MADISON — Good Shepherd Parish in Madison and Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison will host an evening of reflection on the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter against racism entitled Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love at St. James Church on Wednesday, June 23 at 7 p.m.
Tag: racism
Racism is a life issue
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has formally condemned racism in four pastoral statements: in 1958, 1968, 1979, and in 2018 with Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love — A Pastoral Letter against Racism.
Pentecost and the fires in our cities
It is in a way providential that the Feast of Pentecost arrives this year just as our country is going through a convulsive social crisis.
Bishop Donald J. Hying’s statement on racism
The lives of Black people do matter. They matter profoundly, because God has created every human being in His beautiful image and likeness. Every person is of infinite value, so precious indeed, that Christ spent His life and offered His death for the eternal salvation of each individual member of the human race.
Celebrating Black History Month
During my time at Aquinas High School in La Crosse, I was privileged to have a young Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA, as a teacher during my sophomore year.
I have written previously about Sister Thea, who was the first Black Sister in the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration whose motherhouse is in La Crosse. She was the first African American person I knew.
Honoring Reverend King’s legacy
It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been 50 years since the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
It was on April 4, 1968, that James Earl Ray killed the civil rights leader as he stood on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tenn. Reverend King, a Baptist minister, was only 39 years old.
It seems as if we have made progress in many areas of our society since his death, but we still have a long way to go in ensuring an end to racism in our country.
Charlottesville and America’s ‘original sin’
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I vividly remember my first visit to Charlottesville, Va. It was about 20 years ago, and I was on vacation with a good friend, who shared with me a passion for American history and for Thomas Jefferson in particular.
We had toured a number of Civil War battlefields in Maryland and Virginia and then had made our way to Jefferson’s University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Finally, we ventured outside the city to the little hilltop home that the great founder had designed and built for himself, Monticello.
It was a glorious summer day, and the elegant manse shone in all of its Palladian splendor. We took in its classical lines, its distinctive red and white coloration, the understated beauty of its dome, its overall symmetry, balance, and harmony.
We must counter hate with love
Perhaps one of the hardest things Jesus told us as his followers was to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).
It’s pretty tough to tolerate people we don’t like, let alone love them. But that’s what Jesus told us to do, and he certainly practiced what he preached. He even forgave those who crucified him!
Our country — and indeed our whole world — seems to be filled with racism, hatred, and violence. We all wonder how we should respond.
Call for people to act with justice
People in the Madison area have been coping with the death of a biracial young man by a white police officer on March 6.
The fatal shooting of Tony Robinson, age 19, by Madison police officer Matt Kenny is indeed a tragedy.
As state law now stipulates, the incident is being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Members of Robinson’s family have called upon the community to remain calm and allow the investigation to proceed.
Living the dream: We still have a ways to go in our country
Today, most of us take for granted that people of all races will worship in church together, eat in the same parts of restaurants, and use the same public restrooms.
But that wasn’t true in many parts of our country just 50 years ago. People of color didn’t have the freedom to do many of the things white people did.
Progress in 50 years?
As we observe the 50th anniversary of the famous March on Washington, D.C., on August 28, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on how much progress we’ve made in guaranteeing civil rights for all people who live in our country.
In Wisconsin, I think that the rights of people of all races have been respected better than in some other parts of the country. Our churches, restaurants, and schools have been integrated ever since I can remember.
However, statistics show that non-white people are put in jails and prisons in our state at a higher number than white people. It seems as if minorities have higher rates of unemployment and have a greater chance of living in poverty.