Catholic Charities of Gallup

Pilgrimage to Turquoise Mountain

Rose Marie Cecchini, MM

Spring’s arrival this year infused a renewed sense of purpose and hope in our ongoing movement to protect the earth and precious water of New Mexico from new assaults of uranium mining and the nuclear fuel chain.  Thirteen uranium mining companies have requested permits to explore for uranium deposits on Mount Taylor, Sacred Turquoise Mountain of the South to Native Americans in the Southwest.  To prevent exploration drilling and future mining, eighteen grassroots groups and organizations have joined together to protect this revered mountain in the Cibola National Forest.

One of the coalition members is Stewards of Creation, an adult environmental faith leadership program, which has been collaborating with people of faith the past six years in holding experiential education programs in diverse geographical areas of New Mexico.  Local resource people engaged in ecological issues impacting the land, water, air, wildlife and communities are invited to share their wisdom and experiences, helping participants understand the interrelatedness between local issues, the living systems of earth, human communities and the sacredness of all creation.  Spirituality is an essential part of the program as presenters and participants share how their faith and spirituality sustain them in collaborative actions for healing and promoting sustainable renewable energy alternatives.

Focusing on threats to Mount Taylor from uranium mining, Stewards of Creation co-sponsored with Partnership for Earth Spirituality,  a “Mt. Taylor Pilgrimage for Health and Wholeness of Earth Community” on Saturday, April 5, 2008.  It would be a day for people in grassroots groups and organizations to come together, share feelings, thoughts, listen to people and the earth and participate in spiritual healing and wisdom seeking around our common concerns for the earth community.

By 9:30 a.m. about fifty-five people had gathered in Laguna Pueblo, at St. Joseph Church parish hall, and were warmly welcomed by Fr. Larry Bernard, OFM, pastor, and the hospitable parish community. Forming a large circle, the morning session began with prayer offered in the Laguna language by Ken Day, a kiva leader. Listening to each presentation, we were lead to a deeper understanding  of the sacred, close relationship the Navajo, Laguna and Acoma People have with Mother Earth, the elements and all living creatures. Presenters gave vivid descriptions, in terms of their community’s health and wholeness – including water, air, earth, plants, creatures and people - of how the uranium mining issue impacts their community’s unique spiritual and cultural life.

Laguna Pueblo Governor John Antonio told how the Laguna Tribal Council, joining with the Navajo Nation Council and Acoma Tribal Council recently met with members of Congress in Washington DC to make clear their resolute opposition to any future uranium mining on their homelands, as expressed in tribal resolutions banning uranium mining and milling.  Navajo elders from Pine Hill and Ramah Chapters expressed their concerns, telling of the illness and death of family members who had worked unprotected in open pit uranium mines in the 1950s to 80s, never warned of dangers from radioactive exposure to uranium ore and dust which they handled and carried home to family members in their contaminated clothing.  The women had washed family clothing all together by hand because of the scarcity of water, which had to be hauled by truck many miles from the nearest well.

Following lunch, we arranged to carpool and left Laguna Pueblo on our pilgrimage to Mt. Taylor, forty miles away.  Participants were given three questions for reflection during their travel to the mountain:

How are diverse species inhabiting the Mountain interrelated as one community of life?

How is the Mountain alive?

What is the Mountain is saying to us?

These guide questions were to help us shift our thinking and become more aware of the Mountain as a community of life. By the time we reached our destination, the beauty and grandeur of Turquoise Mountain spoke to us more eloquently than words.  We were in the presence of a profound spiritual reality.

Quietly, each one found a place to be alone on the mountainside, to listen and be present to the Mountain, allowing her to speak to us as a community of life.  From this solitude, a bell summoned us to a meadow  where we gathered in a circle,  listening to the wind song whispering through the pines, accompanied by song birds joining the chorus.  The Preamble of the Earth Charter was read.   We were then invited to express our grieving for the destruction and wounds we humans have inflicted on the Earth, causing extinction of species and global warming, bringing ever more destruction of life on our planet.  Waves of sound, deep groaning, wailing, moaning, rose and fell from the group, piercing the Mountain’s silence.

A poem was read, “I’m going to plant a heart in the earth...”, followed by each one ritually planting their heart in the ground at the center, sharing what they would do to “water” and nourish life and restore Earth.  Joy and celebration followed, coming spontaneously by our toning sounds from the Mountain’s living community;  wolf, bird, animal sounds.  After we had bowed together in reverence and love toward the Mountain summit, we exchanged a greeting of peace with one other.   Our pilgrimage ended in a very down to earth manner. Each one picked up litter, bottles and trash, left by other visitors to the Mountain.