In the Current Issue: "When Sacred Space is Violated"
The issue of Liturgy entitled “Rites for Wounded Communities,” guest-edited by David Hogue, explores a wide range of responses in which churches and chaplains have engaged in order to help people affected by disasters and violence come to terms with the after-effects and the on-going trauma. This excerpt is from a Presbyterian pastor, Kathy Riley, who is familiar with pastoral responses to disasters both natural and human-caused. –– Melinda Quivik
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A tornado reduces a 100-year-old church to rubble. Floodwaters from days of torrential rains fill the church basement and educational wing with three feet of muddy water. The hurricane that
comes is not as destructive as expected, but daylight shows the church roof has been peeled away in places, ruining the beloved pipe organ. A fire destroys the church kitchen and all the food and
clothing gathered for community ministries.
A church preschool is the site of a mass shooting. An organist is killed in front of the congregation gathered in worship. Nine people die and one is injured in a shooting in a church building. A sanctuary, fellowship hall and educational wing are destroyed by arson in what is determined to be a hate crime.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley … These words offer a place to begin, but not
end, as we consider how we might respond when sacred spaces are damaged or destroyed by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and fire. This kind of damage brings many challenges as we seek to respond, rebuild and reclaim that space. When the damage comes as the result of the intentional act by another human being in the form of arson, guns turned on others or self, and other ways that sacred space may be violated, the responses called for are even more challenging. There is always hope and space for forgiveness, restoration and healing. But we may begin with just these few words from Psalm 23 as a reminder that those whose sacred space has been violated or destroyed will do well if given time to dwell in the dark valley, to journey at their own pace, accompanied, supported, and held by the Lord and all who walk alongside them.
Most of us expect to face the loss of loved ones through our lifetime. Fewer of us expect to face the destruction of the spaces we hold sacred in our faith traditions. Yet whether from so-called natural disasters or the deliberate acts of individuals, it is increasingly common for these sacred spaces to be violated. This essay will address the kinds of damage and destruction that occur, the immediate and long-term responses to such violations, and ways Christian congregations and the larger community can join in healing and restoration. . .
There are similarities and differences in the nature and phases of response to human-caused
disasters—violence that results from deliberate human action. The four phases of Devastation and Heroism, Disillusionment, Reforming, and Wisdom may characterize the overall trajectory of recovery, describing “what congregations experience in the aftermath of a violent incident” more accurately than descriptions of the responses to natural disasters.
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Kathy Riley is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who serves on the National Presbyterian Disaster Assistance staff as Associate for Emotional and Spiritual Care. She served as a transitional pastor in seven congregations prior to joining the PDA staff. Kathy has responded to natural and human caused disasters.
Kathy Riley, "Responding when Sacred Space is Violated," Liturgy 39, no. 2 (2024): 15–22, https://doi.org/10.1080/0458063X.2024.2330842.