In the summer after my sophomore year as an environmental science student at Bellarmine University, I worked as a tour guide for an ecotourism resort in Montana. I expected to spend my summer teaching others about the native flora and fauna.
To my surprise, I learned something completely unexpected, although it is not a unique experience: I learned how God, our loving Father, speaks to his beloved children through nature.
In his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis speaks of God as a wonderful creator who captivates many through their encounters in nature. Pope Francis urges us to protect the natural world, yet his message reaches deeper: Nature is not just where God is experienced as Creator; it is where he is known as a Father abundant in mercy.
Pope Francis urges us in the encyclical to be like Jesus, who did not merely “see the beauty sown by the Father,” but “invited his disciples to perceive a divine message in things.”
Pope Francis’s words resonated with me as I hit the trails that summer. I found joy in the little ones who ran ahead on the trail because they spotted snow in June or noticed the mountain silhouettes perfectly framing a colorful sunset.
I had always known God as a creator, and it was easy in these moments to give an ode to the Master Craftsman. These little encounters softened my heart day by day to the truth that nature is not merely a system, but a gift from God, as Pope Francis writes in “Laudato Si’.” The wonder and awe of these children reminded me of my identity as the daughter of an almighty creator, and revealed the depth of God’s love in a new way.
“We are not just preserving places of brief encounter with an impersonal, almighty being; we are preserving places of deep intimacy and oneness with God the Father.”
One afternoon that summer, I found myself in the foothills of the mountains, where I had the opportunity to encounter the Lord through the sacrament of confession. The “confessional” was an empty two-car garage, its door open for ventilation. The priest stood in the doorway gazing out on the mountains that surrounded our small meeting place of mercy. I stood beside him, gazing out on the same canvas the Lord had set before my eyes.
In that moment, the vastness of the mountains was just a small representation of his mercy. As the priest spoke the words of absolution, I experienced Creation as “the order of Love,” as Pope Francis describes it in “Laudato Si’.” I saw the natural world not just as an example of God’s title Creator, but as a manifestation of his fatherhood and his deep, profound love for me as his beloved daughter.
These encounters reimagined the mission we have as Catholics to be stewards of Creation, which God has entrusted to us. God created us to be partners in the care of his creation, the mission entrusted to Adam in the Garden of Eden.
This truth gives weight to a mission of conservation. We are not just preserving places of brief encounter with an impersonal, almighty being; we are preserving places of deep intimacy and oneness with God the Father.
After that summer, I returned with a newfound passion as a young Catholic environmental professional. My “why” had taken on a deeper meaning. I no longer only wanted people to encounter Christ in nature; I wanted to preserve the natural world so that others might abide with him there.
God has gifted the world Creation to remind us of his mercy, his love and the vastness of it all.
Kaylie Malloy is an associate planner for the Town of Clarksville, Ind., and a 2024 graduate of Bellarmine University in environmental science.
