Cover Image: “Congress 12 Mural Artwork” Used with permission of The National Black Catholic Congress. Copyright held by Heritage Liturgical © 2017. Image Key
Our Lady of Stono Initiative -
Leading us on a Journey of Racial Equity and Healing
“I invite us to grow in our learning about race and equity in order to become more honest and sincere.” - Fr. Kevin Finnegan
The Our Lady of Stono Initiative is an endeavor guided by the Holy Spirit, we pray, to help our parish community encounter all people as sisters and brothers.
The title for this initiative is inspired by the Stono Slave Rebellion of 1739 in the colony of South Carolina. Many of the leaders of the of the uprising were cradle Catholics from the Kingdom of Kongo. These devout Catholics prayed for Our Lady’s intercession for God’s deliverance on September 8th, the feast of the nativity of Our Lady, and the day before the September 9th rebellion.
We pray to Our Lady of Grace to help us on our journey to learn about race and equity in order to grow together.
More information about Our Lady of Stono:
Pray to Our Lady of Stono to Heal the Wounds of Slavery, by Damian Costello: U.S. Catholic, Published September 1, 2020
Information about the Mural of the Black Madonna by Enzo Selvaggi.
Recommended by the Our Lady of Stono Initiative:
As we open our hearts and prepare for compassionate engagement to address racism, there are many resources available for learning and guidance.
Building an Intercultural Church
Our Catholic community abounds with diversity. Our brothers and sisters represent different races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and socioeconomic classes. Called as we are to evangelize, this diversity offers great opportunity as we seek to build our Catholic Church. But this calling is not without challenges. In Evangelii nuntiandi (1975), Pope Paul VI writes, “Evangelization loses much of its force and effectiveness if it does not take into consideration the actual people to whom it is addressed, if it does not use their language, their signs and symbols …” Carrying out the mission of the Church requires us to have intercultural competencies. This 2022 event was moderated by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams. Sponsored by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota.
This is a list of some of the books suggested by the members of the OLG Our Lady of Stono Racial Equity and Healing Initiative.
Statement from the Minnesota Catholic Conference
“To heal the wound of racism, we must open our hearts to allow God’s amazing grace to be the light that fills us and the light that we share with our neighbors. As a diverse community, the Catholic Church is committed to changing hearts and minds and to moving the conversation about race in this country beyond accusations and recriminations toward practical, nonviolent solutions to the everyday problems that are encountered in these communities. We will continue to do this through teaching the truth of human dignity, offering charity to our neighbors of every race, and advocating for those who are most vulnerable.”
- Statement of the Minnesota Catholic Conference at the Close of the Trial of Derek Chauvin, April 20, 2021
Open Wide Our Hearts
“...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.”
Racial Equity is a Catholic Concern
The Vatican
“My friends, 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
“…the Black community suffers a disproportionate share of economic deprivation. Far too many of your young people receive less than an equal opportunity for a quality education and for gainful employment. The Church must continue to join her efforts with the efforts of others who are working to correct all imbalances and disorders of a social nature. Indeed, the Church can never remain silent in the face of injustice, wherever it is clearly present.” - Pope Saint John Paul II
United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
“Despite many promising strides made in our country, racism still infects our nation.” - USCCB Open Wide Our Hearts
Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC)
“…the Church remains committed to providing long-term leadership in eradicating structures of sin and racism in Minnesota and beyond.” - Statement of the Minnesota Catholic Conference at the close of the trial of Derek Chauvin
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
“Even those of us who believe we are free from the sin of racism have blind spots that need to be probed.” - Archbishop Bernard Hebda, The Catholic Spirit, March 11, 2021
Learning to Advance Racial Healing from our Saints and the Catholic Church
Who was the first American Black Catholic Priest? Augustus Tolton
Who was the first Black Catholic saint of the Americas? St. Martin de Porres
Who was the first Black Catholic Woman Saint? Josephine Margaret Bakhita
Who is a Black Catholic nun from the United States who helped found the National Black Sisters Conference and is on the path for canonization as a Saint? Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman
Our Lady of Grace is Committed to Racial Equity
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church has a Racial Equity and Healing Initiative to develop and implement approaches to advance OLG’s mission of making Jesus Christ known and loved through racial equity and healing…
Seek the common good and social justice through active service to the human family both locally and globally. Action in support of the Our Lady of Grace Mission Statement.
Join Us!
Fill out the form below if you would like to learn more about the Our Lady of Stono Initiative - Leading us on a Journey of Racial Equity and Healing and one of our members will reach out to you.
Reflection
“One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” - John 9:25
How do our racial blind spots unknowingly prevent us from valuing every human life?