Sister Moon Graphics is a Catholic family-owned business providing greeting cards, blank note cards and matted art prints to religious stores and online shoppers. Our designs are also licensed to other manufacturers and appear on a variety of products under copyright of Sister Moon Studio. We are located in the beautifully preserved Gold Rush town of Nevada City, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Our online store offers packaged cards and matted art prints. Single cards are available in many religious gift shops and bookstores--please let us know if you would like your parish store to receive a wholesale catalog of Sister Moon Graphics products.

The name “Sister Moon” references St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation, shown below, and the joyful work of Sister Moon Graphics is dedicated to his radically loving apostolate. His courageous example challenges all Christians to renounce violence and include all creatures in our circle of compassion.

"Christ is the way, and Francis showed it to me."

-St. Clare of Assisi

About the Artist
Ellen Buoncristiani has blended a career in illustration with a passion for medieval art to create Sister Moon Graphics, publishing new work inspired by illuminated manuscript design. After graduating from San Francisco's Academy of Art, she gained many clients as both a commercial and natural science illustrator. Her work has appeared in solo and gallery exhibits, museum installations, advertising, product packaging and numerous scientific articles and books. It has been published by many companies including Aaron Ashley Fine Art Publishers of New York and the Franklin Mint.

About St. Francis of Assisi
1181-1226
Feast Day October 4

The world's most beloved medieval saint, Francesco Bernardone was born about 1181 to affluent parents in Assisi, Italy. Handsome, gregarious and fun-loving, he became a leader among the town's young noblemen. However, he underwent a profound spiritual crisis after serving in battle against the city of Perugia and being held prisoner there for over a year. Upon his release, after recovering from terrible illness, he divested himself of his privileged position to adopt the life of a mendicant.

Through the most profound personal austerities and acts of charity, Francis substantially helped to restore the gospel foundation of the Church at a critical time in its history. His renowned dialogues with wild animals, including the infamous wolf of Gubbio, have rendered him the patron saint of the environment to the modern mind. However, this deep reverence for all creation was only part of an absolute discipleship defined by charity, simplicity, penance and heroic works for peace undertaken in a dangerous political climate. His gift for preaching and his courage in taking literally Jesus' admonition that we must love one another produced thousands of followers in his lifetime, and Franciscan orders today remain the largest in membership. St. Francis died at the age of 44 or 45, having spent much of his last years isolated in mystic contemplation and receiving the holy stigmata. He was canonized two years later. The Canticle of Creation is one of his most well-known prayers, exemplifying his perception that everything created by God is our natural brother or sister.

Francis and Creation
In Francis of Assisi we have a companion and guide who teaches us to walk on the face of the earth with humility and with an open and grateful heart, aware of the divine goodness in all things. To do this, we must first let go of a self-understanding that is profoundly grandiose. To know our place on the earth is to respect boundaries and limits that have been set for us. When we think of ourselves as over and above creation...we are participating in a worldview that allows, rationalizes, even encourages the exploitation of nature....

Only with this humility, this proper sense of self, can we recognize the intricate web of life on which we, with all other creatures, depend. Then we are able to begin to address every other creature as Sister and Brother, deserving of respect, compassion, and reverence.

-From St. Francis and the Foolishness of God, © 1993 by M. Dennis, C. Moe-Lobeda, J. Nangle OFM and S. Taylor. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York. Used with permission.