Description of the Appalachian Immersion Experience
Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Ky.
Sponsored by the Laudato Si Commission
The Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Ky., is offering an Appalachian Immersion Experience
through the Laudato Si Commission.
“Following a period of irrational confidence in progress and human abilities, some sectors of
society are now adopting a more critical approach. We see increasing sensitivity to the
environment and the need to protect nature, along with a growing concern, both genuine and
distressing, for what is happening to our planet. Let us review, however cursorily, those
questions which are troubling us today and which we can no longer sweep under the carpet.
Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully
aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus
to discover what each of us can do about it.” (Laudato Si, 19)
The Appalachian Immersion Experience (AIE) was started in the Diocese of Lexington by the
late Glenmary Father John Rausch. Father John recognized early in his time as a missionary in
Appalachia that people faced severe environmental and economic challenges. He devoted his
ministry to seeking solutions and calling attention to their challenges. For 53 years he traveled
around the region, speaking, writing, organizing and praying in an effort to carry out the
biblical call to justice for all.
This experience is not about information-gathering or direct service, but about developing
awareness, appropriating the suffering in ourselves, and taking action toward systemic
injustice. The AIE is intended to ignite desire and to confront complacency and inertia
concerning deafness toward the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” The Laudato Si
Commission and the diocesan office of Peace and Justice have created an experience for
people who are interested in the Gospel call to peace and justice of the Gospel and Pope
Francis’ proclamation to care for all of creation. (Laudato Si: Care for our Common Home,
2015 Encyclical)
The Appalachian Immersion Experience will start on Sunday late afternoon and go through
Wednesday morning. Anyone interested in participating is invited to apply. Space is limited to
six individuals, in addition to a team of Laudato Si Commission members who will lead the
experience. The objectives for this AIE are to become aware of:
1) The cries of the earth as a result of the consequences of
o coal mining;
o lumbering;
o impacts on biodiversity;
o lack of clean water;
o discrimination.
2) Become aware of the cries of the poor and the impact on the quality of life in
Appalachia by
o Identifying Appalachian values in our personal suffering
o Watching videos that address the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,
including
– The Letter
– Magisterium of the People
– Climate Change – Our Faith Response
– The Hidden Destruction of the Appalachian Mountains
– Taking time for reflection, journaling, art, photography
– Reviewing Seven Goals of Laudato Si
– Reviewing the Laudato Si Action Platform
The Appalachian Immersion Experience is about “receiving” wisdom not taking, possessing,
controlling or manipulating the experience. At the end of the experience, we will examine
– the gift “received” from the experience;
– what new questions have emerged;
– the next steps;
– how and why the experience is important for the diocese;
– how will the participant will stay connected to caring for creation.
Some History: As you may already know, the Appalachian Mountains are 400 million years old
and have a distinct biodiversity and ecosystem. The Blue Ridge Mountains are over 1.2 billion
years old, making them the oldest mountains on the planet. (In comparison, the Himalayas,
Alps, and Rockies are about 45 million years old.) The destruction of the ecosystem is a crime.
The people of the Appalachians have a strong sense of Christian faith and family. Question can
be: Do we have an openness to learning by allowing the residents to be our “teachers?”
Accommodations for the AIE are simple: Community living, individual bedrooms, shared
bathroom facilities, meals, drinks, snacks.
Contact the Diocesan Laudato Si Commission for more details: Laudatosi@cdlex.org