This week marks our last week open to visitors until April. Wednesday (11/13) and Thursday (11/14) you can visit Shepherd’s Corner between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Give us a call at (614) 866-4302 so that we know you’ll be dropping in for a walk.
Our suggested donation is $2 per person.

At the end of October we welcomed our new llama, Maggie Francesca Llama. She came to us from McFarland’s Llama Farm as Maggie. We decided to keep Maggie as her name and add Francesca as a way to celebrate the special connection that St. Francis of Assisi with all of God’s creatures.

Wednesday, November 6 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Facilitated by Linda Lee, OP
Suggested donation $10

During this weekday retreat we will take time to explore gratitude. Join us as we seek to deepen our gratitude in hopes that it leads us to action. This program will include time to explore nature and a simple lunch will be served.
We ask that you dress for the weather as part of the program may be outside.

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You can register by calling (614) 866-4302 or through our website calendar, https://shepherdscorner.org/calendar.
All programs have a minimum of 5 participants & a snack and beverage are included.
Registration closes three business days prior to each program.

“Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”  Pope Francis Laudato Si 

An Invitation 

Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center is a small corner of creation committed to providing people of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to rediscover the life-giving harmony between themselves and the land. The center was founded in 1992 by three Dominican sisters as a ministry based on the profound spiritual belief that the Creator is made known in the natural world.  Shepherd’s Corner is an invitation to recognize and respect the dignity of all creation and to care for it in a way that nurtures the future of the whole Earth community.

We invite you to partner with us in this mission. Your financial support sustains our efforts to educate youth and adults about the imperative that we as a human family need to care for Earth and all of its creatures. Your donation affirms your belief that we can bring about changes in how we live on Earth and how we relate to one another and creation.

There are several ways you can donate. You can use the enclosed envelope to send a check or cash directly to Shepherd’s Corner. You can designate how you wish your gift to be used or to make a donation in honor or memory of a loved one. You can donate through this donation form using a credit card or electronic check. Your donations will receive an acknowledgement from the Dominican Sisters of Peace for tax purposes. Make out checks to Shepherd’s Corner.

With gratitude for your support,

Sister Rose Ann Van Buren, OP and the
Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center Staff

Your donation supports our environmental education efforts.

Shepherd’s Corner promotes environmental education through a variety of programs. Elementary school classes, scouts and youth groups learn ways to care for creation through participation in composting and recycling activities, wetland and vernal pool studies, getting to know the SC animals, working in the children’s garden, studying the effects of water pollution, and learning about sustainable living.

The wonderful bio-diversity of the land provides opportunities to explore the wildlife including  birds and butterflies and delight in the  wild flowers. Shepherd’s Corner volunteers have created pamphlets to help identify many of the birds and wildflowers found on the land.

“There is a nobility in our duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle.” Pope Francis Laudato Si’ 

Your donation provides food and vet care for our animals.

Our animals have important jobs on the farm.  Our sheep provide wool and manure; Alejandro, our llama, protects the sheep from predators; our chickens provide fresh eggs and help control insect populations; our bees hives pollinate plants. The animals are an integral part of education programs for students of all ages.

Your donation assists in the upkeep of the labyrinth and the meditation trail, and our efforts to preserve the biodiversity of the land.

Peace, insight, comfort, healing, energy, connection, and letting go are words often used to describe a walk in the labyrinth. Walking this circular path provides a time of quiet and meditation and reminds us of our life journey with its twists and turns. A single half-mile path leads to the center and the same path is followed back out. Labyrinth walks are scheduled throughout the year. There is also a small grass labyrinth near the Barn for those who want a shorter labyrinth experience. The 14 meditation stations meander through woods and meadow. Each station offers the walker something for the mind, body, and spirit, with theme-centered factual information, reflections, and suggested activities.

Your donation buys supplies and needed equipment for the garden.

Shepherd’s Corner is committed to donating 60-65% of the harvest to three local food pantries. The Feed the Hungry Garden provides fresh, naturally-grown vegetables for those in need. There are two small gardens used to grow our vegetables. Much effort is given to maintain healthy soil. Nothing toxic is used in the gardens. Food pantries receiving our vegetables are HEART (Reynoldsburg), GRIN (Gahanna) and the Griffin Center at Christ the King Church.

Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center invites others to join with us in experiencing the joys and responsibilities of caring for land, life and spirit, inspiring others to become shepherds of creation in their own corners of the world.

Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center
987 N. Waggoner Road
Blacklick, OH  43004
614 866 4302
www.shepherdscorner.org
shepherdscorner@sbcglobal.net

A ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace

Join us for our October programs at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center.

Come Visit Shepherd’s Corner.
Walk our labyrinths and meditation trail.
Most Wednesdays-Fridays (from April to mid-November) we are open to visitors between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Dates when were are not open can be seen on our website calendar. You can always call ahead just to make sure we’re open for visitors.

Closed: October 3 & 4, 23 & 25.
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Storytelling Experience

It is with overwhelming sorrow that Shepherd’s Corner announces the death of our awesome llama, Alejandro Amigo Llama. His condition worsened over the last few days. He was unable to stand and walk around. A llama specialist from Mount Vernon examined him. There was nothing more that could be done for AJ.

AJ is buried near the Barn next to our other llama, Fernando. To celebrate his life spring bulbs will be planted on his grave for a burst of color next year. Thank you all for your care and love for AJ. He will be missed greatly by his sheep and his humans.

We are grateful to McFarland’s Llama Farm for sharing AJ with us. We look forward to working with them to find a new llama to continue his sheep duties.

Consider joining us for these wonderful events:

Second Harvest: September Labyrinth Walk
Friday, September 13th          7:00 – 8:30 pm
Registration closes 3 business days prior to program.

Facilitated by Shawn Scott & Nancy Cameron, Earthkeepers
Suggested Donation: $5

Join us at the labyrinth to celebrate the second harvest of the year & how that relates to our life’s journey.

Our labyrinth is located on Wengert Road, at the second drive to the right. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Please wear comfortable shoes. No previous meditation experience or experience walking labyrinths is required. 

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Ponder & Pick
Monday, September 16th                               6:30-8:00 pm
Registration closes 3 business days prior to the program.

Led by Julie Laudick & Lainie Rini, our farmers
Suggested donation:$10 (includes a bag from the harvest)

Beans and peas form a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their roots. These are particularly useful plants as they provide food while improving the fertility of the land for future crops. Join us for meditative exercise while picking beans and peas, which form a symbiotic relationship with their environment. There will be a space and time to reflect on symbiotic relationships in your life. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Please wear closed toe shoes and clothing that can get dirty. 

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Saturday, September 21st    Noon to 3 pm.
4th Annual Shepherds Fest (previously known as Field Day)        $5 per vehicle

At this open house you’ll be able to explore the gardens, take a hayride around our property, and walk our meditation trail & labyrinths. In addition to our original turf labyrinth there here is also a grass labyrinth directly behind our barn. We will have games and crafts too! There will be a delicious food truck on site if you get hungry.

Jefferson Township fire department will be present so you can check out a fire truck up close! Gail Maraman, a wonderful local felt artist, will be demonstrating her art. There will be a farm stand featuring naturally grown produce & our 2019 maple syrup. We will also have some of our crafts, made by Sisters and volunteers, for purchase. 

Share our Facebook event with all of your friends! https://www.facebook.com/events/2105725856390817/
As a reminder we are unable to accept payment via credit or debit cards.

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Come Visit Shepherd’s Corner 

Walk our labyrinths and meditation trail. Most Wednesdays-Fridays (from April to mid-November) we are open to visitors between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Dates when were are not open can be seen on our website calendar. You can always call ahead just to make sure we’re open for visitors.

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We ask that you register for programs by calling (614) 866-4302 or through our website calendar, https://shepherdscorner.org/calendar. 

All programs have a minimum of 5 participants.

Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center is an outreach of The Dominican Sisters of Peace.

What are some ways that you are working toward living sustainably?
Sunday September 1st, is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

A Prayer for our Earth
By Pope Francis*

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
* Pope Francis published this prayer in his Laudato Si’ encyclical.

Find more information and ideas of what you can do to help Creation here.