Some have wondered why a Catholic parish would focus on racial justice, wondering if we're veering "out of our lane" of the "spiritual" and inappropriately inserting ourselves into the realm of the political. It's a good question, and deserves a serious answer.

To put it simply, our parish (and our Catholic Church as a whole) must concern ourselves with racial justice because justice is something we are always called to by God, through our whole Judeo-Christian tradition, up to the present day. This extends from injunctions from the Biblical prophets ("And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God"), to Church leaders of every political persuasion (from Archbishop Chaput to Fr. Bryan Massingale, both of whom count racism as "America's original sin"), all the way through to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which calls racism an "intrinsic evil." The mandate to make racial justice a central focus came from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2018, when their ad hoc committee on racism manifested itself in a document for all the faithful, called Open Wide Our Hearts (see below, in "resources"). The murder of George Floyd this past May made the bishops' plea all the more tragically urgent.

Beyond the need to honor our Church's teaching on the dignity of all persons, we must focus on racial justice because real people within the Body of Christ are hurting, and we have no right to ignore their cry. In the Body of Christ, truly there is no "them" and "us." There is one "us" in the Body of Christ, and as Saint Paul proclaims to the Corinthians, "Whenever one member suffers, we all suffer with it; when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it" (1 Cor 12:26). We bear witness to the suffering of our own members within the Body of Christ. We have no choice but to work to bind up Christ's broken body.

But how will we do that? Our parish strives to be a genuinely welcoming and diverse community, a place where people of all races and ethnicities can truly find welcome. We also acknowledge that this is not yet always the case.

Our racial justice work right now is threefold:

1. Listen to the voices of people of color in our parish and surrounding community, lifting up their voices and experiences wherever possible
2. Educate ourselves and our people concerning Church teaching on racial justice and human dignity
3. Understand and acknowledge our own complicity in systemic and individual racism, working toward policy change (systemic) as well as conversion and repentance (individual).

We invite you to use this page as a place to get involved with our parish's efforts toward racial justice, learn about upcoming events in the larger Pittsburgh community, and grow in your understanding of the Catholic Church's place and teaching within it all.  

Small Discipleship Groups for Racial Justice Continue!

We will begin a new round of Small Discipleship Groups focused on racial justice beginning August 4. Two groups are offered, one for early birds, one for night owls (that is, a 7am group and a 7pm group). Both groups will meet over Zoom.

All small discipleship groups have the aim of helping individuals come closer to Christ and to one another in deepening community. Small discipleship groups are places we “make Big Church small,” as Fr. James Mallon puts it. You can expect to explore Scripture, enter into honest and non-judgmental conversation, and find invitations to meaningful action. In a small discipleship group for racial justice, there is the added dimension of focusing on racism, both structural and individual, and seeking ways we can help build a more just Church, world and heart.

This time around, our resource will be A White Catholic’s Guide to Racism and Privilege by Fr. Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M.

Schedule:

• Morning groups will meet weekly from 7-8:30am led by Andy Benchek
• Evening groups will meet from 7-8:30pm led by Marguerite Link
• Dates: August 4, 11, 18, 25, Sept 1, 8

With questions, or to register, please contact Holly Mohr at [email protected].

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Learn More About Black Catholic Saints, Blesseds, and Holy People:

• The National Black Catholic Congress: Black Saints and Martyrs (nbccongress.org)
• Archdiocese of Chicago: News Media - Augustus Tolton (archchicago.org)
• Sister Thea Bowman | Cause for Canonization
• Black History Month events at Saint Benedict the Moor Church: St. Benedict the Moor Church - Pittsburgh, PA (sbtmparishpgh.com)
• PIP INFO FINAL.pdf

Other Racial Justice Resources:

• St. Benedict the Moor - https://sbtmparishpgh.com
• Bro. Mickey McGrath "Thursday Thoughts at 3" Presented by NPM, honoring Black Catholic saints and spiritual leaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO4euSj5lXE
• Penn State Greater Allegheny: The Crossing Bridges Summit, Socioeconomic and Environmental Perspectives on Black Women's Health: https://www.watch.psu.edu/crossingbridges/
• Facing our Church's History of Slaveholding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ifKFhLzGA&feature=youtu.be
• I long for a Catholic Church that is unafraid to welcome Black people | America Magazine
• Stations of the Cross for Racial Justice: https://www.usccb.org/resources/stations-of-the-cross-overcoming-racism.pdf
• https://www.futurechurch.org/celebrating-women-witnesses-for-racial-justice-prayers-and-presentations#Form
• https://ignatiansolidarity.net/resources/faith-in-action-responding-to-racial-injustice/?utm_source=igsol.net&utm_medium=urlshortener
• Novena for Racial Justice: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/novena-for-racial-justice/?utm_source=igsol.net&utm_medium=urlshortener
• "The Art of Women Witnesses for Racial Justice with Chloe Becker," presented by FutureChurch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKimJJ7tO4Q
• For education on systemic injustices within our healthcare system: Mayo Clinic Race and Health.pdf

For information on our Haiti mission, Partners in Progress - Click here

Toward a Catholic Understanding of "Black Lives Matter" - Fr. Matthew Hawkins - Click here

On African-American Spirituality-Fr. Matthew Hawkins: https://pittsburghcatholic.org/2021/02/12/fr-hawkins-african-american-spirituality-enriches-catholics/

United States Conference of Cathoic Bishops Statement of U.S. Bishop Chairmen in Wake of Death of George Floyd and National Protests- For the Join Committees' statement - Click here 

Bishop Zubik Calls for Calm and Addressing Racism -For his Bishop Zubik's statement - Click Here
Bishop Zubik Calls for Racial Healing - Click Here

For USCCB Document Open Wide our Hearts Summary and Call to Action - The Call to Address Racism in Our Hearts and Communities- Click here 

America Magazine - To fight racism, Catholics must hunger for Justice like we do for the Eucharist - Click Here

Pax Christi Anti-Racism Resources - Click Here

Racial Justice Small Groups

For more information please - Click here

Let's Talk about Race - 3 week Course and Conversation. 

In the wake of recent violence against people of color, many in our faith communities want to learn more: more about how we got to this place as a nation, more about our own biases, more about how to take positive action as members of the Body of Christ. Please join Dr. Jane Schuchert Walsh, parishioner and professor of sociology at Clarion University, as she leads us through safe and constructive discussion on these very topics. 

To view the Flyer - Click Here 
 

Implicit Bias Training. 

We all have it: assumptions that affect our choices without our being aware of it. Sometimes these biases keep us from making the choices we want to make for kindness, love and justice. As the People of God, we strive to have our thoughts and actions reflect the dignity of each person. Led by DBA Solutions, founded and facilitated by Cristyn Zett (a Pittsburgh police officer and member of our parish grouping) and partners. 
For More information and to view the flyer - Click here
 

Caste Book Study. 

A Zoom book discussion on the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. “Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and acclaimed author Isabel Wilkerson” explores racism “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, as a key illustration of the way that, beyond the specific categorizations of race or class, this process of creating artificial hierarchies can work to subjugate people in any culture.” (The Guardian)