Chestnut Hill College to Host “Sacred Earth: Spirituality and Sustainability”

April 27, 2010 - PRLog -- “Sacred Earth: Spirituality and Sustainability,” an interdisciplinary conference sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies and the Holistic Spirituality program at Chestnut Hill College and the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center will be held from Friday, June 11, 2010 to Sunday, June 13, 2010 on the SugarLoaf Hill campus of the College.

The “Sacred Earth: Spirituality and Sustainability” conference (www.chc.edu/SacredEarth) will bring together people from diverse backgrounds who are exploring the role of spirituality in response to global environment crises while supporting ecologically sustainable lifestyles.

The conference will support an atmosphere of shared learning by offering speakers, an interfaith panel discussion, workshops, films, outdoor experiences, and dialogue sessions. The conference will unfold around three daily themes:
•        Day 1: From Cosmos to Chestnut Hill: The Universe Story and Knowing Your Place
•       Day 2: Historical and Theological Perspectives: Interfaith Focus on Spirituality and Sustainability
•        Day 3: Sustaining Ourselves for the “Great Work” Ahead

Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis, co-founder of Genesis Farm, a pre-eminent ecological learning center where people of good search for more authentic ways to live in harmony with the natural world and each other, will kick off the conference with the keynote speech, “Unveiling the Sacred, Exploring the Spirit: Laying the Foundation of a Sustainable Future.”

The Sacred Earth conference will offer the opportunity to explore the local Wissahickon Watershed and also includes a market place featuring local foods, beverages, and fair-trade products. The dedication of the new home of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center will take place during the weekend conference.

Held at the College’s SugarLoaf Hill campus, the conference will unfold in an elegant, retreat-like atmosphere in a gorgeous natural setting. There are opportunities for overnight lodging at SugarLoaf.

The conference registration fee is $325 which includes all sessions and materials.  The fee also includes breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, lunch on Friday and Saturday, and the reception and dinner Friday evening. An additional fee applies for lodging at SugarLoaf.

For a full conference schedule or to register, please visit http://www.chc.edu/SacredEarth/
or call 215.248.7171 or email Sacredearth@chc.edu.

About Miriam Therese MacGillis, OP

Miriam Therese MacGillis is the director of Genesis Farm, which she co-founded in 1980 with the sponsorship of her Dominican congregation in Caldwell, NJ. In 2005 she received the Thomas Berry Award. In 2007 Grist magazine named her one of the world’s top 15 green religious leaders. She lectures extensively and has conducted workshops in North America, Europe, and Asia.

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About Chestnut Hill College
Chestnut Hill College, a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition, offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master’s and doctoral programs. The College has been rated by US News & World Report as among the best master’s universities in the North, as among the best Northeastern colleges by The Princeton Review, and has been classified as selective by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Since its inception, the College has offered a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The goal of Chestnut Hill College has been to prepare students for life’s challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.