FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
When: Friday, September 5, 2025, 12:30 pm ET
Where: Cold Spring Pier 2 West Street Cold Spring, NY 10516
**Photo opp at 12:30 pm before the pilgrimage**
CONTACT:
Sr. Carol De Angelo, SC
718-549-9235
Catholic Sisters Sail the Hudson to Raise Awareness about Water Pollution
On Friday, September 5, 2025, forty-five Catholic Sisters and people of faith will sail the Hudson River on a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation to raise awareness about pollution in the Hudson River. The event, organized by Religious Organizations Along the River (ROAR) and the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, is an opportunity to heal our relationship with the natural world and bring attention to a major threat to the region’s waterways.
According to Sr. Carol De Angelo, SC, ROAR member and Director of the Office of Peace, Justice, and the Integrity of Creation for the Sisters of Charity of New York, the pilgrims are called to “seek and see the holy in the river.” The well-being of all who live in the Hudson Valley bioregion – fish, mammals, and the nearly 400,000 people who rely on these sources for drinking water – is threatened by millions of gallons of harmful wastewater. Gaps in current New York environmental regulations allow the Hudson and other New York rivers to be polluted by landfill leachate, the toxic liquid that is created as water percolates through landfills.
“A pilgrimage is a journey towards the sacred,” said De Angelo. “Humans are kin to creation…We need a new way of living and being, to recognize we’re all part of one single sacred community.”
The group will have a rally at 12:30 pm to raise awareness about the pollution threatening the River. They will stand at the water’s edge with signs and pray together. At 1 pm, they will board the Clearwater Sloop and spend three hours on the River, learning about water quality and the health of marine life, praying, and speaking with environmental leaders. The event will be followed by a Zoom debrief on Thurs, Sept 25 at 2 pm ET, during which the pilgrims will share their experience with the public and invite all into prayer and action.
Forty-five people are expected to participate in the pilgrimage, including Catholic sisters from 10 religious congregations: the Sisters of Charity of New York, the Dominican Sisters of Hope, Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Ursulines of the Eastern Province, Sisters of the Divine Compassion, and the Maryknoll Sisters. They will be joined by an Episcopal monk from Holy Cross Monastery in Hyde Park and leaders from Catholic organizations including the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement and the Laudato Si’ Movement, as well as several environmental groups, including Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, and the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Seminary in New York City.
Contacts for quotes:
John Lipscomb, retired Riverkeeper boat captain and technical advisor to the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative jhlipscomb@gmail.com
Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement
Nancy Lawrence n.lorence2013@gmail.com
Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative
Rebecca Martin https://leachateloophole.org
###
Pilgrimages of Hope for Creation
Pilgrimages of Hope for Creation is a nationwide initiative launched by a coalition of Catholic and environmental organizations in response to the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures and the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. The initiative calls Catholics to reflect on the profound relationship between God, humanity, and creation and to take concrete steps toward healing the Earth and renewing their spiritual commitment to creation care. The initiative culminates during the Season of Creation (Sept. 1 – Oct. 4, 2025), a time for prayer, reflection, and action focused on the environmental crisis facing our world today. For more information, please visit http://Catholicpilgrimsofhope.org.
Religious Organizations Along the River (ROAR)
ROAR is a network of religious congregations and organizations concerned with the sustainable and regenerative use of land in the Hudson Valley Bioregion. ROAR believes humanity and the natural world are part of a single, sacred community and that care of Earth is a God-given mission. For nearly 30 years, ROAR member organizations have supported one another in ecological land use decisions and collaborated with regional environmentalists on education and advocacy initiatives addressing the interrelated issues of poverty, injustice, and ecology. For more information, please visit http://roarhvb.com
