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Hózhó is a Navajo word that is difficult to translate. Its meaning encompasses the concepts of living in balance, wholeness, wellness, beauty, harmony, goodness, and blessing. It's also used as a greeting. ECN is developing the Women's Hózhó Center to help women to heal from the disease of addiction, to live in balance, to set and achieve goals, to find their own voices and identity as Navajo women, and to discover sources of strength and spirituality. Using the experience we've gained leading the Women's Discovery Group at SpiritWorks, we spent the weekend in conversation with Navajo and non-Navajo clergy and laity in designing a Women's Wellness Weekend in March that will begin the programming for the Hózhó Center.
We also visited the mission church, St. Luke's in the Desert, while we were there and were humbled and delighted at the invitation to serve as celebrant and deacon that morning. Jan then facilitated a conversation at St. Luke's annual meeting in which the atmosphere moved from one of gloom at the potential of closing, to one of renewed hope and commitment to restoration and recovery. We were honored and privileged to be invited to walk alongside the Navajo people on their journey toward wholeness.
The Episcopal Church in Navajoland covers territory in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The unemployment rate on the reservation is 50% and the poverty rate is 38%. Alcoholism and addiction continue to be a challenge, with many women, especially, dying from cirrhosis of the liver. Conditions are harsh; resources are few. And yet, in our visit we saw great hope. Several of the Navajo people have attended Episcopal seminaries and are being ordained as deacons and priests. They are working to integrate Navajo culture with their Episcopal faith. They have begun developing social enterprises like the Blue Corn Project, the Bees and Honey Project, and the ShiMa' handmade soap project. They have also developed a group of coders and another group whose expertise is web and graphic design. They welcome mission teams from across the country who come to work alongside them and learn from them. They are eager to develop an ECW for their mission diocese as well as continuing to build programming for youth.
If you are interested in learning more about our work with the Navajo people, please contact Lauren McDonald, lmcdonald@brutonparish.org, or Jan Brown, jbrown@brutonparish.org. We invite you to keep the people of Navajoland in your prayers.
