December 5, 2017
Presbyterian pilgrims gather at the Hudson River. Photo credit Rev. Jeffrey Geary
During this first week of Advent — the start of a spiritual journey — congregations in Hudson River Presbytery can reflect on another spiritual journey they embarked on during another holy season this year.
On a chilly Saturday morning in April, 30 people from six congregations in Hudson River Presbytery embarked on a Holy Week journey of education, advocacy and worship called Healing Sacred Sites: From Death to Resurrection. The pilgrimage was organized by HRPGreen, a partnership of individuals and congregations in the presbytery that is dedicated to raising awareness and securing engagement around environmental issues. Participants blew on their hands to keep warm as they bustled onto a trolley in downtown Peekskill, a city on the scenic Hudson River that is undergoing a revitalization due to its proximity to New York City and its vibrant artistic community.
As Peekskill Councilwoman Kathleen Talbot explains, “The city faces challenges to the environment that every town and city must deal with. But it also must acknowledge the potential impact of its proximity to an aging nuclear power plant and the current expanding Spectra pipeline running within a few hundred feet of it. Recent environmental challenges have sharpened focus on an undeniable truth: We will only thrive if we can ensure a safe environment with sustainable resources.”
These challenges are real, but there are hopeful ways forward. Kathy Dean, chair of HRPGreen, explains, “We created this experience so we could learn about environmental destruction and how we can work together to repair the damage. An essential part of the program was liturgy that focused on environmental rebirth.”
The pilgrimage made its way around the city, visiting environmental sites that need healing, including the site of a waste-to-energy incinerator, Indian Point nuclear facility and a SuperFund site. The pilgrimage also wound its way to places that are being resurrected through people’s careful efforts, such as a recently restored waterfront; a rejuvenated, walkable downtown, and a pond whose damaged waters were healed by natural means by a Peekskill high school science teacher and his class. The cohort of Presbyterians and several members of the wider community heard from experts, prayed together and brought home new models for healing their local land and water.
HRPGreen has both tapped and inspired energy within the presbytery that has been put to concrete use — providing educational forums on solarizing congregations’ buildings, working within and beyond the church for an end to dependence on fossil fuels, stimulating the sharing of best practices in earth care among congregations and within the wider community.
Rev. Noelle Damico, Director of Communications, Hudson River Presbytery
Today’s Focus: Hudson River Presbytery
Let us join in prayer for:
Hudson River Presbytery Staff
Gavin Meek, Interim General Presbyter
Susan DeGeorge, Stated Clerk
Emily Monk, Manager of Finance
Jean Kaiser, Office Manager
Noelle Damico, Director of Communications
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Robert “Bobby” Wilson, PMA
Robina Winbush, OGA
Let us pray:
May earth rejoice again! May its waters rush with life! May its trees green the hills! May its dirt be rich in nutrients! May its inhabitants live with care! May we, who have been entrusted as earth’s caretaker, use our power to heal and help, to defend and protect our planet home for every generation! Amen.
Daily Readings
Morning Psalms 33; 146
First Reading Amos 3:1-11
Second Reading 2 Peter 1:12-21
Gospel Reading Matthew 21:12-22
Evening Psalms 85; 94
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.