Since 1993 the Sacred Universe Award has recognized leaders in the field whose work and life foster mutually enhancing Human-Earth relationships.
“SpiritEarth” is a word coined by John Surette, SJ and Mary Southard, CSJ to convey the inherent sacredness of all of creation, and to remind us that we evolve out of Earth and our very existence depends upon her and her health.
The Award was first presented to Thomas Berry in 1993 by John Surette, SJ and Mary Southard, CSJ, and continues to be given through The Well Spirituality Center to this day. Mary and John initiated the Sacred Universe Award to honor the recipient, and to renew them and all those who gather to celebrate with them, in their commitment to this difficult and great work.
2025 Recipient
Dr. Louis Savary
Louis M. Savary, PhD, STD, has been a Jesuit for 30 years and has dedicated over 50 years to studying the life and writings of Teilhard de Chardin. He has authored 12 books that simplify Teilhard’s often complex ideas, making them accessible to ordinary readers. Notable works include The Divine Milieu Explained and The Human Phenomenon Explained. In The New Spiritual Exercises, he re-envisioned the Ignatian spiritual classic from Teilhard’s evolutionary perspective. Savary has also explored themes such as suffering, morality, and love through Teilhard’s evolutionary understanding. His recent books, The Christian Phenomenon: A Once and Future Church and 100 Questions on Catholicism and Evolution, continue this exploration. Currently, he is working on a full-length book on the cardisphere, sharing parts of it in this lecture as he accepts the Sacred Universe Award.
Prior Recipients
Hover over recipients’ names to learn more about them.