What is Honoring Our Sacred Gifts?

Honoring Our Sacred Gifts is a day of gathering, reflection, and relationship-building that invites people of faith and people of goodwill to come together around a shared commitment: tending the world we have been given and working for justice that sustains all life.

Drawing inspiration from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry, this event centers gratitude, reciprocity, and responsibility as spiritual and ethical practices. We will explore how environmental care is inseparable from social and economic justice — how the health of our land, water, and communities is deeply connected to the dignity and flourishing of all living beings.

A Shared Gathering

This event is hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York in partnership with the Upstate Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, and other regional partners. Together, we gather across traditions and backgrounds, honoring both difference and shared purpose.

Whether you come grounded in a religious tradition, guided by spiritual curiosity, or simply seeking meaningful ways to care for the earth and your neighbors, you are welcome here.

Our Special Guest:
Robin Wall Kimmerer

We are honored to welcome Robin Wall Kimmerer as our special guest. Robin is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.

Robin lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

Her work challenges us to reimagine our relationship with the natural world—not as consumers, but as participants in a living, generous creation.

What To Expect

Throughout the day, participants will experience:

  • Fellowship grounding our work in relationship

  • Keynote address by Robin Wall Kimmerer

  • Q&A session facilitated by the Right Reverend Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York

  • A book signing with our guest

  • Small group discussions for reflection and conversation

  • Interactive activities rooted in ecology, justice, and community

  • Opportunities to connect with others interested in ongoing learning and action beyond the event

This gathering is an invitation to listen deeply, build trust, and imagine what faithful—and hopeful—action can look like together.

Sign-in begins at 8:15 AM. Our day will begin at 9:00 AM.

The full schedule is being finalized. Stay tuned!

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The full schedule is being finalized. Stay tuned! |

Join us!

Honoring Our Sacred Gifts is happening Saturday, May 2, starting with check-in and coffee at 8:15 AM.

We will gather at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Liverpool, NY.

Registration opens March 1 for this free event!
Make sure to sign up to stay up-to-date and get notified for when registration goes live. Space is limited.