We are Grateful! Thank you for bringing new life to our campus and being a constant support of our sisters! Your gift will truly create an urban jewel for our sisters, neighborhood and city! Your gift will help us: plant a privacy hedge along Washington street; purchase pollinator-attracting shrubs and perennial flowers; create a place for sisters to pray and students to learn. Thank you again for your investment in this project to diversify life on the Siena […]

The first residents of the land that will become our butterfly garden were likely, well-butterflies-and many other winged, and multi-footed species who thrived in the Eastern Deciduous Forest biome that makes up much of Sangamon County.  The first two-legged caretakers were likely the Kickapoo, members of the Illiniwek Confederation, or Potawatomi people. It was the Potawatomi who loaned us their word for the name of the county. According to Athens, Ill., resident George Godfrey, a member of the […]

Donate to the Butterfly Garden Here “In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.” ― Kakuzō Okakura  The butterfly garden will be a sanctuary for humans and all creation, an unending source of spiritual renewal, and a place that creates a sense of social well-being for all who visit. Last but not least, the garden is a place to find solace and delight.  Whether our sisters and visitors are looking for a place for comfort, contemplation, or […]

Donate to the Butterfly Garden A growing body of research indicates that urban green spaces benefit people and Earth by improving physical and mental health, increasing social wellbeing, reducing crime, and curbing the hazards of climate change.  Is there a spiritual dividend as well?  “The world will be saved by beauty,” Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day said. So yes! We anticipate that our 4,500 sq. ft. butterfly garden will bring all of these things to our neighborhood: health […]