Eco-Justice Can Lead Us Back to the Garden
Eco-Justice Can Lead Us Back to the Garden
Recently, clergy from across the state of Louisiana virtually convened for a webinar hosted by Restore the Mississippi River Delta’s Helen Rose Patterson to discuss the importance of preaching Creation-Care sermons to our congregations. A blog by a Kentucky reverend offered jumping-off points for discussions as we moved through the six ecojustice principles and sought to understand the Bible with a greener lens. Today, I’ll go over all six principles to help you implement them as you practice your faith. …
Losing Ground & Gaining Perspective
Flying over the Mississippi River Delta brought back a flood of family stories. My grandfather spent some of his childhood living on a houseboat near Port Eads. His father was a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Both men helped build the levees that I hope will soon host the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. Many hunting and fishing stories, theirs and mine, surfaced. As we flew down the river on the east bank, we could see the Caernarvon …
A Quick Jaunt from New Orleans Reveals the Opportunity to Restore Louisiana’s Coast
Early on a recent Monday morning, Bishop Thompson and I made our way down the east bank of the Mississippi River to hop on an airboat and learn about the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion. Having spent the prior weekend in meetings, it was a gift to enjoy a sunny morning out on the water. There are few places that rival the natural beauty of south Louisiana. I am reminded of that every time I take a drive outside of the city. …
“Tree Planting in the Swamps,” a Poem by Reverend Seamus Doyle
I first came to Louisiana from Ireland in 1974 and fell in love with the people, the food and the land. Over the next forty years, I have travelled most of the USA and lived for stretches in various places; but my heart was in Louisiana, and finally I returned home. Some years ago, I read “Bayou Farewell” by Mike Tidwell and felt a great sadness for the loss of the land, for the forced migration of communities. It is …
Stewards of Creation
The Louisiana Interchurch Conference (LIC) was formed to serve in part as a collective voice of a significant portion of the Christian churches and faith communities in our state. In the 1980s the attention of the conference turned to the coast and the loss of land along the coastal parishes. The LIC joined its corporate voice with others in advocating for ways to restore the coast and to draw attention to the call of all Christians to be good stewards …
#OurCoast: Exploring Bayous, Rivers and Faith
On a recent Monday morning, myself and some fellow New Orleans-area clergy had the privilege to explore some of the bayous, rivers, bays and barrier islands in the gulf coast area near Venice. Riding aboard a sturdy Lafitte skiff, piloted by the inimitable Richie Blink, we learned about local flora and fauna, activities of the very-present oil and gas companies, and what the different fishing vessels going past us had in their hold (including one boat that had a pile …
#OurCoast: Faith, Science, and Sea Level Rise
#OurCoast is an ongoing project by Restore the Mississippi River Delta to document the various ways the Mississippi River Delta has made an impact in the lives of Louisianians and others. Sometimes, I find it really hard to be an earth scientist and live in New Orleans – and not just because we don’t have any local rocks to speak of. Rather, I find myself overwhelmed as my work can inundate me with new facts and projections about the vulnerability …
Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration
The following letter was recently signed by over 30 faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans …
Restoring the Wetlands as Part of our Sacred Duty and History
God of unchangeable power, when you fashioned the world the morning stars sang together and the host of heaven shouted for joy; open our eyes to the wonders of creation and teach us to use all things for good, to the honor of your glorious name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Source: A New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 569) Before our city and coastlands were flooded by Hurricane Katrina, there was a cry to rebuild wetlands that were disappearing. …