Gathering of the Waters

In this column on “Ocean People” I’ve been writing about the various people I’ve met while serving as a Member at Large on the Advisory Council of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  I’ve described the fishermen, harbormasters, environmentalists, divers, surfers, researchers, historians and business leaders who meet every other month to advise the Sanctuary Superintendent on protecting this 300 mile stretch of coastline and ocean.

I’ve written about my ambivalence about revealing to my fellow council members that I am not just an ocean advocate, but a Protestant minister.  But this week I tell the story of how I put both sets of skills to work by creating a worship service to help celebrate the Marine Sanctuary’s 10^th anniversary, and how I invited all the cool religious “ocean people” I knew. 

One look at this photo tells you I’ve been doing an ocean ministry called Blue Theology for a long time – this was 2002! 

The occasion was a big Ocean Fair to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the designation by the federal government of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  I was serving on the Advisory Council for the Sanctuary at the time and I offered to gather interfaith religious leaders and lead a “Blessing of the Sanctuary” as part of the celebrations. I assured the federal NOAA staff that I was a firm believer in the separation of church and state, but if they wanted some kind of ritual alongside all the speeches I’d be glad to put it together.  Happily, they welcomed the idea, and later featured this photo in the news reports – we do look good!

My dear friend, Catholic priest Scott, (center) brought a conch shell and sage to burn in an abalone and some sweet acolytes.  John the Native American Ohlone leader brought his sacred staff.    I brought two of my blue blessing bowls that I’ve used in many water rituals.  Everyone brought readings about water from their sacred texts.

Representatives from many of the 15 National Marine Sanctuaries were in attendance for the anniversary, from sanctuaries in the Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes.  I asked them, and others I knew who were coming, to bring a small vial of water with them from their home tap, creek, river, lake, or ocean.  40 or so folks came up onto the stage, kids, federal employees, solemnly said where their water was from and poured it into one of the common bowls.  I held them up and said a prayer of thanksgiving blessing on the water. 

Then we processed, clergy and acolytes and kids and workers, with the bowls held aloft, through Monterey’s historic park, past the old Customs House, down to this little beach by the wharf.  I invited the religious leaders to read from their traditions about waters.  I can vividly remember Robert the Buddhist priest reading from Dogen’s “Mountains and Rivers Sutra.”  Then I poured the gathered water from the blue bowls slowly back into the bay, the sanctuary, the holy place.

From many places far and wide, the drops came together as one, and then we returned the gift, all back to its source, mother ocean.

My friend Nashwan, far right, brought water from the farthest away – Mecca, most sacred place of his Moslem faith.   This was just a year after 9/11, and Nashwan, a local architect, had visited many of our churches in that year, patiently explaining Islam and its wide landscape.  When I left the little beach after the service I looked back down and there were Nashwan and Ann, the president of the synagogue, deep in conversation.  Gathered together by the one water?

I first wrote this piece in 2016 for my other weekly column, “Blue Theology Tide-ings.” That July 2016 I was about to be formally installed by my denomination as a Community Minister for Blue Theology, a minister for and about the ocean.

We began the 2016 installation service with another Gathering of the Waters.  Again I had invited folks to bring water from their home or special place.  We used the same blue bowls.  Again the water built the community.  We remembered again that all water is one, a cycle of blessing and bounty.  The ministry I had already been doing for 15 years entered a new phase, a new stream, a new current, a new wave.  We were gathered by the waters.

Copyright © 2018 Deborah Streeter