California Bishops | Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism
California Bishops have held a statewide reenactment of the Stations of the Cross to draw attention to the sin of racism and ask God’s help in eliminating it.

The “virtual” Stations are also intended to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tragic killings at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, and the Juneteenth holiday, celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Recording locations included Oakland’s Fruitvale BART Station, California’s first African-American Catholic Church, and a former KKK headquarters in San Diego.

(In the Diocese of Orange, Bishop Kevin Vann and others stood in front of the former Lydia D. Killefer Elementary School building in Orange, one of the first schools in California to desegregate. The school is on the National Register of Historic Places.)

Quotation selections:

“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.” – Pope Francis, June 3, 2020

“Racism is not merely one sin among many; it is a radical evil.” – Brothers and Sisters to Us: U.S. Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on Racism, 1979

“El racismo no solamente es un pecado entre otros, es un mal radical.” – Conferencia Episcopal de los Estados Unidos (USCCB), Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979

“Racism comes in many forms. It can be seen in deliberate, sinful acts. In recent times, we have seen bold expressions of racism by groups as well as individuals. The re-appearance of symbols of hatred, such as nooses and swastikas in public spaces, is a tragic indicator of rising racial and ethnic animus. All too often, Hispanics and African Americans, for example, face discrimination in hiring, housing, educational opportunities, and incarceration. Racial profiling frequently targets Hispanics for selective immigration enforcement practices, and African Americans, for suspected criminal activity. There is also the growing fear and harassment of persons from majority Muslim countries. Extreme nationalist ideologies are feeding the American public discourse with xenophobic rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants, and refugees. Finally, too often racism comes in the form of the sin of omission, when individuals, communities, and even churches remain silent and fail to act against racial injustice when it is encountered.” – Open Wide Our Hearts, A Pastoral Letter Against Racism, 2018

OVERVIEW

Church Teaching Against Racism

• Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism, 2018
  • Abramos nuestros corazones: El incesante llamado al amor – Carta pastoral contra el racismo, 2018)
• Combatting Racism Resources at USCCB
  • Combatting Racism – Parish Resources
• Jesus In Our Midst: Discovering Local Hope Admist National Distress, by The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, JCD, DD, Bishop of Orange, June 5, 2020
• Statement of U.S. Bishop Chairmen in Wake of Death of George Floyd and National Protests, May 29, 2020
• Statement of U.S. Bishops’ President Archbishop José H. Gomez on George Floyd and the Protests in American Cities, May 31, 2020
• Night Will Be No More (Pastoral Letter responding to racism, xenophobia, hatred, and white supremacy, by Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, 2019)
  • Noche ya no habrá (Carta pastoral en respuesta al racismo, la xenofobia, el odio y la supremacía blanca, por el obispo Mark Seitz de El Paso, 2019)
• Hispanic / Latino Affairs (USCCB) – V Encuentro
• Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters (USCCB, Spring 2018)
• Cultural Diversity in the Church (USCCB page)
• The Church and Racism: Toward a More Fraternal Society, Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, 1988
• Brothers And Sisters To Us, The USCCB Pastoral Letter on Racism. 1979
• In God’s Image: A Pastoral Letter on Racism, Rvd. Harry J. Flynn, ArchBishop of St. Paul & Minneapolis
• Vatican Contribution to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance, The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Aug-Sept 2001
• Biblical Study Guide for MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail – Catholic Edition

Additional Anti-racism Articles, Video, and Books

• Race in America (Phil Vischer, Co-creator of VeggieTales/and “Bob the Tomato,” summarizes 100 years of
  systemic racism in 17 minutes. Useful for antiracism education.)
• Black Faith Matters (documentary sheds light on “one story” of the Black Catholic experience, specifically in the Treme area of New Orleans, and hopes to bring out the joy, pain
  and struggles that are faced in the Black Catholic community, including the unique struggle found in youth and young adult ministry)
• Race and Religion in the U.S.: A Catholic Conversation Part I & Part II – hosted by the Diocese of Orange – Lori Stanley, Loyola Institute for Spirituality, interviews Fr. Claude Williams, O.Praem., a Black priest
• A conversation about racism with Gloria Purvis (CNA Editor’s Desk, 2020, a candid conversation about racism, the death of George Floyd, and much more, with Gloria Purvis, a Black Catholic, pro-life leader, and longtime radio host)
• “Racism in our Streets and Structures: A Test of Faith, A Crisis for our Nation” (black Catholic leaders and advocates Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C., Dr. Marcia Chatelain, professor of history and African-American studies at Georgetown University, Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and Gloria Purvis, host of the EWTN radio show “Morning Glory,” participated in an online public dialogue hosted by Georgetown University)
• “What Does It Mean to Be Black in the Church and in the Society?” (Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman’s prophetic address to the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 1989)
• “The assumptions of white privilege and what we can do about it”, by Fr. Bryan N. Massingale
• Revisiting Racism | Written by M. Shawn Copeland, Ph.D. (Boston College) in America Magazine
• Segregated by Design (VIDEO on housing discrimination, systemic racism)
• “Slave Patrols: An Early Form of American Policing” (National Law Enforcement Museum)
• Slavery By Another Name (PBS Documentary on Jim Crow, Forced Labor, and Mass Incarceration)
• 13th (2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay, TV-MA rating)
• Racial Justice and the Catholic Church | Brian Massingale, S.J. (Marquette University)
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness | Michelle Alexander
• The Cross and the Lynching Tree | James H. Cone
• The Scandal of White Complicity in US Hyper-incarceration: A Nonviolence Spirituality of White Resistance (Book)

PRAYER

• Prayer to Overcome Racism (Open Wide Our Hearts) – Oración para superar el racismo (Abramos nuestros corazones)
• A Prayer Service for Racial Healing in Our Land * Servicio de oración para la sanación racial en nuestro país
• Prayer to Heal Racial Division * Oración para sanar la división racial
• Prayers for Racial Justice and Reconciliation
• Prayer for the Elimination of racism (from Sisters of mercy)

TAKING ACTION

• Advocate with and for Black, indigenous, people of color, immigrants, victims of discrimination
• Share Anti-racism Education and Opportunities for Solidarity
• Engaging in Dialogue with our Multicultural Catholic Communities about Race, Faith, and Culture (VIDEO: Cynthia Psencik, director of the office of youth ministry for the Archdiocese of New York, and Armando Cervantes, director of youth and young adults and interim director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Orange, discuss and share how authentic dialogue can help us make the changes needed in our communities)
• Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers
• Facilitate a study group using Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – Study Guide
• Facilitate a discussion on racism/civil rights using Biblical Study Guide for MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail – Catholic Edition
• Anti-Racism Booklet (Sisters of Mercy)
• Lifelines to Healing (PICO Campaign to address violence and mass incarceration of people of color)
• Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO)

PASTORAL CARE

• How can your parish or group begin to foster lifegiving and honest conversations about the realities of racial justice in your community?
• Orange County Human Relations Mediation Certification Training