The catechumenate is an ancient process of faith formation that has been revitalized successfully in many contemporary contexts. As pastor at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in the North Cascade mountains of Washington state (visited by six-thousand people annually), the relationship between faith, liturgy, and the earth are of urgent interest. As the faith backgrounds of guests and resident staff vary widely, the question of how to invite people into thoughtful engagement with Christian faith and life is also challenging and urgent.

The catechumenate is an invitation into vibrant, prayerful, deeply sacramental Christian faith. It can also be an invitation into a faith-filled awareness of local landscapes and ecologies. At Holden Village, we are asking questions such as: how does the sacrament of Baptism bring us into an awareness of our water sources and watersheds and gratitude for God’s gift of water that sustains all life? How do the bread and wine of Holy Communion connect us in gratitude to the cycles and seasons of land, earth, and sky and the labor of human hands? How do the liturgical and sacramental resources of the church (the “texts” and practices of catechetical study and engagement) give voice to the longings of contemporary North Americans for belonging, community, and purpose in an age of both ecological peril and rising ecological awareness?

I will write a resource book that builds and expands upon the catechetical ministry I am already engaged in: Faith Rooted in Earth: A Faith Formation Field Guide. I will continue to implement this catechetical process in my ministry context, inviting Holden Villagers into weekly sessions exploring Christian faith and our ecological setting through reflection on worship texts and practices. I will further share my research through teaching at Holden Village and through workshops through my ELCA synod. I will write an article for publication in The Christian Century magazine.