Climate Scholarship Honors 'Eco Champion,' Says Waterspirit, Rumson

RUMSON, NJ — Waterspirit, the eco-spiritual nonprofit based in Rumson, announces a new scholarship to help educate and support Christian communities facing the climate crisis.

The Fr. Edward J. Ciuba scholarship will allow one Christian leader an opportunity to take the Climate Pastoral Care Course for free, said Blair Nelsen, executive director of Waterspirit and course co-author.

Ciuba is recently retired from the Waterspirit board and from Church of the Presentation, the organization said. The scholarship is Waterspirit's way of honoring his 24 years of board service.

The 13-module course was launched in October 2022. This online course equips church leaders and communities with the tools they need to understand eco-anxiety, climate grief and other climate emotions to become more effective caregivers, Nelsen said.

Course co-author Jessica Morthorpe explained more about the course:

“We train our church leaders for pastoral care situations like funerals, generalized anxiety, and illness. We don’t train them in how to help their communities face their grief over climate change and the destruction of the planet, their anxiety about a climate-changed future, and the ways in which climate change is and will impact both their physical and mental health," she said, adding this course aims to fill that gap.

The course takes a "deep dive into culturally-sensitive pastoral care, explores what it means to be a good pastor to climate-anxious people, and makes recommendations for particular groups, including activists, scientists and children," according to the organization. It also makes recommendations for how to address congregational conflict and "eco-phobic" theologies.

“Fr. Ed Ciuba is a champion of ecological consciousness. We are thrilled to offer this scholarship to honor the legacy of our long-time board member,” said Nelsen. Ciuba has lectured on issues of Scripture, ecology and spirituality, according to Waterspirit.

The climate crisis is creating a worldwide emergency that impacts communities mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Climate emotions, such as climate grief and climate anxiety, are increasingly impacting young people in particular, Waterspirit says.

A recent study in The Lancet found 84 percent of the 10,000 global youth surveyed are worried about their future in a climate-changed world. Faith communities are equipped with their own traditions and tools that can help their members face the climate emergency, but pastoral caregivers must first develop a deep understanding of the issues involved, as offered in the course.

The application for the scholarship will remain open on Waterspirit’s website until July 1.

The awardee will be announced in early September during the Season of Creation, a time when Christian communities are invited to renew their commitment to Earth care.

Waterspirit is a nonprofit center for spirituality and ecology sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, headquartered in Rumson. More information is available here.