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As the story goes, Diné people watched Father Liebler arrive that first evening in the early 1940’s, and open up the old abandoned LDS mission site. The next morning they watched him pull out his gong, face East, and hit the gong three times to usher in morning prayer. The families close enough to see this spectacle were blown away because that was their tradition as well: to face East, hit the gong, and practice morning prayer. They saw his expression of prayer as welcoming, and came to learn more about him.

Our first morning at the Mission many of us woke up early and walked or ran to explore our beautiful surroundings. We were ready for Eucharist at 9, which became 9:15, and then really more like 9:30. Our host Vicar was away until that evening and so a neighboring Diné priest filled in for him, and said people come whenever - a little bit like Redeemer, perhaps. The bulk of the congregation was made up of RYG, with a handful of Elders and a couple of younger folks who we later learned were not native to that region, but who were very much a part of the Church community.

The service was a hybrid between our familiar Episcopal Rite I service and Diné prayer and song. The kids were asked to do the readings, and the priest misplaced her sermon, so she freestyled. The energy in the room could not have been more relaxed and personal. The service was absent of the pomp and circumstance of a typical Redeemer service, yet I think we would all agree it felt like home. We understood the text even when we literally had no idea what we were saying or what we were singing. We were validated as we spoke with the Elders after the service and heard their translation of the hymns and prayers. It is clear that these two religious traditions are compatible and both speak of a love expressed through hospitality and hope, forgiveness and peace. The Elders told us this is why Father Liebler was universally accepted in their community. He may not have spoken their language initially, but his vision of Christianity corresponded with the Diné vision of humanity: religious, spiritual, and communal. They welcomed him with their cultures’ hospitality, he extended his own, and we were shown that same hospitality this June.

After the service we had the day to explore and our host Vicar recommended we go to Hovenweep National Monument, about forty-five minutes away through the dirt and gravel roads of the reservation. As we entered the park we could see the snow-capped San Juan mountains of Telluride, Colorado. Hovenweep reframed our sense of being once again. Human habitation of this sacred site dates back 10,000 years with more infrastructure developing around 900 A.D. We hiked around the setting for an hour, taking pictures and gawking at the architecture and design of these stone structures built into the cliffs. It is not hard to feel humble in the context of so much history, and with such awe-inspiring landscapes. Perhaps Father Liebler exhibited this same kind of humility that we all felt. Coming from the East with no real comprehensive understanding of the people or the landscape, it seems natural to feel small and inexperienced. I think RYG took this sentiment into meeting the Vicar that evening and into our work week and it allowed us the opportunity to be truly welcomed by the Diné.