Our Lady of the Lake University Begins Work on St. Francis Pollinator Garden

On Friday, August 7, members of the Our Lady of the Lake University community gathered to begin preparing the site of a new native pollinator garden dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. The garden is being developed through a partnership among OLLU’s Center for Service-Learning and Volunteerism, the Biology and Environmental Science and Sustainability Programs, and the San Antonio River Authority.

Located on OLLU property behind the softball fields and alongside Elmendorf Lake Park, the garden will eventually include native flowers and shrubs that provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. The site builds upon environmental work already underway in the area. Last semester, OLLU partnered with the Bexar County Audubon Society to construct Bexar County’s first chimney swift tower, providing shelter for the locally threatened birds.

Friday’s work focused on preparing the ground for planting later this fall. Volunteers laid cardboard across the site and covered it with mulch, a process known as solarization that uses the summer heat to clear existing vegetation and prepare the soil for native plants.

Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP, offered the dedication prayer, asking God’s blessing upon the garden, those who will care for it, and the creatures that will find nourishment and shelter there. Sister Anita Brenek, CDP, joined volunteers in preparing cardboard for the site.

Drawing upon Laudato Si’, Sister Elsa’s prayer reflected on the interconnectedness of creation and the responsibility to care for both people and the Earth. She prayed that the garden would become “a place of beauty, learning, and hope” and a reminder that even small actions rooted in faith and compassion can contribute to the healing of our common home.

The garden’s dedication to St. Francis of Assisi is especially fitting during the 2026 Jubilee Year honoring the saint whose life continues to inspire a deep reverence for creation. As the garden develops, it will offer the OLLU community a space not only for environmental education, but also for prayer, contemplation, and a deeper awareness of the relationships that sustain all life.