Racism   Awareness and Discussion

In the last few years, Res parishioners have been part of discussion via Zoom with parishioners of St. Catherine of Sienna. Thanks to Zoom people from other states joined the conversation. This complements the prayer services conducted by St. Catherine’s chiefly during the January week of prayer for Christian Unity (see www.geii.org for info on this national event).  This service was held via Zoom January 20, 2022.  This was produced largely through Simpson United Methodist Church on Centerville Road, 19804.
   People of color in these discussions were mostly from the area of New Castle County and mostly Catholic.  They urged that we get to know each other. All expressed openness to diversity and attendance at each others churches. There is a website: Catholics United for Black Lives.  This website can help in this awareness of the history, joys, and struggles of Black Catholics.
   Dating from Feb. 2021 (data taken prior to pandemic) Pew Study on Black Religious Life was published.  Flowing from this, there is much more material in an internet search.  For example, a YouTube video (a bit over an hour) titled “Unpacking Black American Religious Life.” Such material can challenge some mainstream assumptions.    Father Bryan Massingale has updated his talks and written articles with the information from the Pew Study. Again, there are YouTube videos of Fr. Massingale. His book: Racial Justice and the Catholic Church (c. 2010) was used extensively in the Zoom discussions mentioned above. 
One should be aware of: Black Catholic Ministry
Director: Ms. Brenda Burns
Mailing Address: Diocese of Wilmington
1626 N. Union Street
Wilmington, DE 19806
Phone: 302-573-3104
bburns@cdow.org
     While people of Color are welcome at all Catholic churches, The “Mother” church of Black Catholics is St. Joseph Church, 1012 N. French Street, downtown Wilmington (19801).  A Gospel Choir is based there.   In this time of pandemic people often join worship via internet.  St. Bernardine Roman Catholic church in city of Baltimore (our church Province) has live streamed Mass each Sunday.

Books written in the last couple years that can help further discussion:
   A White Catholic Guide to Racism and Privilege by Dan Horan, OFM.  One can look at the table of contents on the internet search. 
   The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice by Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ.
 

May 31, 2020      by Cardinal Blasé Cupich  of Chicago
This is where our conversation about healing should begin, not with simple condemnations, but with facing facts. We need to ask ourselves and our elected officials: Why are black and brown people incarcerated at higher rates than whites for the same offenses? Why are people of color suffering disproportionately from the effects of the novel coronavirus? Why is our educational system failing to prepare children of color for a life in which they can flourish? Why are we still asking these questions and not moving heaven and earth to answer them, not with words, but with the systemic change it will take to finally right these wrongs?

These questions should be particularly troubling to people of faith. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops put it in its recent statement on the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests, “We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.” Citing a recent document on racism, the USCCB went on to say, “As bishops, we unequivocally state that racism is a life issue.”
Indeed, racism and its death-dealing consequences are not just offenses against our brothers and sisters as fellow human beings. They are offenses against God, the father of us all.

And how do people of faith respond when they realize they have offended God? They confess. They acknowledge their sin, express remorse and commit to doing better. But when it comes to slavery, our nation’s original sin, and racism, which continues to enslave in our time, have we done that as Americans? Have we done it as a church?

Or have we more often sought comfort in the “over-there-ness” of racist acts and crimes? Have we averted our gaze by pretending that “gang-related violence” and the conditions that make it possible are not really “our problem”?

Other societies have experienced unfathomable offenses against humanity and found ways to engage the history, to admit the crimes, to hold accountable those who committed them and to move toward something resembling reconciliation: the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime, the Rwandan genocide, the crimes of South African apartheid. We Americans can do this too. We are well past overdue for such a national reconciliation and the need to account for the history of violence against people of color in this country.

Tragedy does not eradicate hope. If there is anything we Christians take from our faith, it is that even the darkest deeds can be redeemed by love. And love is what is called for now. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Not the love of transactional friendships and cheap associations made by the click of a mouse button or an easy retweet. Signpost solidarity will not do.

Only the hard work of familial love will set us on the path toward justice. The love we read about in Scripture. The love God has for his children, every one of us, even when we fail — especially when we fail.

Because God knows what his children are capable of, not only how we can fail in our humanity, but even more how we can build it up. And it is up to us to show God, to show all our brothers and sisters, the neighbors we know and the ones we will never meet, how deeply we can love.