In the Margins: Discerning Racial Justice

On Monday, we as a nation celebrated the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   As a parish, it is a good time to reflect on our obligations as members of a Catholic, Jesuit faith community.

As Catholics, we believe that every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and as such has an inherent human dignity which cannot be taken away.  Catholic social teaching demands that we protect the fundamental rights and duties of all persons to participate in society, seek the common good and well-being of all, to walk with the poor and vulnerable, and to seek justice for those who have been wronged.  As a Jesuit-inspired parish, we strive to read the signs of the times and discern the movement of the Spirit of God as we choose how we follow through on those demands in the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres.

In June 2020, following media coverage of police brutality against Black Americans, St. Ignatius Parish gathered together a group of parishioners to form an Antiracism Committee to explore ways to become an antiracist parish.  To be antiracist is to acknowledge that action is required to address racism, whether individual, cultural, or systemic.  The Committee developed an antiracism strategy, ratified by the Parish Council in November 2020, to guide our parish in actualizing the antiracism vision for St. Ignatius Parish.  By 2025, St. Ignatius will be an antiracist multicultural parish where people of diverse identities including race, ethnicities, gender, sexual orientation, and others will experience a safe community, faithful to the Gospel call of Jesus Christ. In support of that vision, over the next several weeks we will invite you to reflect on the journeys of community members who have agreed to share their experiences and struggles around the issue of antiracism.