Land Ethic Statement

Our shared values and beliefs regarding the earth in general, and the land we own in particular, have grown out of our study of the continuing revelation of God in all of creation, in the Scriptures, in the teachings of the Church, and in human wisdom. Our decisions and actions are shaped by our Dominican heritage, which impels us to seek new vistas of possibility in human and world development.

Our studies in search of truth have led us to new understandings of Planet Earth.

• We have come to know Earth as sacred in itself, as revelatory of divinity.
• We have come to know ourselves as members of an independent Earth Community in kinship with all creation.
• We have come to appreciate land for its aesthetic and intrinsic value as well as for its instrumental worth.
• We have come to understand that a relationship to land cannot be strictly economic, that there are obligations as well as privileges.
• We have come to understand that decisions are to be based not only on what is in our interest, but of what is good for land.
• We have come to understand that care of people and for the poor in particular is inextricably connected to our care for Planet Earth.
• We have come to understand that land is God’s, that we are caretakers of land.
• We have come to understand that Earth’s benefits are for everyone, that land should be conserved, restored, and shared equitably.

We pledge to make all decisions about Earth, and specifically lands to which we hold title, in light of these values and beliefs.

We pledge to consider the effect that these decisions will have on the Earth Community now and for generations to come.

We pledge to live a simple life in common, to use and share in a responsible manner resources entrusted to us by God, and to continually deepen our understanding of the vow of poverty.

– Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, 2004