The Headwaters at Incarnate Word

Established in 2008, the Headwaters at Incarnate Word preserves 53 acres of spring-filled land. The Sisters dedicated this area to the conservation of the land as an expression of their commitment to care for the Earth. The Congregation's Headwaters ministry restores ecological health to this land and fosters a deeper relationship with God through the love and care of creation.

In 2020, the 53-acre preservice was placed under a conservation easement. A conservation easement is a restrictive covenant that permanently bars construction, paving over natural surfaces, mining, or drilling on the land.

“The little efforts, the local efforts, make a difference. We can’t go to the Amazon to save the rainforest there, but we are really responsible for making sure that what we have is preserved for the future” (Sister Teresa Maya, Congegational Leader).

Originally part of the 280 acres the Incarnate Word sisters purchased in 1897 from banker George Brackenridge, the property is a formative space for the Catholic order. The nuns established their mother house on the former Brackenridge land, then moved their Academy of the Incarnate Word to the site from its former location in Government Hill. That school eventually became the University of the Incarnate Word.

The Headwaters at Incaarnate Word nonprofit now manages the remaining 53 acres, safeguarding the space and holding regular educational and spiritual events. Dozens of volunteers meet there regularly to cut down invasive trees and build trails on the property, among other improvements.