Sacred Land, Sacred Spaces
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Listening to, learning from, and accompanying Native American peoples in the spirit of Laudato Si’
In the spirit of encounter and of Laudato Si’, the Catholic Climate Covenant invites you to this webinar featuring Deborah Echo-Hawk, Ronnie O’Brien, and Nikki Cooley and the dedication they share to the well-being of Native American tribal nations and peoples, and the lands, territories and cultures they hold sacred.
“Sacred Land, Sacred Spaces”, a Webinar in the spirit of Laudato Si’
When: Apr 7, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Listening to, learning from, and accompanying Native American peoples in the spirit of Laudato Si’
Nikki Cooley is the co-manager of the Tribal Climate Change Program of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals.
Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bML1dJYgRqCt866UDkJHUg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Note: the webinar will be recorded and the recording will be sent to all who register.
Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si’, “[I]t is essential to show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions. They are not merely one minority among others, but should be the principal dialogue partners, especially when large projects affecting their land are proposed. For them, land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values. When they remain on their land, they themselves care for it best.” [i] He further stated in 2018, “How much we can learn from them! The lives of indigenous peoples “are a living memory of the mission that God has entrusted to us all: the protection of our common home.”[ii]
In the spirit of encounter—a hallmark of this papacy—and as we seek to carry forth with indigenous peoples on this continent, expressed in the aspiration of the Synod on the Amazon: “It is incumbent upon all of us to be custodians of God’s work. The protagonists of the care, protection and defence of the rights of peoples and the rights of nature in this region are the Amazon communities themselves. They are the agents of their own destiny, of their own mission. In this scenario, the role of the Church is to be an ally. The role of the Church is to strengthen this capacity of support and participation.” [iii]
The Covenant is blessed to commence our work in this role through this webinar.
(Photo above of Deb Echo-Hawk of Pawnee, Okla. and Ronnie O’Brien, a hospitality management and culinary arts instructor at Central Community College, sharing a laugh as they stand in the white flour corn garden on the college’s Hastings campus. Photo credit: Laura Beahm, Hastings Tribune.)
Citations:
[i] Laudato Si’ at 146
[ii] Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants at the International Conference Marking the 3rd Anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ (6 July 2018).
[iii] Synod of Bishops, Special Assembly for the Pan-Amazonian Region, “The Amazon: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.” At para 75 and 76 (26 October 2019).
