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Is there a path to a peaceful pipeline settlement?

04 Dec 2016 - Preaching the News for the Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

The author of the book of the prophet Isaiah promises that the “shoot of Jesse” will bring a "spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength.” Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and fellow protesters at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline are calling on pipeline builders and authorities to exercise wisdom and understanding and divert the pipeline from what the protesters consider sacred grounds. Thus far, authorities have shown little spirit to dialogue. Protesters fighting to block the Dakota Access Pipeline nevertheless have vowed to stand their ground despite growing calls for them to leave and threats of prosecution from law enforcement. Since late summer, protesters have stood beside members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota who believe the $3.7 billion pipeline project, which would move 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day across four states, would affect its drinking water supply and place downstream communities at risk of contamination from potential oil spills. Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault said the protest would continue even though protesters have been ordered to vacate an area where they have set up camp by December 5. “We are in for the long haul,” said Chase Iron Eyes, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. A week ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warned that activists who refuse to leave could face arrest. Since the statement's release, however, officials have backtracked, saying they have no plans to forcibly remove those who stay. Now, less than a week before the deadline, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple has ordered protesters to clear out immediately, citing a reason other than trespassing: harsh winter conditions. In a statement, he said the protesters' temporary dwellings have yet to be inspected and approved, and failure to do so posed serious public safety concerns. He added that first responders would no longer be responsible for providing emergency services to those who remained. North Dakota officials on Tuesday moved to block supplies from reaching oil pipeline protesters at a camp near the construction site, threatening to use hefty fines to keep demonstrators from receiving such critical supplies as food, building materials, and even portable bathrooms. State officials said on Tuesday they would fine anyone bringing prohibited items into the main protest camp following Dalrymple's “emergency evacuation” order on Monday. Earlier, officials had warned of a physical blockade, but the governor's office backed away from that. Law enforcement would take a more “passive role” than enforcing a blockade, said Maxine Herr, a spokeswoman for the Morton County Sheriff's Department. “The governor is more interested in public safety than setting up a road block and turning people away,” said Herr. Officers will stop vehicles they believe are headed to the camp and inform drivers they are committing an infraction and could be fined $1,000. There will be no “hard road block,” according to Cecily Fong, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, but these penalties should serve as a hindrance. “So that effectively is going to block that stuff (supplies), but there is not going to be a hard road block,” Fong said. The 1,172-mile pipeline project, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, is mostly complete except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River. Thousands of people are protesting at camps located on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, north of the Cannonball River in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The main protest camp is called Oceti Sakowin, near Cannon Ball. Protest leaders said state officials and local law enforcement officers were “bullying” protesters with the threat of fines. “It's bogus and I don't know about the legality of it,” said Kandi Mossett, an organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network. “We're not afraid. We're moving in and out of the camp at will. So people shouldn't be afraid of coming and supporting the water protectors. They've been bullying us since day one.” Lessons drawn from the readings John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” We have heard assurances many times that oil pipelines are safe, and mostly they are—until something goes wrong and they leak or burst. Before running a pipeline under the Missouri River, there is still time to rethink, reroute, repent. But as John might say, the time is at hand! Final thought in light of the news The hundreds of arrests during the months of protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota have created an unprecedented burden for the state’s court system, which faces huge cost overruns and doesn’t have enough judges, lawyers, and clerks to handle the workload. Police have made nearly 575 arrests since August. Isn’t there a better way to work out differences than mass arrests? It behooves all involved in this controversy to sit down and try to work out a compromise. Surely there should be enough land and space for tribal lands and water supplies to remain undisturbed.

dakota access pipeline oil pipelines native americans sacred grounds

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Homily stories

24 Mar 2019 - Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

When I was a college student I visited Ireland, the land of my ancestors. The spiritual highlight of my trip was when my Irish cousins brought me to the town of Raercross to stand among the ruins of a stone hut where my grandmother was born. I was surprised that I was so deeply moved. The house wasn’t much to look at; the slate walls were crumbling and it was astonishingly small. But I knew in my bones that this was holy ground. I stood in silence and let the stones speak. I wondered about my grandmother’s life as a girl, one of many children living in this small hut. I wondered what she thought, at age 16, when she had to leave her home, never to set eyes on it again. I wondered how it felt to board a ship to travel an ocean away to an unknown land without any certainty about what would await her in her new land. I’ve since learned that a lot of people who visit their ancestral homeland experience the place as sacred. Which makes me wonder about my own life. Why am I so unaware of its sacredness? Moses had the blessed experience of knowing that, as he was tending his flock, he stood on sacred ground. We should all be so lucky to have such awareness. After all, God dwells among us still. And no matter where we spend our days, we dwell in God.

Authors Tom McGrath

ireland sacred places sacred grounds

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23 Mar 2025 - Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

When I was a college student I visited Ireland, the land of my ancestors. The spiritual highlight of my trip was when my Irish cousins brought me to the town of Raer Cross to stand among the ruins of a stone hut where my grandmother was born. I was surprised that I was so deeply moved. The house wasn’t much to look at; the slate walls were crumbling and it was astonishingly small. But I knew in my bones that this was holy ground. I stood in silence and let the stones speak. I wondered about my grandmother’s life as a girl, one of many children living in this small hut. I wondered what she thought, at age 16, when she had to leave her home, never to set eyes on it again. I wondered how it felt to board a ship to travel an ocean away to an unknown land without any certainty about what would await her in her new land. I’ve since learned that a lot of people who visit their ancestral homeland experience the place as sacred. Which makes me wonder about my own life. Why am I so unaware of its sacredness? Moses had the blessed experience of knowing that, as he was tending his flock, he stood on sacred ground. We should all be so lucky to have such awareness. After all, God dwells among us. And no matter where we spend our days, we dwell in God.

Authors Tom McGrath

sacred grounds

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