By Michael Krueger, FSPA Director of Affiliation
La Crosse celebrated Earth Day this year with an Earth Day Worship Service focused on community, creation and connection. Organized through a collaboration between the Franciscan Spirituality Center, LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry), the Unitarian Universalist congregation and Viterbo University’s St. Francis Choir, the event brought together people of various faith backgrounds. The gathering began with a live concert by the music group Prairie Smoke, followed by a prayer service centered on the theme: “Rooted Together in Place.”
Through songs, poems, prayers, rituals and reflections, participants explored the sacred connection between people and the Earth. A highlight of the service was the reading of “To Praise the Earth” by John O’Donohue, a poem that beautifully captures the spirit of gratitude and reverence for the natural world.
The event was attended by members of the local community, including sisters and affiliates from the "Franciscans on the Road" companion community. A special thanks to Kate Bausch (La Crosse, Wisconsin), whose artwork was featured on the promotional poster and inspired the fabric wall hanging that adorned the altar.
As the service drew to a close, attendees were invited to take part in a ritual of hope:
“As a community, gathered together to honor the Earth, we name our hopes and wishes for the Earth and join them together in this beautiful art. We acknowledge our shared roots of place, and we give thanks for the ecosystem within the roots of trees that reflects our interdependence with each other.”
Participants were then invited to place these hopes, hopes for the future, onto the wishing tree, "as a sign of what has grown out of our time together, our rootedness in this community and our shared love of Earth."