On Wednesday December 11, 2019, The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority,
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia came to Buckingham to see and hear for herself what social and environmental injustice looks like on the ground. Her first stop was Union Grove Baptist Church, and then on to Yogaville for lunch and a very brief tour. She is very challenged to weigh her responsibilities to Creation Care and the care for the needs and wants of her flock… Potentially transformative work…
Bishop Susan was accompanied by The Rev. Weston Mathews, Rector, Grace in The Plains the late Rev Robert Dilday, recently ordained December 14, 2019. Weston and Robert are Co-Directors of Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice. They have supported the multi state wide efforts to stop the ACP and MVP; showing up in person for meetings, events, and with much appreciated fundraising, to ease the strains of our frontline efforts.
Our dear friend Robert died unexpectedly in his sleep Saturday night, December 21, Solstice. We remember a very bright light in the darkness who lives on in spirit. Robert was a special gift to us all. His caring, quiet, calm, strong integrity was a boon to all. His faith based activism elevated and grounded our movement, affirming the rightness and deepness of all our convictions to protect, honor and love Creation, our Mother. #LoveOurMother Champion of #SocialJustice #EnvironmentalJustice he actively supported many & various groups and individuals in our collective struggles to #Resist the #NoACP and #NoMVP. He showed up. He helped ease the strains of our very long 5 years of relentless vigil VS the big bad boys. Robert, we so miss you. Thank you for our precious time together. You are in good company, no doubt! May you and Ram Das [also recently passed over] conspire to further greatness! Rest well, then carry on our brother in peace with justice!
Robert was a leader in Virginia’s pipeline resistance. In his May 2019 article, Toxic Injustice: Ecological Crisis in Marginalized Communities, he wrote about Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station in Buckingham County, citing it as one of his examples of how “communities of color and poverty are consistent sites for unwanted infrastructure and disposal – in part because energy companies and state regulators assume that residents will be unable to resist powerful political forces.”
Photo: Ella Rose, Chad Oba, Rev Robert Dilday [at this time he had not been ordained!], Bishop Goff, Swami Dayananda, Rev Weston Mathews, Heidi Dhivya Berthoud
Recent article:
Photos from Robert’s pre-ordination June 15, 2019
0 Comments