All Saints invites you to reflect on our individual and collective environmental impact and join us to commit to faithful and positive change. Beginning with the formation of the All Saints Green Team a group of parishioners came together with a mission to implement The Episcopal Church’s Care for Creation pledge – climate change is upon us and we must do better! The areas of focus for the Green Team are Christian formation, buildings & grounds, energy, waste reduction, and advocacy.
We invite you to join us to faithfully care for the earth and each other. Here’s some of what we’re doing.
2025 Season of Creation
5 Sundays: September 7 – October 4
Did you know that the Episcopal Church has joined the international and ecumenical world in celebrating a Season of Creation from September 1st to October 4th, the Feast of St Francis? The observance of the Season of Creation is intended to help us “celebrate in prayer and action our Gospel calling to protect the Earth that God entrusted to our care.” Bishop Paula Clark has approved the celebration of the Season of Creation in parishes in the Diocese of Chicago. This year All Saints will join in this five-week celebration.
Beginning on Sunday, September 7 and for the following Sundays through to October 4, you’ll hear prayers and music celebrating creation during worship.
Earth Day
Every year on April 22 the world celebrates Earth Day. On that day and week you are invited to pray Creation-themed Table Prayers of thanksgiving for the bounty of the earth. As you pray them before your meals know that others in our All Saints community are praying with you!
April is Earth Month
The goal of the All Saints Earth Month events is to foster awareness, education, and action around sustainability and environmental stewardship within our community and to inspire individuals to become actively engaged in building a greener, more sustainable church and planet. 2024 All Saints Events (PDF)
Celebrating our Gardens
On Sunday, May 25, 2025 we celebrated Rogation Sunday with a procession around the All Saints campus.
We paused at stations around the church grounds where we care for the earth through gardening, composting/recycling, and other stewardship efforts, giving thanks to the Creator for the bounty of creation, acknowledge our dependence on God through intercessory prayer, and bless the labors of all who cultivate new life.
Rogation Days are the church’s original Earth Day! They go back a century and a half and are commemorate Jesus’ final days on earth before his Ascension. They focus on the earth, agriculture, and human dependence on God.
Our Gardens
Pollinator Gardens: A pollinator garden on the south side has native plants intended to attract birds, bugs and especially caterpillars/butterflies. On the southeast corner is another pollinator garden with 2 dogwood trees.
Traditional Plantings: In the front on Wilson, there is a Red Bud tree and in the garden bed resides aliym. On the north sidewalk resides a small Serviceberry tree. A lovely Hawthorne tree estimated to be 100 years old resides outside the church school.
Raised Garden Beds: On the south side of the church school, the church school kids tend to vegetable gardens. The vegetables are used for the Food Pantry.
Garden Shed: As of April 2025, a new garden shed for use by the church school gardens and the pollinator gardens. This was installed by parishioner Owen Kasten for his Eagle Scout project.
Climate Action
Shout out to all those who attended the 2024 Climate Action Lobby Day rally in Springfield on Thursday, May 9. All Saints members joined Faith in Place to champion the passage of crucial clean energy and transportation policies. Pictured is State Senator Mike Simmons (7th District which includes Ravenswood) speaking to the crowd and with Faith in Place participants.
Diocesan Efforts
Eco DioChicago is the Diocese of Chicago’s creation care working group, formed in August 2024. The group is committed to promoting care for creation and environmental justice as priorities for the diocese and parishes through growing connections, providing useful and encouraging resources, and advocating for its mission in the diocese and our parishes.
