As we began our prayer walk, Mary announced, “ a rainbow!” Even with the sun low in the sky behind us, a rainbow hung ahead.
Everywhere the surface of Oak Flat’s sacred ground was marked by the force of raindrops. Earlier in the day we had danced during a flash flood, danced in a foot or more of water, danced following the White Painted Woman.
All of Oak Flat rejoiced. The cypress shared its scent with us from far away as though in celebration. Around us, the plants felt greener.
We were walking towards a valley and an overlook of large earth-red stones where we both liked to pray. As we approached, I thought I could hear a roar. Could it be?
We rushed to the edge and looked below us. Water rushed and roared where we had never seen water moving before. Beyond us, the sky lit up in pinks and grays as the sun set.
Mary began to sing: Where the Lord pours out his spirit, streams will flow in the desert.
A mighty stream flowed below us. Above us, on the side of a mountain, was the mine with spot lights and large triangular metal structures, the once-abandoned mining site on which Resolution Copper has already spent $2 billion in preparation for removing copper from the foundations of Oak Flat.
We stood to face that ugliness and sang: si tuvieras fe como un grano de mostaza… If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain “move” and that mountain will move (Matthew 17:20).
We stood where the rainbow had marked, we stood where the streams flowed, we stood in the world renewed, and told that mountain to move.
Please join in us in prayer.
Jodi-beth McCain is a team member of COFA (Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Oak Flat Accompaniment)
On Oct. 6th, 2025, we heard that the Supreme Court had again denied to hear Apache Stronghold’s case.
In their press release, Apache Stronghold “[called] on all people to pray, to raise their voices, and to join us in defending Mother Earth. Thank you for standing with us”. Read the full statement from Apache Stronghold
As we grieve this injustice, we continue to raise our prayers for a miracle and for the remaining court cases seeking to protect Oak Flat from a potential land transfer.
On October 13th (2025), Indigenous Peoples Day, faith leaders from across Turtle Island gathered at Oak Flat for a livestreamed prayer vigil. Communities across the nation held echo vigils in tandem with this gathering. Watch the recording of the Oct. 13 livestream
The call to protect Oak Flat through prayer continues – it is always the time to host a solidarity vigil with your community! Feel free to use this prayer toolkit for ideas/inspiration and send us any photos/notes from your time. Join us in prayer.
See testimonies and pictures from other vigils:
“We actually had quite a wonderful prayer vigil early, on Oct 9, due to schedules here. Five of us were present in person and three more joined us online. Sad to say, I forgot to take any pictures. We used elements of the Toolkit, plus a similar Buddhist meditation by one of our group. The song we used was the one by Reed Burkholder, which was very moving to people. One person said, ‘I wanted to stay in the song forever!'”
