Last week, I gave a presentation on caring for the Great Lakes in the context of Pope Francis' encylical, Praise Be to You (Laudato Si'): On Care for our Common Home. The evening was part of an adult education series hosted by Resurrection Catholic Church in Allouez, WI. You can find a recording of the presentation here at the Church's Facebook Page.
For me and many other folks, the Great Lakes are a sacred place, so I started the presentation with a wonderful quote from Pope Francis' letter:
The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good. For anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink or played outdoors in the neighborhood square, going back to these places is a chance to recover something of (your) true self.
-#84, Laudato Si'
I hope you get a chance this spring to "recover something of (your) true self" at your sacred place in the Great Lakes Basin.
Sterling State Park on Lake Erie; Monroe, MI (photo by Dan Robinson)