Date of Award
4-29-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026
Degree Name
Master of Theology (Th.M)
Director
James Matthew Ashley
Abstract
This thesis argues that by adopting the posture of a pilgrim during our brief time on earth—embracing intentionality and openness to transformation—we can foster ecological conversion within ourselves and others. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard serves as both a model and a catalyst for this conversion.
Chapter one diagnoses key features of the modern ecological crisis, including the technocratic paradigm, nature-deficit disorder, instrumentality, and the misuse of dominion. In response, it proposes the practices of prosoche, topos, eros, and humility as ways to begin building an integrated response to our present situation. As members of God’s creation and pilgrims on the earth, we are called to reconnect with the ground of our being—God—and to rely on this relationship, thereby learning to tend and keep the earth as the source from which we come. Chapter two enriches the concepts of pilgrim and pilgrimage, inviting readers to journey alongside Dillard to see the world anew. Through encounters with awe, grace, wonder, and the wildness of both nature and God, the pilgrim undergoes interior transformation. Chapter three builds on this renewed internal awareness to argue for external action in the form of ethical responsibility. It advances an ethic of reciprocity, emphasizing that in a community of interdependent parts, flourishing is a communal endeavor, driven by love, mutual care, and generous giving. Such flourishing requires intentional participation and a renewed alignment with God’s vision. Chapter four presents wonder as an inexhaustible practice through which iv God is continually encountered. Wonder humbles and sustains us, enabling an openness to the mysteries of God’s creation—suffering and beauty, pain and grace—through which we may glimpse the presence of God. This thesis seeks to foster the spiritual transformation necessary to deepen care for our common home and advance ecological conversion.
Recommended Citation
Blancke, Mark, "A Pilgrimage of Ecological Conversion: A Journey of Encounter, Humility, Reciprocity, and Wonder Illustrated by Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" (2026). Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations. 185.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst_dissertations/185
