Seminar Report 2026

Convener

Samuel Torvend

Description of Work

Members of the Ecology and Liturgy Seminar presented papers for
discussion:

• Christopher Grundy, “Though the Earth Should
  Change: Christian Sacred Groves for an Era of Ecological Crisis”
• Lisa Dahill, “Becoming a Pantheist: New Camaldoli to the Sacred
  Wild”
• Benjamin Stewart, “Are There Not Twelve Hours of
  Daylight? Observations of Synchrony and Clock
  ecology-and-liturgy
• “Keeping a Year of Creation with Nature’s Seasons and Liturgical
  Feasts.”

Three members of the seminar reported on projects:

• Timothy Brunk, “The CLEAR Project at Villanova University”
  (Children, Liturgy, Ecology, and Renewal)”
• Kristen Daley Mosier,
  “Solar Noon Day Prayer” and “Creation Care Vespers”
• Ellen Oak, “Summer Outdoor Eucharist” and “Early Fall Eucharist.”

Other Work and Plans for the Future

The Ecology and Liturgy Seminar members elected Timothy Brunk
as the Convener for the next triennium. Members of the Seminar
suggested possible topics for next year’s meeting: the Hush
Garden tradition; Worship, creation, and subjectivity; Prayers for
Outdoors; the CLEAR Project; a chapter from a dissertation on
baptism and a regional watershed; introductions to
creation-centered liturgies and their music; Anglo-Saxon monastic
earth-friendly practices; pantheism as perception and practice of
encounter rather than dogma.

Seminar Report 2023

Convener

Lisa Dahill is Miriam Therese Winter Chair for Transformative Leadership and Spirituality and Director of the Center for Transformative Spirituality at Hartford International University for Religion & Peace.

Members in Attendance

Timothy Brunk, Cláudio Carvalhaes, Lisa Dahill, Kristen Daley-Mosier, Paul Galbreath, Lawrence Mick, Martin Marklin, Mary McGann, Ellen Oak, Ron Rienstra, Susan Marie Smith, Samuel Torvend, Richard Vosko

Description of Work

We engaged two papers, two chapters of forthcoming books, a piece written for a general audience, a pedagogical outline for a doctoral seminar, a book proposal, a newly published book, and a set of musical podcasts. This diversity of forms of work reflects our seminar’s ongoing commitment to experiencing and discussing emerging eco-liturgical pieces (in this case, the mu- sical podcast); our desire to reflect on ways to reach more people with the creative and timely work we are producing (here, the piece for a popular audience and the reflections on pedagogy); and our strong, indeed primary, center in one another’s scholarly work.

Papers and Presentations

• Kristen Daley-Mosier, “Divided Waters: How a Via Aquatica Encourag- es Ecological Conversion.” This paper explores how a focus on watershed makes possible a glimpse of the Christian life as via aquatica: contextual, justice-oriented, and ecological.
• Samuel Torvend, “An Environmental Rule?”, chapter in forthcoming book, Monastic Ecological Wisdom (Liturgical Press, 2023). This chapter traces key aspects of the Rule of Benedict having to do with sustainability, especial- ly stability and care of the land.
• Paul Galbreath, “Reforming Reformed Worship: Towards a Biblical Herme- neutic for the Earth and the Poor.” This chapter in a forthcoming volume examines the role/s of Scripture in Reformed worship, focused on texts high- lighting Earth and the poor.
• Mary McGann, “Food Systems in Crisis: A Trio of Responses.” McGann presented three means by which she is engaging people with global eco-food crises: a popular article in America; a doctoral seminar pedagogy; and a new book proposal.
• Cláudio Carvalhaes, Inventory, Metamorphoses and Emergenc(i)es: How Do We Become Green People and Earth Communities. This book, based on lec- tures at Princeton Seminary, calls for liturgies that perceive and tell the truth, and enact real change.
• Ellen Oak, “Singing the Dawn.” This set of podcasts recorded a series of 90 daily videos at daybreak, over the period from the spring equinox to the summer solstice 2021, inviting viewers into the practice of chanting Lauds from the Rule of Benedict.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

In addition to our usual set of fantastic scholarly work and liturgical creativity from Seminar members, we hope next year to engage leaders of Creation Justice, an eco-justice ministry located in Seat- tle. Our new convener, Dr. Samuel Torvend, will bring new ideas and initiatives— beginning with his home bioregion of the Seattle/Tacoma area and Puget Sound Watershed for our 2024 meeting.

Seminar Report 2022

Convener

Lisa E. Dahill, Professor of Religion at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA

Members in Attendance

David Buley, Joseph Bush, Claudio Carvalhaes, Lisa Dahill, Mary McGann, Lawrence Mick, Ellen Oak, Susan Smith, Benjamin Stewart, Samuel Torvend, Michelle Whitlock

Visitors in Attendance

Martin Marklin, Kristen Daley Mosier

Description of Work

We met in fully online sessions. Several seminar mem- bers gathered in person in Kansas City but the session conversations took place via Zoom this year. We discussed (portions of) two new or forthcoming books by seminar members as well as five papers, chapters, or emerging projects from other members. We also had time for sharing of new ritual resources in the area of ecology and liturgy, including opportunities to pray together newly composed material by Mary McGann, including “Ode to the Backyard Compost,” “Lament for a Landfill,” “Grace for the Table of Resistance,” and “Ritual for the Blessing of a Garden,” as well as an Ecological Lord’s Prayer from Claudio Carvalhaes’s new book.

Papers and Presentations

• Benjamin Stewart, “The Ecosacramentality of the Funeral,” forthcoming in T&T Clark Handbook of Sacraments and Sacramentality. This chapter explores Christian funeral practices around the twin loci of the eco-fecundity and symbolic power of the human corpse, and sacramental theologies of embodiment and justice.
• Lisa Dahill, “Rewilding the Practice of Confession: Bonhoeffer, Eco-Systemic Crises, and in process around how climate chaos and eco-justice ca- tastrophes shape the language and theology of Christian confession of sin.”
• Cláudio Carvalhaes, Ritual’s at World’s End: Essays on Eco-Liturgical Liberation Theology (York: The Barber’s Son, Fall 2021). We discussed the Introduction and first three chapters of this book proposing and enfleshing a fully ecological liberation theology, including questions of how both ritual and ritual/liturgical studies can more adequately enact this liberation.
• Joseph Bush, Worshiping in Season: Ecology and Christ Through the Liturgi- cal Year (Rowman & Littlefield/Alban Books, 2022). We discussed the Introduction, Chapter 7 on Pentecost, and Conclusion of this forthcoming volume, centering in ecological grounding and implications of Pentecost, through the lens of appointed RCL texts and seasonal markers.
• Kristen Daley-Mosier, “The Waters of Jesus’ Baptism: a Participatory Chain for the Jordan River Watershed, Then and Now.” This dissertation chapter explores three lenses by which to speak of water’s participation in the sacra- ment: water as sacramental/sanctified element, water as witness, and water at the heart of place-/watershed-based creaturely life.
• Susan Smith, “Stations of the Earth.” This discussion explored emerging thinking around creation of Stations (modeled on the Stations of the Cross”) that invite contemplative attention to various dimensions of Earth’s sacred life, from distinctive features of the place in which the stations appear, to biblical teaching on creation or Incarnational/sacramental devotion.
• Samuel Torvend, “Praying the Seasons of Life on God’s Earth,” chapter in forthcoming book Monastic Ecological Wisdom (Liturgical Press, 2023). This chapter explores ways the Rule of Benedict roots monastic prayer in daily and seasonal rhythms of created life, as well as biblical eco-/Sabbath-pat- terns, while resisting Roman imperialism.