At Sacred Heart Schools, one of the main values held closely to the heart of campus is St. Angela Merici’s mission of “cultivating the vine entrusted to you.”
While this mission has always helped guide the cultivation of students throughout campus, it has now taken on a new — and more literal meaning — at Sacred Heart Schools. Inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis in his encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” Sacred Heart recognizes that caring for the Earth goes hand in hand with caring for one another.
Recently, the campus added flower and vegetable gardens, reminding students daily that servant leadership is not just something discussed in theology classes, but a responsibility to care for others and the Earth. By tending to the gardens, students will develop a stronger understanding of sustainability and the connections between people and the environment.
The new beds were built in front of Sacred Heart’s new Ursuline Innovation STEM Center, and two were recently filled and planted by Sacred Heart Academy’s Go Green Club, which promotes an environmentally-conscious school environment.
The students filled one bed with pollinator-attracting flowers and another with vegetables. The beds are full of beautiful annuals and perennials, with many native to Kentucky. The inclusion of native and pollinator-friendly flowers allows for local bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to thrive, positively impacting wildlife beyond Sacred Heart.
The students hope to involve more teachers, more students and the greater campus community to foster a school-wide environmental effort. One future goal of the club is to plant pumpkins and grow their own jack-o-lanterns.
In “Laudato Si,’ ” Pope Francis states, “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue.”
The garden has allowed Sacred Heart to implement this belief on campus and has enabled students to grow closer to God’s creation. This new project emerging at Sacred Heart continues to build a strong community and foster reverence for our environment through other important sustainable practices.
Hopefully, these projects inspire more climate- and environmentally-conscious efforts across Louisville.
Emma Marie Klein, a rising junior at Sacred Heart Academy, is an active member of The Go Green Club, Sacred Heart’s environmental concerns club.
