LATEST
  • Keep Connected with the Diocesan Green Corner:  CLICK HERE
 
  • AND the WINNER IS CreationCARE St. James’ Ecoministry.
         Thank you for everyone who sent in name options and those who voted!                       The winners will receive their gifts Sunday October 3rd during service.  
 
  • New Adult EducationCaring for God’s Creation: What, Why, and How?

      3 Sessions-All Recorded for You to Watch

        *First Seminar Recording “What”–CLICK HERE
           *Second Seminar Recording “Why”-CLICK HERE
                           *Third Seminar Recording “How”-CLICK HERE
 
 
Join the global, multi-faith day of action: Faiths 4 Climate Justice! On 17 and 18 October, faith and spiritual congregations and communities across the world will be taking public prayer actions calling on our leaders and institutions to be bolder on climate justice! In the lead-up to the International Climate Negotiations, it is more important than ever that faith communities make our voices heard. We will stand united in calling for: No new fossil fuels or deforestation; A rapid transition to 100% renewable energy; Rich countries to pay for the damage they’ve done; and a sustainable and just recovery from COVID-19 that includes millions of green jobs. Sign up here: https://greenfaith.controlshift.app/home
 
 
 
A Little About the CreationCARE:  St. James’ CreationCARE is the environmental/ecoministry of St. James’ Episcopal Church, located in Skaneateles, New York. Founded on the belief that we have a moral responsibility to be stewards of God’s Creation, this ministry is
 dedicated to fostering ecological practices that will lessen our impact on the earth. Through prayer, discussion, education and action, members of this ministry seek ways to create an earth-friendly environment within their personal lives, their communities, and the world. Members serve our present and future generations by engaging in conservation, education, and habitat improvement projects. We are eager for all people who are interested in improving the environment to participate in our meetings and activities. Questions, please contact Kip Coerper at Kip@stjamesskan.org.
 

Acknowledging the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee People through Prayer at St. James’

Soon, all will notice the addition to the creation prayer: 

We acknowledge the Onondaga nation of the Haudenosaunee People, the traditional custodians of the land on which we are worshiping today. We acknowledge that they have occupied and cared for this land over countless generations and we celebrate their continuing contributions to the life of this region.

St. James’ is joining other churches across the nation in the process of reconciliation to the indigenous people of the land.  It is incumbent upon the church for healing and reconciliation, to acknowledge the first inhabitants of the land upon which the church buildings currently sit.  One of the ways the church begins the road to reconciliation with siblings who identify as Indigenous/Native American, is to acknowledge that all churches sit on Native Land. It was “purchased” through treaties that were constantly broken. Tribal nations were violently forced from ancestral lands to distant reservations.

In Lakota spirituality is the concept of mitákuye oyás’iŋ. The translation into English is “we are all related.” For the church this means that land acknowledgement is not only about the church apologizing to the tribal nations, or the church trying to separate itself from the sins of the past and reconcile what colonialist ancestors did to the tribal nations, it is much deeper and more interconnected than that. It is us apologizing for our sins to our own ancestors and acknowledging the damage we did do to our own siblings, indeed to our own selves. We ARE all related, and when we harm one another, we harm ourselves. When ancestors harmed the tribal nations, they harmed the nations, themselves and all descendants. As Jesus teaches: “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). As members of one family, we are called to heal the damage that has been done to all relations, and to ourselves.
 
Read the full article “How to Write a Land Acknowledgment”:  CLICK HERE
 
FACTS about the HAUDENOSAUNEE
  • The present-day territory of the Onondaga Nation (“People of the Hills”) is approximately 7,300 acres just south of Syracuse near Nedrow, New York.
  • Between 1788 and 1822, the Onondaga Nation lost possession of approximately 95% of its land through a series of illegal “takings” by the State of New York.
  • Onondaga (the keepers of the Central Fire) is considered to be the capital of the Haudenosaunee, a name meaning “People of the Longhouse”. The Haudenosaunee are sometimes referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy, or Six Nations.
  • The Haudenosaunee was founded at Onondaga after the Peace Maker visited the warring nations. This is estimated to have occurred around the year 1000 A.D. The five original nations of the Haudenosaunee were the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The Tuscaroras joined the confederacy in the early 1700’s.
  • The nations of the Haudenosaunee came together after agreeing to work together peacefully rather than continuing to battle each other. They established a democratic system of government led by a Grand Council consisting of chiefs from each nation. These chiefs worked with clan mothers to ensure the preservation and well-being of the Haudenosaunee.
  • The Haudenosaunee is considered to be one of the oldest participatory democracies on earth, and provided an important structural model for the Founding Fathers developing the United States Constitution.
  • The Haudenosaunee became the greatest Indian power in colonial America, with a homeland that spanned northern New York between the Hudson and Niagara rivers and an influence that extended from the Ottawa River to the Chesapeake Bay and from New England to Illinois.
  • The Onondaga Nation maintains traditional cultural views and a traditional system of government. The Nation does not permit the sale of alcohol and has opposed casinos and online gaming.
  • The Haudenosaunee are known internationally as a peaceful people, with a heritage of statesmanship, government/law and an oral tradition passed from generation to generation.
  • Onondaga remains the meeting place for the Grand Council of Chiefs, the traditional ruling body for the Haudenosaunee. The Longhouse serves as a place of spiritual, cultural and social activities, the seat of government and symbol of security.