named after significant figures in Sisters of Providence history. Alpacas with names like Providence Theodore Guerin (after congregation foundress

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

), Providence Raphael (after former general superior

Mary Raphael Slattery Mother Mary Raphael Slattery, S.P., (January 17, 1863 – September 9, 1940) was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 1926-1938. During her term, her business sense helped the congregation ...

), and Providence Pere Michel (after an early gardener for the sisters) pay tribute to this past.

Fiber

All fiber from the herd is processed and utilized. Staff members and volunteers spin, knit and weave handmade products, and the center offers fiber workshops to teach these skills.

References

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