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.

Seminar Report 2020

Convener

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

Members in Attendance

Deborah Appler, Joseph Bush, Lisa E. Dahill, Carol Frenning, Paul Galbreath, Mary E. McGann, Lawrence Mick, Ellen Oak, Susan Smith, Benjamin Stewart, Samuel Torvend, John West

Visitors in Attendance

Martin Marilin, Mat Verghese

Description of Work

This year’s seminar sessions contained a rich mixture of papers by six members (Joseph Bush, Ben Stewart, Paul Galbreath, Mary McGann, Lisa Dahill, and Samuel Torvend) over four sessions, along with two sessions centering on dance and liturgical innovation. The dance session was led by John West, featuring improvisational movement in relation to the four elements of creation, including discussion of dance as a means of fostering connection to the natural world. The liturgical innovation session was an opportunity for members to lead prayers or other ritual elements they have written or encountered, for dis- cussion. We hosted the Advent Project Seminar for one session as well.

Papers and Presentations

• Joe Bush, “Turning to the Children: Ecological Threat and Hope in Advent,” and “Turning to the Children: Advent Wreath Liturgies,” chapters from Worshiping in Season, Rowman & Littlefield, under contract (with the Advent Project Seminar).
• Ben Stewart, “Silence at the Sanctus: The Liturgical Guild and the Ecological ”
• Paul Galbreath, “In Praise of Living Water: Ritual Experimentation in Times of Ecological Crisis.”
• Mary McGann, Chapters 8 and 9, The Meal that Reconnects (forthcoming, Liturgical Press).

• Lisa E. Dahill, “Eating and Being Eaten: Interspecies Vulnerability as Eu”
• Samuel Torvend, “Early Medieval Monastic Commitments to Environmental ”

Other Work and Plans for the Future

We discussed the possibility of starting a website to feature our seminar’s work, in hopes of reaching a wider readership than publication in journals alone allows.