To kick off the week of Earth Day, Sacred Heart students, faculty, staff and their family members co-hosted Youth on the Avenue, a partnership with neighboring St. George’s Episcopal Church focused on caring for the Earth and building community among our school and within our city.

Taking place on Sunday, April 18, Youth on the Avenue was also the first event of our newly introduced Sustainable Hearts program, which captures all elements of Sacred Heart’s commitment to caring for God’s created earth. Built on our foundation of respect for the Earth and promoting environmental sustainability, Sustainable Hearts places particular importance of education and partnerships in bringing about meaningful change. Youth on the Avenue was designed with both of these in mind, bringing together two communities for a day of education, fellowship, prayer and cleaning of our shared spaces.  

After gathering at the front of Sacred Heart’s campus, our team of volunteers walked together to a nearby park, where students and their families collected litter, learned about plants native to Louisiana and their importance in our ecosystem, and painted banners for both Sacred Heart and St. George’s to display on Earth Day. Throughout the afternoon, James Post, Children's and Youth Minister at St. George’s, would call for “sky breaks,” encouraging the volunteers to stop and appreciate the beauty of God’s earth and our sacred work in caring for it. 

The event closed with a circle of prayer and fellowship, a sharing out of those things in the world for which we are grateful, and a preview and invitation to upcoming Earth Day activities. Many thanks to the volunteers from Sacred Heart and St. George’s, to our event organizers James Post, Jana Fogleman, Community Outreach and Partnership Coordinator at Sacred Heart, and Karen Dufour, Sacred Heart’s Sustainability Coordinator. This event was a beautiful beginning to what we hope will be a continued partnership in our community to celebrate and promote our shared commitment to the earth.

Click here to view additional photos from the event>>