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CHN and Mepkin Abbey host Inaugural Father Francis Kline Memorial Lecture Series

Regional Cultures of Conservation,

April 11th, 2008

The Center for Humans and Nature and Mepkin Abbey hosted the first Father Francis Kline Memorial Lecture Series on April 10-11, 2008, at Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

April 10: Care of Creation: The Environmental Ethics of Monastic Spirituality

Father Francis Kline, Mepkin Abbey’s abbot from 1990 until his death in 2006, saw monks as people who chose to live on the social fringe and who were, therefore, called to think and work beyond the comfortable boundaries of conventional wisdom. Dr. Strachan Donnelley, the President of the Center for Humans and Nature and Fr. Kline’s close friend, saw CHN as operating in a similar fashion in carrying out its mission “To explore and promote moral and civic responsibilities to human communities and to natural ecosystems and landscapes.” This first day of the series brought together approximately two dozen philosophers, theologians, and civic leaders to study the monastic commitment to the environment and its implications beyond the monastery’s walls.

April 11: Gullah History, Spirituality and the Environment

Under the leadership of Emory Campbell, President of the Gullah Heritage Foundation the focus of this event was on the connections among Gullah religious traditions, spirituality and the natural world of the Sea Islands. The visual arts, creative writing, rites, beliefs and customs were of special interest, along with a discussion of the closeness of the people to the land. The conference was led by members of the Gullah community and experts on Gullah history and traditions.

Click here to download a summary of the meeting series.

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