We can become overwhelmed by the immensity of the problem of racism. We can despair that any progress will ever be made. We can, if we are white, feel miserable and guilty because of the privilege we enjoy vis-à-vis Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans. But none of that, I believe, is helpful. What I think is helpful is conversion - conversion of mind and heart to the Gospel. The solution is to emphasize the good news of the Gospel. This does not eliminate the realistic, sober, eyes-wide-open understanding of the deep underlying patterns of racism that all of us, regardless of race, are caught in. Our guide must be St. Paul. Almost 2,000 years ago, St. Paul gave us a vision of unity and equality that is still breathtaking today. He wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
All are one. ~Fr. Chuck Kullmann, St. Austin Pastor 2010-2024
1. Pray
For our parish, that we may cultivate welcome, extend hospitality, and encourage the participation of people of all cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds, let us pray to the Lord.
For the courage to have difficult conversations about racism, and for a better appreciation of how our words and actions – or even our silence – can impact our communities, let us pray to the Lord.
For solidarity in our global human family, that we may work together to protect those who are most vulnerable and most in need, let us pray to the Lord.
"We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism or exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life"
~Pope Francis
2. Be Informed
Get informed as a Catholic. Many news outlets want to tell you their version of the truth. But as Catholics, we need to know the Church's response to racial justice. Here are some places to get started:
Let your elected officials know that you stand with the U.S. Catholic Bishops on issues of racial justice. Call your representatives in Congress, your Senators, and the White House and express your opinions and experiences. Urge politicians and lawmakers to do the right thing. Visit USA.gov to find their contact information.
Also, remember in the next election that these issues matter, and vote. Voting is not only a privilege but an obligation.
4. Support organizations that are helping now
Here are a few organizations and other ways to offer support locally:
Join fellow St. Austin parishioners in monthly Courageous Conversations hosted by our neighboring parish, Holy Cross. The parish's Social Justice Ministry focuses on the church's role in undoing institutional and systemic racism. Instead of blaming or calling out individuals, it raises awareness about how the deep and historic roots of racism in this country affect us all, even well-meaning people. Courageous Conversations are open to the community. Contact Holy Cross or email Kristen to learn more.
The Austin Justice Coalition (AJC) serves people who are historically and systematically impacted by gentrification, segregation, over-policing, a lack of educational and employment opportunities, and other institutional forms of racism in Austin.
I long for a Catholic Church that is unafraid to welcome Black people - an article in America Magazine by Christopher Smith, S.J. The author, a native of Western North Carolina, was raised a Quaker but converted to Catholicism after becoming captivated by the beauty of his local church. He was drawn to the Society of Jesus by reading Walter Ciszek's With God in Russia. By God's grace, he entered novitiate in 2015.
Jesus you revealed God through your wise words and loving deeds,
and we encounter you still today in the faces of those whom society has pushed to the margins.
Guide us, through the love you revealed,
to establish the justice you proclaimed,
that all peoples might dwell in harmony and peace,
united by that one love that binds us to each other, and to you.
And most of all, Lord, change our routine worship and work into genuine encounter with you and our better selves so that our lives will be changed for the good of all.
General Orders, Number 3 Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston June 19, 1865
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
Almighty and Ever-Faithful God, You, whose Word of Liberty was proclaimed by Moses to free the Israelites from Egyptian enslavement sent that same Word, herald on Juneteenth in a proclamation of emancipation,
to our African American brothers and sisters
inhumanly bound in American enslavement.
Though our Freedom Journey is far from ended
and the Freedom Proclamation continues to unfold, we give thanks and praise for seeing us
to this point on our mighty long way.
Thank you, Lord, for fortifying our sisters and brothers of ebony skin and stout spirits whose faithfulness and courage released their calloused hands from the oppressive yoke of their enslavement to plow new paths of citizenship and opportunity for themselves and successive generations.
And, we thank you Lord, for the strength and resolve You bestowed upon the arduous work and fervent prayers of all who, throughout history, have had to trod stony roads and bear bitter rods in order to rise up against the pervasive oppressions of unjust racial persecutions and structural racial inequalities.
As we come together in this momentous occasion, we ask for Your Word of Liberty to continue to inform us and more of Your blessings to aid us along this toilsome journey towards true justice and equity.
Grant us Your grace to open the eyes of all who are blinded by the poison of intolerance. May we all see Your image inscribed within everyone we encounter.
Lend us Your love To free the hearts of all who are shackled by hatred and guile. May we dwell within Your love that binds us together as a Sacred Family unified as One.
Allot us Your mercy to expand all minds beyond
the confines of prejudice, apathy, fear and discrimination. May these works of the Evil One flee at the presence of your light. With Your Holy Spirit, empower us to be Ministers of Liberty as we repair, restore, and renovate all that has been broken by the blight of continued systemic racism and racial oppression.
May your work in us be our work in the world
that gives glory to Your Holy Name and inspires us all to be better selves.
We ask these graces of You as we ask of all things, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rev. Steven A. Bell, CSP
Associate Pastor, St. Austin 2008 - 2012
Written "to spiritually commemorate the promulgation of Juneteenth as a US federal holiday." June 19, 2021