Pastoral Letter
Uniting for Our Sacred Waters:
Conversation and Action Around the Sacredness of Water

Uniting for Our Sacred Waters:
Conversation and Action Around the Sacredness of Water PDF

Click here for the summary of Archbishop Wester's letter.

La versión en español estará disponible próximamente.

Press Conference: Archbishop Calls for Action on NM Water Crisis
Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, Releases New Pastoral Letter Inviting Reflection and Action on the Sacredness of Water Friday, September 11, at 9 a.m. Tingley Beach, 1800 Tingley Dr. SW | Albuquerque, NM 87104 More>

Summary of Pastoral Letter

In "Uniting for Our Sacred Waters: Conversation and Action Around the Sacredness of Water," Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, invites Catholics and all people of goodwill to recognize water not simply as a resource, but as a sacred gift essential to all life and entrusted to our care.
Rooted in Catholic teaching and New Mexico's unique spiritual, cultural, and environmental landscape, the pastoral letter calls for a renewed relationship with water; one grounded in gratitude, reverence, responsibility, justice, and action.
Archbishop Wester reflects on his first pastoral visit to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in 2015, where he joined members of the Pueblo community in blessing water drawn from the Rio Grande. That experience helped deepen his understanding of the profound relationship between water, creation, community, culture, and the Creator.
The pastoral letter comes at a critical time for New Mexico and the Southwest. Climate change, prolonged drought, increasing temperatures, wildfires, pressure on rivers and aquifers, and competing demands for limited water supplies are placing increasing strain on communities and ecosystems. These challenges are not only environmental or scientific concerns. Archbishop Wester argues that they are also moral and spiritual questions about how we care for creation, how we share a finite and essential resource, and how our decisions affect our neighbors and future generations.
Drawing upon scripture and Catholic social teaching, including Pope Francis' Laudato Si', the letter emphasizes the interconnectedness of creation and the responsibility human beings have to protect our common home. It also recognizes the wisdom and experience of Indigenous peoples, acequia communities, farmers, ranchers, scientists, conservationists, policymakers, and others whose lives and work are deeply connected to water.
Rather than prescribing a single solution, Archbishop Wester calls for conversation, collaboration, and concrete action. He encourages individuals, parishes, communities, government leaders, and organizations to examine how water is used, protected, shared, and valued, and to seek solutions that respect both human dignity and the integrity of creation.
At its heart, Uniting for Our Sacred Waters asks New Mexicans to rediscover something easily forgotten in everyday life: water is life, water connects us, and water is sacred.
The pastoral letter is both an invitation and a call to responsibility: to listen to one another, learn from science and lived experience, protect those most vulnerable to water insecurity, conserve this precious gift, and work together so clean, life-giving water remains available for generations to come.

Parish and Community Conversation Guide 

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