It has now been a decade since Pope Francis published his encyclical “Laudato si’,” sometimes known by its vernacular subtitle “On care for our common home.” While many pontiffs have discussed at length the importance of preserving and stewarding nature, Pope Francis was the first to lend further legitimacy to the discussion of environmentalism in the Catholic sphere by writing the first-ever encyclical on the matter.

To the staff of the Mercy Ecospirituality Center in Benson, Vermont, the encyclical is a confirmation and codification of what they and other Catholics have known for some time. “Part of being a good Catholic, a good Christian, is caring for the earth” explained Kayla Buxton, the center’s executive director. “What we’ve noticed, more recently, is people wanting to take more concrete steps towards preserving their environment.”

The mission of the Mercy Ecospirituality Center is multifaceted: the main building serves as a retreat center, much as it did when it was operated directly by the Sisters of Mercy prior to its transfer to lay ownership in 2010. The rest of the 39-acre property is given over to a variety of agricultural and ecological projects: still ponds and pristine woods border expansive gardens, a barn for animals, and a growing apiary. “We’re too small to be a commercial farm really, but we’re certainly big enough to be a teaching farm” Buxton explained. “We’re not just teaching people how to raise animals or cultivate plants, though — a big part of our mission is showing people that these things can be done in a way that is both productive and sustainable, with as little negative impact on the environment as possible.”

Amanda Reese, the center’s hospitality coordinator, says coming to the center has allowed her to explore a slower pace of life. “I’m from Long Island” she said; “Working and living in a really busy community, with New York City on your back doorstep, it’s like ‘Go, go, go’ constantly. When I first came here as a volunteer, I immediately knew this place was special … but it was definitely an adjustment.” Taking charge of the center’s retreat events, Reese says fostering a sense of community is what has allowed the center to thrive and grow. “We have a lot of artists who come here, a lot of silent retreats, Ignatian retreats … we definitely want to hold space for quiet and solitude, but it’s just as important to be open and welcoming.”

Halfway through its second decade, and under new leadership, the Mercy Ecospirituality Center is facing a season of change and growth. “We are definitely in a dreaming phase right now” Buxton laughed; “Over the next few years, we want to really lean into our sustainability mission, expanding our community outreach, expanding our work with local farms, schools, and co-ops. We’re in a rare position to really be able to map out what that will look like long-term. It’s a good feeling, a little intimidating, but mostly exciting.”

In a time when supply chains appear increasingly tenuous and food insecurity, both locally and globally, is on the rise, a large portion of the center’s sustainability mission focuses on restoring a healthy relationship with food. “A lot of people nowadays are divorced from the process of making their food” Buxton said. “Food is something you buy in a store, or pick up at a drive-thru window. By showing people first-hand what goes into making food, even a simple thing like an onion or an egg, we make ecology a more real and pressing issue. People suddenly realize ‘Oh, it actually is a problem that bugs are dying off. It is a problem that our soil is the least healthy it’s been in 50 years.’ It’s no longer an abstract problem in a paper or journal, you can see it happen in real time.”

A common criticism from certain Catholic spheres of “Laudato si’,” and indeed environmentalism on the whole, is that it appears to elevate the importance of nature above the needs of humanity. Conservative Catholic pundits cautioned that Pope Francis’ encyclical was too much a concession to secular political attitudes of its time; more alarmist voices called it “Gaia worship.” The truth, Buxton explained, is more complex; “It’s all interconnected. You cannot have justice for people, without also using God’s creation justly. For example, suppose a conglomerate farm comes in and completely exhausts a region’s food resources. Locals cannot afford to stay, so they migrate, and the places they migrate to are perhaps not equipped to take them in. Nature is destroyed, people are displaced, and communities are pitted against each other — justice exists downstream of stewardship, in that case.”

As they look ahead to the 2026 season, Buxton and Reese say they see tremendous potential for growth. “We’re seeing an increase in demand, both for retreats and for teaching opportunities” Buxton said. “It’s an exciting time … every year we add a few more things into the mix.” At first glance, the Mercy Ecospirituality Center looks like the quintessential Vermont farmstead: chickens and sheep milling about a cavernous barn, rolling fields stretching to spinneys of mature trees, and a picturesque white farmhouse at the center of it all. But the center is more than meets the eye — it is a training ground for those who seek to apply their faith, and their skills, towards a more just and sustainable future for all.

Those interested in visiting, supporting, or volunteering with the Mercy Ecospirituality Center are encouraged to visit mercyecology.org.