Books Recommended by the

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center:

Please consider buying extra copies for your parish or local library!

Catholics Going Green
A Small-Group Guide for Learning and Living Environmental Justice

Editor: Walter Grazer

Published: May 2009 by Ave Maria Press

This small-group resource examines basic environmental justice themes through the lens of Catholic social teaching and scripture. The compact, ninety-minute session format is perfect for busy adults who want to stay connected with environmental topics in a meaningful, engaged way.  We think every parish should have a bundle of these guides!

The session topics include:

1. We Walk on Holy Ground
2. We Honor the Dignity of the Human Person
3. We Stand in Solidarity
4. We Share the Goods of he Earth
5. We Champion the Cause for Global Human Development
6. We Answer the Call to Conversion for Life

Price: $5.95

Buy "Catholics Going Green" here.

The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace's book, "From Stockholm to Johannesburg: An Historical Overview of the Concern of the Holy See for the Environment," is available at paxbook.com -- NOTE: search for "From Stockholm" on that site.  The book, written by Sister Marjorie Keenan, highlights the position of the church on various issues including the controversial issue of population control.  It includes excerpts from 24 papal or Vatican documents concerning environmental issues.   The book is also available from the National Catholic Rural Life Conference for $8 plus shipping and handling. Visit http://www.ncrlc.com/bookstore.html

• The greatest book ever written about the stewardship of creation: the Bible!  Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 1970. The New American Bible. Iowa Falls, Iowa: World Bible Publishers, Inc.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications. 

• We highly recommend all books by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

• Christiansen, D. and W. Grazer, eds. 1996. "And God Saw That It Was Good:" Catholic Theology and the Environment. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Inc.   (see U.S. Bishops Conference section below.) 

• Daly, Gabriel. 1989. Creation and Redemption (Theology and Life Series, Vol. 25). Michael Glazier.  Out of print; look for a used copy with an internet search.

• De Montfort, St. Louis. 1941. True Devotion to Mary. Rockford, IL: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc.

• Dent, Sister Ancilla, ed. 1997. Ecology and Faith: The Writings of Pope John Paul II. Ipswich, Suffolk, Great Britain: Ipswich Book Company. 

• Derrick, Christopher. 1972. The Delicate Creation: Towards a Theology of the Environment. Old Greenwich: Devin-Adair.  May be out of print; look for a used copy with an internet search. 

• Gregg, Samual. 2000. Beyond Romanticism: Questioning the Green Gospel. St. Leonards, NSW: The Centre for Independent Studies Limited.  Website: www.cis.org.au

• Hahn, Scott. 2001. Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God. New York: Doubleday. 

• John Paul II, Pope. 1996. God, Father and Creator: A Catechesis on the Creed. Boston: Pauline Books and Media.

• Keenan, Sister Marjorie, RSHM. 2000. Care for Creation: Human Activity and the Environment. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

• Mick, Fr. Lawrence E. Liturgy and Ecology in Dialogue. 1997. The Liturgical Press. Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.  This is nearly out-of-print, but may still be available at the Liturgical Press website.  We may have a few extra copies if you can't find one.

• Murphy, Charles M. 1989. At Home on Earth: Foundations for a Catholic Ethic of the Environment. New York: Crossroads.  May be out of print; look for a used copy with an internet search. 

• Royal, Robert. 1999. The Virgin and the Dynamo: Use and Abuse of Religion in Environmental Debates. Washington, D.C.: Ethics and Public Policy Center. 

• Theological-Historical Commission for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. 1999. The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life. New York: Crossroad Publishing.

• St. Therese of Lisieux. Story of a Soul. Translation by John Clarke, O.C.D. Translation copyright 1976 by Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, Inc.

• United States Catholic Conference. 1996. Let the Earth Bless the Lord: God's Creation and Our Responsibility, A Catholic Approach to the Environment. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Inc.

• United States Catholic Conference. 1994. Renewing the Earth: A Resource for Parishes. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Inc.

• Van Dyke, Fred, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon, and Raymond H. Brand. 1996. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. Donors Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.  Not specifically Catholic, but Christian.  This is an very good book, written by biologists, describing the Biblical basis for environmental stewardship.  We must caution that the book errs on the population question and fails to quote Pope John Paul II, the world's foremost Christian leader on environmental issues. 

• Whelan, Robert, Joseph Kirwan, Paul Haffner.  1996.  The Cross and the Rain Forest: A Critique of Radical Green Spirituality.  Grand Rapids, Michigan: Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.

  

God in the Garden

    Since God created Adam and Eve, people have cultivated the earth for both sustenance and recreation. In this wonderful book, noted Catholic author and nationally-respected gardening expert Maureen Gilmer blends practical, time-tested gardening wisdom with spiritual insight and invites readers to discover the joy and peace found in gardening.

    Organized in a week-by-week format corresponding to the Christian calendar year, this beautiful book includes plant features, meditations, relevant Scripture passages, timely gardening information, and simple prayers. Also included are inspirational gardening quotes, bits of nature folklore, features on religious festivals and holidays, and biographical profiles of renowned religious botanists. A complete resource guide provides ordering information for hard-to-find plants and supplies and information on gardening catalogs and websites. 

Leaves of Prayer - Scriptural Passages and Catholic Reflections For Those Who Enjoy Nature, by Anthony R. Brach.  Leaves of Prayer is a book of reflections, selected Biblical passages, and quotations upon the mystery of God's creation for prayer, study, and meditation. The twenty chapters offer prayerful, optimistic meditations for reflecting upon God's creation-the universe, seasons, rainbows and auroras, the earth, mountains and hills, rock, wind, water, ice and snow, lightning and fire, flora, fauna, wings and angels, the human family, stewardship, suffering, death and resurrection.  You can preview/browse excerpts at: http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/leavesofprayer/.

Wendell Berry is a Christian author of more than thirty-two books of essays, poetry, and novels.  As a novelist, essayist, poet, and farmer, Wendell Berry is a central contributor to the growing renaissance of Christian culture.  Reverence is a hallmark of Berry’s work — reverence for the gift of creation, for the sanctity of the Word, for the sacred uniqueness of his subjects. 

Although not Catholic, Wendell Berry's writings are highly recommended by the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center.  For a sample, read Christianity and the Survival of Creation.  Read more about Berry at the Catholic Educator's Resource Center.

Lost in the Forest? Some Books on Ecology    ARTICLE BY STRATFORD CALDECOTT

Books about the environment from the U.S. Catholic Conference.
   

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