EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Five, Number Six September/October 1996 MASSACHUSETTS EPISCOPAL DIOCESE BASES REORGANIZATION ON WATERSHEDS In a recent experimental reorganization of the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw divided the state into 12 geographical units called deaneries, and appointed 12 deans to provide pastoral support and education for Episcopal clergy and congregations in Massachusetts. These deaneries, structural units of the diocese, are identified by bodies of water: Cape Cod, Mystic Valley, Alewife, Narraganset/Buzzard's Bay, Taunton River, South Shore, North Shore, Neponset, Concord River, Boston Harbor, Lower Charles, and Merrimack Valley How did such a remarkable image shift from arbitrary political boundaries to natural watershed boundaries occur? It might not have happened had it not been for Steve MacAusland, a video producer in Dedham, Mass, and a member of the national Episcopal Environmental Network. MacAusland had become frustrated at the declining attendance of the environmental concerns group in his local church, St. Paul's Episcopal in Dedham, and wondered how to proceed. Then, while listening to the liturgy during a Sunday group baptism, it became clear. He saw the connection of Water and the Word. "We thank you Almighty God for the gift of water. Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of Creation. Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt into the land of promise. . . . "We thank you Father for the water of Baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit. . . . "Now sanctify this water, we pray you, by the power of your Holy Spirit. . . ." In the week that followed this revelation, the Diocese announced Bishop Shaw's reorganization of the diocese into deaneries, and MacAusland was engaged to tape the proceedings of a two day conference of "Watershed Innovators" from around the country. Hearing them discuss subjects ranging from aesthetics and recreation to economics and science, he realized they were missing the spiritual connection to water. Why shouldn't the 12 new deaneries be based on watersheds, of which there are roughly the same number in the diocese? The chairperson of the Diocesan Committee on Faith and the Environment and an environmental educator joined MacAusland in making a persuasive proposal to the Deanery Committee. "Naming the diocese's 12 new deaneries based on the natural watershed to which they belong is an outward recognition of an inward change in perspective. This new perspective represents a vision to re-align and revitalize ourselves as a unit of connection within what God created, rather than within what humans created. It is a spiritual and ecological way of focusing on the relevance of God's creation. "Grouping deaneries according to watersheds not only honors the creator, but addresses the fragile and inextricable connections of all life.There is no more water now than was originally created. When we understand that the water we squander and pollute today may have been the same water used to baptize Christ, then hopefully our relationship with it will change. "Grouping deaneries according to watersheds broadens and expands the basic Christian tenets of inclusivity and connectedness. This new perspective revitalizes our sense of community." from On deaneries, watersheds and Baptism by Charlotte Caldwell, Episcopal Times April 1996 Now that the deaneries are named, the challenge is to move from rhetoric to action in a bio-regional approach to the environment. At St. Paul's in Dedham plans include youth canoe trips down the Neponset River to Boston Harbor, shore line cleanups and adopting parts of the river. Says MacAusland, "I think we ought to leave the word 'environment' out of the discussion. Simply demonstrating that we are all connected to each other by water, rich and poor, urban and rural, upstream and downstream, is a fine place to start. I think the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest." For more on the watershed deaneries, write Steve MacAusland, Community Media Network Inc., 121 Sandy Valley Rd., Dedham MA 02026; 612/329-7335. Home     Table of Contents