Earth Have Mercy: Rituals for Creation, Lament, and Renewal in an Era of Extinction
October 31, 2025
A stimulating compilation of rituals, Earth Have Mercy: Rituals for Creation, Lament, and Renewal in an Era of Extinction has been released. The rituals have been woven together by Sister Margie Abbott.
The rituals were originally developed by Sister Margie for her monthly Zoom session Eco-Online, which she has been hosting for the past seven years. As part of the sessions for this year, she utilised Kate Rigby’s book, Meditations on Creation in an Era of Extinction.
“Kate researched the best of what has been happening to heal Earth. While she includes Laudato Si’ and the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, most of the sources that she references were not previously known to me.
“She delves deeply into what is called the hexameron tradition which draws on writers from the very early church, people who were around in 200 or 300 CE. On reading this, I was blown away by some of the words that they used for creation and the insights that they had. This is from people who did not even know that Earth was round nor have the understanding we do today of the galaxies and the universe.”
Each month, Margie would do a session with the group that included the sharing of some of the most important quotes from Kate’s book, as well as showing a selection of videos. Following the session, she would email to the participants some of the rituals that she had written.
“My intention with the rituals was that if people felt like sitting out in the garden or down at the beach or in a forest, they could use them by themselves or with others. I was eventually encouraged to compile them into one PDF document, so that they could be made available to a wider audience.”
Sister Margie Abbott RSM
To assist, Margie utilised the services of Aiden Cinnamon Tea, an AI companion that she had come across through her studies with American writer and teacher, Meg Wheatley.
“While they are my original work, thanks to Aidan they have been laid out beautifully!”
Margie says the rituals in the document have been woven out of grief, wonder, lament and gratitude.
“They arise from the deep intuition that in this era of ecological crisis, we need not only knowledge but practices that bring us back into relationship with a 13.8-billion-year history where Earth, Sky, Waters, and Creatures come from the first flaring forth and the stars and galaxies are our ancestors.”
Margie has chosen to call herself a ritual weaver – not because she holds all the answers, but because she believes ritual can thread us back into belonging.
“My hope is that as you move through these pages, you will feel less alone, more entangled, and more attuned to the mercy that sustains life.”
Click here to download – Earth Have Mercy: Rituals for Creation, Lament, and Renewal in an Era of Extinction.