Maurena McKee
Forest Chaplain – Mountain Library
Maurena McKee acts as a chaplain in Chirripó mountain of Central America, which she refers to as the raised tail of Turtle Island. While residing and practicing in the mountain, she aims to bring together the many villages within the sacred forests. After completing her practicum on eco-psychology in December of 2020, she was driven to study and practice professionalism while being fully immersed in a rural area as a decolonial researcher and spiritual counselor. Now in her daily life, her main role in the community is to offer emotional support as well as hugs and nutrients with home-made banana bread. A focus on ecological studies is guiding her to act as a theologian, anthropologist, and methodologist focused on decolonization and human ecology in the rainforest. Furthermore, she is linking her knowledge-base in Hindu studies and Śākta theology with local Marian art and Latin religious practice, sharing ritual and ceremony that is deeply connected to the Feminine Divine. She is completing the GTU’s Interreligious Chaplaincy Certificate, while focusing on designing her GTU Master’s Capstone Project on interfaith and yoga chaplaincy, via an experimental ethnographic media project. She is hopeful to continue on to become BCCI certified in the future.
Chaplains connect at our Private Facebook Page!