100 tons of coal are extracted every two seconds in KY, WV, WY, PA and about 15 other states.
In 2006 the US produced 1.16 billion tons of coal, 70 %of that from surface mining.
Employment in mining dropped 60% between 1979 and 2006 in WV and KY, mainly due to more surface mining (WV from 62,500 workers to 22,000; KY from 47,000 to 18,000).
More than 500 mountains and 1.2 million acres of hardwood forests (about the size of Delaware) have been destroyed by mountaintop removal (MTR).
EPA found that fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants causes more than 20,000 premature deaths a year.
More than 60,000 US babies are overexposed to mercury in utero from coal-fired plants causing poor academic performance later in life (EPA study).
Approximately 700 miners die of Black Lung per year.
Estimated that only 35% of reclaimed land can support fish and wildlife (David Ledford, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation).
For each $1 million spend, retrofitting buildings creates 19 jobs, spending on coal creates 9 jobs and oil only 6 jobs (Political Economy Research Institute, 2008).
Wind-industry jobs jumped 70% in 2008; total wind jobs nationwide now surpasses the number of coal miners.
The Cross in the Mountains
An Ecumenical Prayer Service to Renew Appalachian Communities
September 11, 2010
Purpose Statement: We of various faith communities assemble to pray with residents of the mountains. These communities live with fear caused by the devastation of
mountaintop removal. We pray for renewal of human and ecological communities throughout the mountains and for alternative work to bring greater diversity and choice
for employment. We pray by raising the Cross of Christ to remind us that Earth belongs to God by creation and to us by delegation, and ultimately God must rule over
all human affairs.
Musicians
Bagpipes played by Samuel Newton
Dr. Hunter Hensley, cantor and Professor of Music at Eastern Kentucky University, composed “Requiem for the Mountains” to emphasize the tragedy of mountaintop coal
removal mining.
Special thanks to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for their support.
Sponsored by the Catholic Committee of Appalachia
The First Station--Jesus is Condemned to Death
The broad-form deed condemned the land.
Consider how the land and mineral rights became separated by law, allowing mining companies to strip the land.
Silent pause
All: Loving God, you taught love and offered alternatives to oppressive laws. May we be faithful in following your examples.
The Second Station--Jesus Takes Up His Cross
Corporate greed abuses the people and land.
Consider how the cheapest way to mine coal causes the
greatest damage to property and creation.
Silent Pause
All: Gracious God, help us check our tendencies to
greed. Let us take the symbol of the cross as our sign of generosity.
Requiem for the Mountains: “Requiem Aeternam”
The Third Station--Jesus Falls for the First Time
Waste pollutes the streams and rivers.
Consider that 47 percent of Kentucky rivers and streams are too polluted for drinking, fishing or swimming.
Silent pause
All: Creator God, You led many people to freedom through the Red Sea and the waters of baptism. May we affirm water’s sacredness and the right of all to clean drinking
water.
The Fourth Station-Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
Earth mourns her destruction.
Consider how earth could restore itself, if given the chance.
Silent pause
All: God of power and mercy, we ask forgiveness for
the ways our life choices foster the destruction of
Earth and harm the creation that reflects your glory.
Requiem: “Kyrie”
The Fifth Station-Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus
Carry the Cross
Religious leaders and friends of creation speak out.
Consider how many people deny global climate change and refuse to see our hand in harming Earth.
Silent pause
All: Almighty God, give us strength to use our voices and actively recruit others to save the Earth.
The Sixth Station--Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We are called to wipe the stains of abuse from people
and land.
Consider the high-walls and poorly reclaimed mining lands,
and the loss of beauty for the human soul.
Silent pause
All: Loving God, we commit ourselves to be present to others in their pain, and to use our resources to touch and heal people and the Earth.
Requiem: “Qui Biberit Aquam”
The Seventh Station-Jesus Falls the Second Time
We stumble when we pursue prosperity through destructive practices.
Consider the children who get sick from bad water or contract asthma from foul air.
Silent pause
All: Creator God, help us to find ways to meet our energy needs without destroying your creation.
The Eighth Station--Jesus Consoles the Women of
Jerusalem
Mothers and spouses weep over the death of miners.
Consider the lives of miners lost and injured for cheap
electricity.
Silent pause
All: God of mercy, you are our help and guide. Give us the strength to take up the burdens carried by miners and their families.
Requiem: “Sanctus”
The Ninth Station--Jesus Falls the Third Time
Mighty corporations break the spirit of those who resist.
Consider the power of corporate money to make the laws that control land and people.
Silent pause
All: Almighty God, give us the courage to resist the power of oppression.
10
The Tenth Station--Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Mountains are stripped of their beauty.
Consider how 500 mountains in Appalachia have been
leveled, not to bring us closer to God, but to bring more
profit to the powerful.
Silent pause
All: Loving God, as we observe the beauty of your Creation, teach us to walk gently through it, respecting all you have entrusted to us.
Requiem: “Super Flumina Babylonis”
The Eleventh Station--Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Drug and alcohol addiction nail many, especially the young, to a cross for life.
Consider so many in the mountains, racked by pain or little hope, turning to drugs to escape their reality.
Silent pause
All: God of Mercy, inspire us to release those addicted by implementing programs of understanding and healing.
The Twelfth Station--Jesus Dies on the Cross
Death stalks our land in many forms.
Consider that so many die by violence and species go
extinct by our indifference.
Silent pause
All: Creator God, wrap us in the Web of Life and give us a reverence for all life.
Requiem: “Agnus Dei”
Call to Prayer
Opening Song (bagpipes): “Amazing Grace”
PLANTING OF FLOWERS during Requiem: “Lux Aeterna”
Benediction
Closing Song (bagpipes): “How Great Thou Art”
The Thirteenth Station--Jesus’ Body is Taken
Down from the Cross and Laid in the Tomb
The forest that once bustled with life now sees large gaps that rip it apart.
Consider that seven percent of the Appalachian forest will be cut down from mountaintop removal and two-thirds of the song birds stand endangered.
Silent pause
All: Loving God, help us reverence the Earth’s womb that has nurtured life for millions of years.
The Fourteenth Station—The Resurrection of Jesus
Hope springs from sustainable jobs and lifestyles.
Consider the impact of every decision we make in light of
the next generation.
Silent pause
All: God of Love, thank you for leading us from darkness to light. Give us the wisdom to be active signs for new life in our world.