Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology by Sarah McFarland Taylor explores how Catholic nuns across North America are embodying ecological spirituality in daily life. Inspired by the vision of Thomas Berry, these communities have embraced practices such as organic gardening, eco-building, seed saving, and activism as part of their religious vocation.
Taylor presents a vivid ethnography that shows faith communities not only critiquing consumer culture but creating alternatives. The sisters’ vows extend to care for the Earth, their liturgies become celebrations of creation, and their convent gardens serve as sanctuaries of renewal.
What makes this book powerful is its groundedness. The ecological crisis can feel overwhelming, but Taylor demonstrates how transformation begins with small, faithful practices. In these communities we see the Great Work in action — spirituality embodied in compost heaps, community kitchens, solar panels, and acts of solidarity.
For readers who resonated with Berry’s The Great Work, this book offers the next step: the translation of vision into practice. It is a hopeful and inspiring reminder that another way of life is possible, one rooted in reverence, sustainability, and community.