Catholic Sisters and Cornfield Activism: The Fight for Green Religious Rights

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Journal / Book Title

Journal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture

Abstract

Since 2016, the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, an international order of Catholic women, have partnered with a grassroots movement called Lancaster Against Pipelines (LAP) to resist construction of a $3B fracked-gas pipeline in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Together, the groups built an outdoor chapel blockade that became a locus of earth-honoring ceremonies and a pilgrimage site for eco-activists in the region. It also served as the focal point for a series of peaceful direct actions against pipeline construction that resulted in twenty-nine arrests. The Adorers–LAP partnership is an important case study in a growing movement of faith-fueled environmental activism across the United States today. Specifically, it offers valuable lessons on the possibilities for creative grassroots cooperation across religious divides, the use of religious ritual as a tool of resistance, the experience of women who often lead these movements, and current trends in judicial responses to faith-inspired eco-activism.

DOI

10.1558/jsrnc.20043

Journal ISSN / Book ISBN

85143737071 (Scopus)

Published Citation

Clatterbuck, Mark. “Catholic Sisters and Cornfield Activism: The Fight for Green Religious Rights.” Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, vol. 16, no. 2, July 2022.

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