Mallory McDuff writes about saints who respond through faith to environmental degradation here on earth, rather than wait for heaven.
In his book Making Saints, Kenneth Woodward defines a saint as “someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like — and what we are called to be.” From mosques to monasteries, these saints are revealing a new world where hopeful environmental action happens on an individual, congregational, and community level.
In that spirit of hope, I present a roster of 10 religious-environmental saints. The first five have gained national and even international recognition, while the second list features spiritual leaders encountered in my own daily life. All 10 saints offer lessons for a new world, where congregations model the principles and practices of sustainable communities.
Five Saints of the World include The Rev. Sally Bingham, Wangari Maathi, The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Rev. Mitch Hescox, and Wendell Berry.
About Bingham, McDuff writes:
As a stay-at-home mom, the Rev. Sally Bingham questioned why clergy in her Episcopal church were not talking about faith and the environment. As an ordained priest, she now serves as the founder and director of the Regeneration Project and Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) Campaign, which provides a religious response to global warming. With IPL affiliates in 38 states, this campaign has become a powerful interfaith force to address climate change.