Feast of Saint Francis Celebration, October 4

This year, the Marianist Family will celebrate St. Francis of Assisi’s feast on October 4 with a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation beginning at Mount St. John, Dayton, and proceeding towards three local sites in Dayton.

Saturday, October 4, is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of Ecology. Regular readers of our updates know we are marking the day in partnership with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Spiritus Marianist Lay Community with a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation, one of four in the region and one of hundreds worldwide during this Season of Creation.

The pilgrimage will begin with prayer at the Deacon Greg Cecere Pavilion in Lot C at Mount Saint John (MSJ) at 9 am. For directions and a map of the property, click here. In vans and cars, we will proceed to three urban sites: the McCook Field neighborhood, home to the Behr Plant Superfund site; the Dayton Friends Meeting House in Historic South Park; and Mission of Mary Cooperative in Twin Towers. At each, we will hear from committed people of faith working for social and environmental justice and share a prayer together for all of Creation. We'll finish the morning with Mass at Queen of Apostles Chapel at MSJ and lunch in the Madeleine Room of the Chaminade Center with remarks by Gayle Covington Fowler, president of the National Environmental Justice Academy Alumni Association.

To register for the Pilgrimage, click here.

From 2 - 4 pm, MEEC staff will offer two public options: a labyrinth walk through our native plant labyrinth and a reflective nature hike through the Marianist Nature Preserve. To register for the afternoon only, click here. If you cannot attend the morning site tour but would like to come to Mass and lunch either as a standalone option or as a beginning to the afternoon, please email us.

We are deeply grateful to the Spiritus Lay Community for their financial and volunteer support. Spiritus is a community of disciples deeply rooted in love that is part of the Marianist Family. They passionately pursue social justice and practice radical hospitality to create an inclusive community open to all who seek belonging and accompaniment. Visit them at spiritus-mlc.org.

Rather celebrate Saint Francis by getting your hands dirty? Michele is leading land service at 1 pm and she'd love your help collecting prairie seeds. For more information, click here.

Update by Tara Poling,

MEEC