Sacred seas

ARC encourages faith communities in Britain and elsewhere to strengthen their links with water and the sea. This builds on Sacred Land’s work in developing partnerships between local religious communities and conservation organisations. Sacred Seas helps faith groups and their wider communities take up small-scale environmental projects. It is hoped that together we can engage with such issues as:

• Identifying threats to the ecological stability of marine environments and developing conservation programmes involving faith communities

	The project aims to produce: • educational materials based on faith and maritime stories • liturgies around the theme of the sea to complement existing church services • arts-based projects with coastal communities • river or coastal pilgrimages • a focus on fishing sustainability and responsibilities

• Giving attention to the role of faith communities in coastal environments

• Discovering the variety of beliefs, traditions, and understandings of the seas, among different faith communities

• Reviewing and highlighting theological and practical marine projects already undertaken by faith communities

One example of what is proposed is an ‘activity pilgrimage’ around Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland, planned for 2004. A local group will visit sacred sites around the loch in the company of writers, storytellers and artists. The experience will be educational, highlighting the ecological and social significance of the site, and inspirational, encouraging the community to protect this coastal sea loch.

Like Sacred Land, Sacred Seas only works with groups, not individuals, on practical conservation efforts that must be accessible to the public.