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allyship

The Rochester Racial Justice Toolkit describes allyship as "a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people."

 

Being an ally means learning from and listening to marginalized groups, empowering them, advocating for them, and looking inward to recognize your own bias and privilege.

 

anti-racist

Activists and leading scholars have argued that it's not enough for allies to say they're "not racist." Instead, they must actively adopt anti-racism, a set of beliefs and actions that oppose racism and promote the inclusion and equality of Black and brown people in society.

Ibram X. Kendi helped popularize the phrase "anti-racist"

with his best-selling book on the subject.

bias

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

BIPOC

This acronym, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, has gained popularity as a more inclusive term than "people of color" when talking about marginalized groups affected by racism.

 

cisgender

It's important to know that one's sex and one's gender are two different things. "Cisgender" is a term for people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth.

 

It's a term used to ensure that when we're talking about people who are trans, we don't use a problematic term like 'normal' to describe those who are cisgender.

 

Cisgender people experience privilege in many aspects of life, from being able to easily find a restroom that matches their gender expression to having their sex listed on their driver's license match their gender.

 

critical race theory

Critical race theory is a school of thought that says that legal institutions and the law are inherently racist, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.  The framework, which gained traction in the late 1980s, recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society, according to the University of California, Los Angeles.  It also says that race isn't a biological reality, but a social construct made by white people to maintain power. 

 

cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation is the taking of "creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another," according to Oxford Reference.

 

"It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance," the definition says. An example of this is a white woman wearing her hair in box braids. 

 

"The primary problem lies in the fact while black women receive cultural repercussions, like being fired from their job, for wearing dreadlocks or braids, women who aren't black can sport the same hairstyle and be praised for being 'cool and edgy," Bustle's Mia Mercado wrote. 

 

discrimination

Practice of treating similarly situated individuals differently because of race, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, or national origin.

 

diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

"Diversity, equity, and inclusion" is used in corporate spaces to encompass efforts by business leaders to make their spaces more diverse, fair, and inclusive. But what does that mean?

 

Diversity initiatives aim to increase the number of people from marginalized backgrounds in places where they are underrepresented — for example, on a company's board.

 

Equity efforts are those that seek "to promote justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems."

 

Equity is different from equality. Equity achieves fairness by treating people differently based on need, while equality achieves fairness by treating everyone the same, regardless of need. 

 

Inclusion is an organizational effort "in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed, and equally treated."

 

They added: "Inclusion is a sense of belonging. Inclusive cultures make people feel respected and valued for who they are as an individual or group."

 

dreamers

Children of undocumented parents who have spent most of their lives in the United States but are not U.S. citizens and seek to remain here legally, for example, to enroll in college.

 

driving while black

Term for police practice of singling out non-white drivers for special attention, such as by pulling them over and searching for drugs or contraband, often pulling drivers over under false and concocted pretenses.

 

emotional tax

"Emotional tax" refers to the unseen mental work that people from marginalized backgrounds have to do every day to feel included, respected, and safe.

The research firm Catalyst defines it as "the combination of being on guard to protect against bias, feeling different at work because of gender, race, and/or ethnicity, and the associated effects on health, well-being, and ability to thrive at work."

 

erasure

Practice of collective indifference towards the processes of overall eradication to the identity, history, stories, and culture of a group, rendering them invisible.

 

heteronormativity

Heteronormativity is the belief or assumption that all people are heterosexual, or that heterosexuality is the "normal" state of being.

"A heteronormative society operates on the assumption that heterosexuality and specific gender features are the human 'default,'" according to The Queer Dictionary. "These assumptions can be hurtful because they are stigmatizing and marginalizing, making people who are LGBT+ feel like they are perceived as deviant or unnatural."

 

institutional/systemic racism

Institutional racism refers specifically to the ways in which institutional policies and practices create different outcomes and opportunities for different groups based on racial discrimination.

 

internment

Forced confinement of West Coast Japanese Americans in relocation camps during World War II.

 

intersectionality

Catalyst defines "intersectionality" as "the intertwining of social identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, social class, religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity, which can result in unique experiences, opportunities, challenges and barriers."

 

jim crow laws

Anti-loitering laws, poll taxes, sundown provisions, racial segregation, and other measures enacted in order to maintain white superiority even after slavery came to an end.  Meant to remove political and economic gains made by African-descended Americans during the Reconstruction period.

 

microaggression

Microaggressions are indirect expressions of racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, or another form of prejudice. They can be in seemingly innocuous comments from people who might be well-intentioned. But they make another person feel different, violated, or unsafe.

 

misgendering

Misgendering, according to Merriam-Webster, is when someone incorrectly identifies a person, such as a transgender person, by using the wrong label (such as "Mr." or "Ms.") or pronoun (such as "she," "he," or "they"). It often makes a person feel invalidated as a human being.

 

In a 2018 article for The Aragon Outlook, the student newspaper of Aragon High School in San Mateo, California, one student explained the personal effect of being misgendered.

"I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it's just a deep pain [to be misgendered]," the student told the newspaper. "It sort of destroys my faith in humanity to a certain point and makes me just a little more afraid of leaving the house the next day."

 

neurodiversity

Neurodiversity, as explained by the UK nonprofit Autism Awareness Centre, is "the concept that humans don't come in a one-size-fits-all neurologically 'normal' package."

It "recognizes that all variations of human neurological function need to be respected as just another way of being, and that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal/natural variations in the human genome."

 

nonbinary

The Human Rights Campaign defines "nonbinary" as "an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman."

 

"Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories," the definition says. "While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do."

The gender binary — the belief that people can be only male or female —

oppresses people who fall elsewhere on the gender spectrum.

-phobic (e.g., transphobic, homophobic)

To be transphobic is to have a "fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people," according to the Human Rights Campaign. Similarly, to be homophobic is to have a fear of, hatred of, or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex.

 

race

A socially constructed social science framework that refutes Eurocentric-biological racial philosophy by concentrating individual’s, people’s, and community’s similar or exact ethnic and cultural foundations, which operate through unstable and perpetually altering social sequences.

 

racism

Any program or practice of discrimination, segregation, persecution, or mistreatment based on membership in a race or ethnic group. It is important to note that racism, as it has been enacted in “modern” society requires the social, political, ideological, and economic power of the dominant race.

 

reparations

The word "reparations" refers to payment for harm or damage, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. In the US, it refers to payments for harm and damage done to Black Americans who have endured decades of slavery, Jim Crow laws, racial violence, racist education and housing laws, and prejudice. The idea was popularized in recent years by the best-selling author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, who argued his case in front of Congress in 2019. 

 

redlining

Policy by insurance companies, banks, and mortgage lenders not to do business with home buyers or owners in certain areas with heavy minority population.

 

trail of tears

Route used for forced removal of certain Native American nations (North American Indigenous) from the southeastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River.

 

unconscious bias/implicit bias

There's explicit bias, or bias we're aware of, and then there's implicit bias, or prejudicial beliefs we don't even know we have.

The University of California San Francisco's Office of Diversity and Outreach offers a comprehensive explanation on its website: "Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness ... Unconscious bias is far more prevalent than conscious prejudice and often incompatible with one's conscious values."

 

white fragility

Robin DiAngelo, a researcher and author of the best-selling book "White Fragility," explains the phenomenon as "a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves," including "the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation."

An example of this could be a Black person pointing out a white person's problematic or racist behavior and the white person immediately jumping to defend themselves, making excuses and crying instead of listening and accepting what the other person is saying.

 

white privilege

White privilege is the vast set of advantages and benefits that people have solely because they are white or pass as white in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.

Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it. 

Examples include being able to walk around in a department store without being followed by a store clerk who suspects you of shoplifting or being able to drive around a neighborhood without fearing that someone will call the police on you.

 

white supremacy 

A power system structured and maintained by persons who classify themselves as White, whether consciously or subconsciously determined; and who feel superior to those of other racial/ethnic identities.

 

 

By David Colhour, C.P.

I am curious. As you have aged, what has been the biggest surprise for you in a positive, wonderful way? I would invite you to think about this question beyond just changes in your physical body. Rather than aches, pains and diminishment, what has bloomed for you as you have aged and matured? Has a particular virtue or spiritual advancement surprised you?

Several years back, I found myself fascinated with the issues and questions around solidarity. What is the value in finding solidarity with others? How can I be in solidarity with people who are outside my proximity? Is it possible to be in solidarity with people I have not met? As I have aged I certainly have wrestled with this moral puzzle. To my astonishment, I was not expecting it to challenge me like it has.

The news media has reported on numerous conflicts over the years, yet specifically, when the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine I was really torn up. I found myself reading the Russian newspapers in an attempt to glean even the slightest glimpse into something that did not make any sense. This daily exercise led me into the life and stories of people who were suffering, many of whom were not allowed to freely speak about their suffering. Solidarity was taking on a new meaning. After several months of the stories and images of this war before me,  I was re-reading the Passionist Rule and Constitutions. This time, even though the words were the same, they sounded different.

We are aware that the Passion of Christ continues in this world until he comes in glory; therefore, we share in the joys and the sorrows of our contemporaries as we journey through life toward our Father. We wish to share in the distress of all, especially those were poor and neglected; we seek to offer them comfort and to relieve the burden of their sorrow.^[i]

Even the introduction in the recently promulgated Passionist Way reminds us,

We understand that Christ’s Passion and death are “no mere historical events. They are ever-present realities to people in the world of today, ‘crucified’ as they are by injustice, by the lack of a deep respect for human life, and by a hungry yearning for peace, truth, and the fullness of human existence”^[ii]

 

The Passionist Charism is a constant reminder of how connected we are even with people whose homes and families are being destroyed, even though we may have never met them. The Passionist Charism is not just about responding with compassion, it is also deeply rooted in justice because Jesus' trial and execution was extremely unjust. Even the centurion who had nothing to gain proclaimed Jesus as innocent.

When the war began I questioned myself. If I lived there would stay and fight or would I leave the country? Observing the people trying to escape both Ukraine and Russia, I could not help but wonder, were they any different than people trying to leave Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan or Venezuela? Why is life so bad for people that they have to leave their homelands and their loved ones? What a deep gashing aching loss! Frequently, displaced people initially tell themselves this will only be till things settle down. Yet, their lives and families are uprooted and the trauma lasts their whole life. I am still questioning, how do I respond with compassion? Is there something I can do about this injustice? The Passionist Charism connects us to the displacement of human life evolving into massive migration problems.

Last year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 103 million people have been forcibly displaced.^[iii]  The categories include internally displaced people, refugees, asylum-seekers and those seeking international protection. The pain of splitting families apart and vacating the very land a person calls home is heartbreaking. Frequently, the escape itself pushes people into the struggle of human survival, and sometimes even to the threshold of life and death. Merely trying to sustain life while navigating the ultra-complexities of fresh water, food chains, overcrowding and other hardships certainly is unfathomable. The duration of the trauma is unpredictable. Yet, to finally come to a place that is somewhat safe, even a place where one can put down roots, is remarkably comforting. However,  they are still far from the place they call home. Internationally, it is amazing how some countries extend hospitality knowing the shifts will lead to instability in their economies.

The Passionist Charism asks us to not be ignorant of these realities and to stretch ourselves by asking about systems and structures which lead to suffering. Pope Francis invites us to engage questions regarding how we live on this planet and what is our relationship with our Earth? His reflection on the global crisis in which we find ourselves speaks of having an integral ecology by which the economic, environmental and social interconnectedness of people can contribute to a healthier humanity. As we do, "any place can turn from being a hell on earth into the setting for a dignified life."^[iv] It is easy to see  the connection. Looking through the lenses of the Passionist Charism we begin to see the multiplicity of threads so interconnected.  What is our Passionist response? I anticipate the upcoming Provincial Chapter to move beyond highlighting the interconnectedness. Can we respond as people of faith?

For many years we have all seen that Catholic bumper sticker that says, Think Globally, Act Locally. So, if I continue to ask questions, I challenge myself and ask, “do I care as much about the people on the South Side of Chicago as I do about those trying to escape the war?”  If I am willing to make a financial contribution for the people in Ukraine but I am unwilling to help the neighbor of Hyde Park, then I hear Jesus' words questioning me, "Who is my neighbor?"  Are there really differences between the gun violence here and the shootings and bombings in any other city, including Kyiv? Do I understand the similarities that many of my own neighbors here in this city are the decedents from those who came here fleeing the violence, injustice and terror in the American South?^[v]  Growing up in a small town in Colorado, I never realized this migration of people were unwelcomed as they looked for new lands and new opportunity in the cities in the North? Knowing this, does it change the way I live in my own city and the people I relate to on my own streets?

On one level, life would have been simpler if I never started thinking about solidarity. In picturing my life, if years ago I would have chosen a different career where I was not very challenged, I could have been like an ostrich, sticking my head in the sand and not pay attention.  Yet somehow I did not choose that path. God led me to the Passionists,  and the Passionists have invited me to ponder life through the lens of the Passion of Jesus Christ. This has certainly changed me. I continue to think of the interconnectedness of humanity and the place which the Passion of Christ has in the midst of humanities' suffering. And I am left pondering Pope Francis' challenge wondering what will we truly pass on to the next generation?

Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.^[vi]

[i] Passionist Rule and Constitutions, Chapter 1 "Fundamentals of Our Life" #3. 1984.

[ii] The Passionists of Holy Cross Province, "The Passionist Way" 2022.  Also referenced in the Passionist Rule and  Constitutions, Chapter 4, "Apostolic Community" #148.   1984.

[iii] UNHCR:The UN Refugee Agency, "Refugee Data Finder"  October 27, 2022.    https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/  

[iv] Pope Francis. Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home. #148 Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2015.  https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

^[v]Fox 5 Atlanta. "MLK Day keynote speaker: Bryan Stevenson, Founder of Equal Justice Initiative."  YouTube,  January 16, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5fId7nn5Y8  @12:33.

[vi] Pope Francis. Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home. #160 Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2015.  https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

On September 23, 2022, my husband, my daughter and I decided to undertake a journey for a better future, for a better quality of life.  We are from Venezuela, but had been living in Peru.  Everything was going well when we started out in Peru, then Ecuador.  Our nightmare began in Colombia.  We entered into the Darién jungle on September 27.  No one told us the horrible truth that is hidden in this jungle.  We saw the dead left by their family members. Some children who did not have money were raped or even killed by paramilitary personnel.

I especially suffered due to being overweight.  It was very difficult for me to climb the mountains.  I was always the last one.  It was always my nephew who waited to help me, because my husband was in charge of carrying the bags with our food and what little clothing we decided to keep after the first mountain.

I lost all of my toenails.  I suffered a lot because no sooner had we started and my feet were already in bad shape.  I crossed 2 mountains in only my socks because my toenails hurt so much and the bottoms of my feet were covered in blisters.  It took us 12 days to traverse through the jungle.  We ran out of food on day 10.  For 2 days we drank water from the river and what we begged off of passersby.  We were tired and weak, distressed because our daughter was weak.

 We decided to take a shortcut across the river.  It was a terrible decision because when I was halfway across the river a strong current caused me to lose my footing.  I was slapped against a rock, in peril of drowning.  My husband realized I was swallowing lots of water.  He grabbed me by the hand the best he could and began to cry for help.  Then a young man helped him to get me out of the river.

We lost our remaining belongings, like our clothes and money.  But the most important thing is that they saved me from drowning and I am still alive.  It was a horrible scare.  After they pulled me from the river I just cried and wailed.

We continued our journey.  Because I had lost my sandals, my husband gave me his boots.  It was then I saw the wounds he sustained on his feet: ulcers on his heels, wounds over most of his feet, covered in blood.  Because of the pain he was enduring, we decided to rest that day.  We were just 8 hours from escaping this hell where I almost lost my life.

The next day we resumed our journey.

We stayed 5 days at the United Nations camp so they could attend to our wounds.  Then, little by little, we went through Panama, Costa Rica, and then Nicaragua.  We arrived at a dreadful banana plantation where our wounded feet made it difficult to walk.  Little by little we made it to Honduras, and then to Guatemala.  The people in both places were kind.  However, the government officials were like garbage.  At Corinto, one of the official border crossing sites between Honduras and Guatemala, we had to stay 4 days, sleeping on cardboard, because they would not let us pass, and we had nothing to eat.

A man said to my husband, “Go with your daughter and ask if the truck drivers will help you.”  They gave us money to buy food, and on the 5th day at the border we were able to move on.  Full of fear, we embarked on a barge because we had to cross the Motagua river.  We were able to get across, but once again we were without transportation because we were left in a very dangerous place.  We walked for 2 hours, fleeing from the police.  We hid in another banana plantation, but we did not know where to approach to get past the police.  By this time it was dark.  Off in the distance we saw a police truck with officers with lanterns and rifles.

The best we could, we hid ourselves, very afraid of the awful things we had already seen.  We tried to sleep in a well.  This was a bad idea because ants, large and small, bit our backs, legs, and all over.  We had to endure the pain and itching because we could not risk the police discovering us.  They got tired of looking for us, so we decided to move on.  At this point, we met a Guatemalan family that helped us a lot, thank God.

I fell ill with fever for the next 2 weeks, so we could not keep going.  When I get better we decided to travel through the capitol, Guatemala City.  There, the police themselves robbed us and several other groups of immigrants, again.

Still, we went on.  By this point, my husband was discouraged to the point he did not want to go on.  However, I was still filled with faith and hope that we would reach our destination.

We managed to make it to Tapachula, Mexico, the worse of the countries we were to travel through.  We had to stay 20 days in Tapachula because I once again became sick with fever and an exacerbation of asthma.  Even so, we tried to go out each day to look for work, to no avail, every day.  Because of this, my husband decided to call some family friends to wire us money.  We were living in the street, and had no money to buy food.

Thanks to my Almighty God, I got better.  We turned ourselves into Mexican Immigration and they gave us a document of permission to go as far as Arriaga, Chiapas.  My husband bought bus tickets to Arriaga.  When we were not quite there, in Tonalá, we were forced to get off the bus at an Immigration Checkpoint.  We were not detained more than 5 minutes but the bus had already left so we had to wait for another one.

While we were waiting, a man in a red car stopped and offered to give us a ride.  We were naive about what was about to happen to us. After driving just 4 km, we reached another police checkpoint where the driver was obligated to get out of the car and we had to show our documents for passage to Arriaga.  We felt badly because we thought we had inconvenienced the man and had gotten him into trouble.  But no, he was already wanted for human and drug trafficking.  Thank God the police checkpoint was there and they did their job.  Otherwise, we may not be alive to tell this story.

We were detained 8 hours in an office in Tonalá so they could check if what we told them was the truth or a lie.  A police commissioner approached us and asked us how we were doing.  We said we were scared.  “Well, next time, do not get into any car with someone unknown to you for any reason.”  He then proceeded to show us the cell phone messages and photos of us the evil man had taken, The text message read, “I’ll get back to you in a little bit, Immigration is stopping me.  Hopefully they won’t take away the ‘3 bunnies’ I am bring you, and also a minor girl.”  When we read this we began to cry and hug our daughter, because we realized we just missed being sold into human sex trafficking, or worse.  Then the commissioner brought us to a shelter in Arriaga.

Within 3 days we had made plans to continue to San Pedro to get permission to travel farther.  At the last checkpoint, my husband and the other members of our group managed to get through.  However, my daughter and I were captured by Immigration and locked in a white lorry.  This was a psychological trauma and my daughter panicked.  It took all my strength not to faint, knowing what they could do to us.

But what the Immigration officials wanted was money.  I gave them my last 500 pesos, and they let us go.  We made it to the camp and got our names on the list.  The next day they gave us documents of passage through Mexico.  We left there, on our way to Mexico City.  From there, we went to Monterrey, and from Monterrey, to Matamoros.  On this part of the journey, there are a lot of extortion, kidnappings, and killings—if you do not give them what they want.  We had to get through 3 checkpoints:  one was manned by state police, another by drug cartels, and the third by Immigration.  If you did not give them the money they asked, they would put you in jail in Reynosa for 10 days, or send you all the way back to Tapachula.

Finally, we made it to Matamoros where we stayed 1 month and 7 days, waiting for our request to be processed, anxious and at the point of despair.  Some days were discouraging, others were very cold.  However, with great faith and hope that soon we would be able to cross.

Here I am, summarizing a little of the travels of these long 3 months and 18 days since we left Peru for the United States.  For a new future, a fresh start, for me, my husband, my children, my grandson, my parents.  Here I am, a warrior of always moving forward.  I owe my life and that of my family first and foremost to God, who is always at our side, caring for us and protecting us.  To Him, we owe our lives, faith, and hope.  Thank you dear God for not abandoning me.

Departure:  September 23, 2022       Arrival:  January 10, 2023

Printed with permission:

Houston Catholic Worker, January-March 2023, Vol. XLIII, No. 1.

The Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) invites you to join us for Walk With Us Thursdays to prepare for the communal discernment that will take place at our June 2023 Chapter.  These conversations will be held via Zoom at 4:30 pm, PDT; 5:30 pm, MDT; 6:30 pm, CDT; 7:30 pm, EDT.

We recognize that we all have very busy calendars, but we pray that you will find a way to join us for this important work and preparation for our June 2023 Chapter.

As a reminder, there is no Walk With Us Thursdays conversation this Thursday, April 6. Our next one will be Thursday, April 13. Our topic will be Leadership. We have come to understand that the traditional role of the Provincial is no longer tenable and realize that a different model of leadership would be more appropriate going forward. We look forward to our conversation with you around leadership.

Upcoming Walk with Us Thursdays

April 13	Leadership
April 20	Diversity
April 27	Migration
May 4	Migration
May 11	Diversity
May 18	Passionist Way
May 25	Laudato Si’
June 1	CPC
May 1	Spiritual Conversation Bob Choiniere, Facilitator 10:00 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. CT, 1:00 p.m. ET

What is Systemic Racism?

Today, racism continues to exist in our communities and in our parishes. Racism is what makes us see the "other" with suspicion or to attribute negative characteristics to an entire group of people. This evil manifests itself in our individual thoughts, and also in the workings of our society itself. Today's continuing inequalities in education, housing, employment, wealth and representation in leadership positions are rooted in our country's shameful history of slavery and systemic racism.

Systemic Racism

Discrimination based on race and ethnicity takes many forms. The United States has made progress in eliminating some of the institutional, legalized racial discrimination of years past such as slavery, Jim Crow laws, “separate but equal” schools and prohibitions on voting or owning land.

These hard-fought victories deserve to be remembered and celebrated. Still, these advances are incomplete. Data on social and economic welfare show disparities between many persons of color and their white counterparts.

• Unemployment rates for Africans Americans, Latinos and Native Americans are considerably higher than the national average. Growing income inequality increasingly affects minorities.

• In the United States, median wealth for white households is ten times greater than for black households, and eight times greater than for Hispanic households.

• Minority homeownership rates lag behind their white counterparts, and yet research shows that minorities face extra hurdles in getting approved for mortgages.

• African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans are disproportionately affected through every stage of the criminal justice system, despite the evidence that different racial and ethnic groups commit crimes at roughly the same rate.

The above was reprinted with permission from the USCCB.

Systemic racism affects every area of life in the United States. From incarceration rates to predatory loans and trying to solve these problems requires changes in major parts of our system.

Here is a closer look at what systemic racism is, and how we can solve it.

According to Catholic social teaching, migration should be a matter of choice, not necessity. People have a right not to have to migrate, and states have a responsibility to provide the minimal conditions that would allow their residents to flourish and realize their God-given rights at home.

As Catholics, what should we think about people who come to this country as immigrants? Should we support people breaking the law by coming here without documentation or permission? What does the Church say about immigration?

Catholic theology has always promoted an ethic that is rooted in natural law and God’s Revelation. As Catholic social teaching on migration developed, three fundamental principles came to inform Church teaching on this issue:

• People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.
• A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control migration.
• A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy.

Although the first two of these principles may seem to contradict each other, they are put into context by the third. People of faith must seek a way of balancing their valid security needs while at the same time striving to meet the basic human needs of others, including those who are foreign born. It is in achieving this balance that we can embrace each of the principles of Catholic social teaching on migration.

When war, natural disaster, famine or crushing poverty causes mass migration, the lands that receive these displaced people may feel threatened, with the citizens of the host nation fearing that newcomers will take scarce jobs, land and resources. While recognizing these fears, the Church teaches that people have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families. As the Gospels make clear, it is God’s will that the abundance of the earth be shared in love by all his people.

Reflecting on this spiritual imperative, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “those who have to leave everything, sometimes even their family, to escape from grave problems and dangers . . . [should find] the Church as a homeland where no one is a stranger” (Angelus, June 19, 2005). At the same time, the second principle of migration acknowledges that a country has the right to regulate its borders and to control migration. Individuals have the right to move in search of a safe and humane life, but no country is bound to accept all those who wish to resettle there.

Ordinarily, people migrate because they are desperate, and the opportunity for a safe and secure life does not exist in their own land. Migrants and refugees endure many hardships, and most would prefer to return home under more favorable circumstances. As American Catholics, we should work to alleviate the conditions that force people to leave their homeland while protecting their rights when they reside among us.

The third principle calls upon nations to regulate their borders with justice and mercy, seeking the common good above self-interest. Family reunification must be at the center of all government migration policies, thereby allowing families to remain intact as much as possible and avoiding periods of prolonged separation.

The above was reprinted with permission from the USCCB.

Please contact the Migration Committee Co-Chairs should you have any comments or questions:

Joe Castro, Co-Chair

joecastro.ministerio@gmail.com

 

Alfredo Ocampo, C.P., Co-Chair

freddyocampo@yahoo.com

Here is a YouTube video that gives us a glimpse of a family story on a journey for a better life in the United States. 

As we prepare for Chapter 2023, please feel free to reach out to the members of the Chapter Planning Committee with any proposals, thoughts, questions or suggestions. You can reach all members of the Committee at any time by emailing chapter2023@passionist.org.

The Chapter Planning Committee

Faith Offman, Chair

Joe Castro

David Colhour, C.P.

Phil Paxton, C.P.

Jim Strommer C.P.

Elizabeth Velarde

Keith Zekind

Robert Choiniere, Facilitator

By Bob Choiniere, Facilitator During our pre-Chapter meetings, I offered two presentations on synodality in the life and mission of the Church to help ground the upcoming Provincial Chapter in the goals and methods of the emerging Synodal Church. Synodality is not a new concept, but a re-claiming of the origins of Christian communal discernment that began at the Council of Jerusalem as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Synodality is a way of being church that roots decision-making in a shared discernment of the will of God in our midst: in our communities of faith, in the hearts of all believers and in the fabric of the universe.  Grounding our upcoming Chapter in synodality includes a process of discernment that is inclusive, prayerful, inquisitive and attentive to how the Holy Spirit is calling us in light of the world we live in. When the Chapter delegates meet in June, their discernment will not be beginning but culminating. The process has already begun and continues as every member of the Passionist Family is invited to be part of the prayer, inquiry and reflection that will lead to a true discernment of the Spirit’s call.  I would like to invite each of you now into this process to fan the flames of the Holy Spirit among us. Over the next few months you are invited to listen, study, pray and then share the fruits of your experience. In this way, we will follow the synodal path outlined by the Apostles who prayed together, considered the signs of their times and made decisions together.

To be more specific, the Chapter will take up critical issues that will define our ministry and our shared life for years to come. These issues include the environmental crisis, cultural and racial diversity, immigration and migration, leadership, vocations and stewardship. We must all now prepare to have these critical conversations that will lead to decisions around these areas. Throughout the spring, we will be holding a series of conversations on each of these topics to gather a sense of direction as we head to the Chapter. These conversations will be an opportunity to share the fruit of your preparation.  Before coming to the conversation, each individual and community is asked to become informed through study and inquiry. We invite each community to continue or begin listening to the signs of the times in your local area. Synodality includes becoming aware of what is happening around you in order to respond.  What are the environmental issues in your region, the struggles of inclusion and diversity, the stories of immigrants and migrants, the concerns and hopes around leadership, stewardship and vocations for the Province?  Where is Christ present in each of these areas where you live and minister?  Where is Christ being crucified in your backyard?  This process of inquiry can begin with reading a local newspaper, seeking out local organizations working on these issues, talking with one another, your neighbors, local activists and especially the marginalized and forgotten about the critical issues they face, their fears and hopes. The preparation also includes seeking formation and education to learn more and acquire a new lens through which to evaluate what you are learning through your listening and inquiry. The various committees of the Province will be offering learning opportunities to assist in this.  After a time of study and inquiry, you are invited to enter into a time of prayer and reflection. Prayer allows a space for the Spirit to speak to our hearts about these important matters, reveal new insights, bind the pain of the world to the cross of Christ that leads to new life. Prayer is a necessary and central component of the Passionist charism and the synodal path. The Passionist Way document encourages each member of the Passionist Family to take 20 minutes of silent prayer each day. This could be a time to bring what you are learning to God and ask for insight and prompting.

The topical conversations will be a time of reflection. These meetings are designed as a space to offer, listen and respond to the insights that came from our inquiry and prayer. In these meetings we will learn how to best shape the conversations that will occur at the Chapter. The Chapter will be a time of discernment and decision-making that will be based on this preparation. The quality of the Chapter then depends on the level of engagement and the depth of the preparation that precedes it. Those who will be attending the Chapter will receive the results of the reflective conversations. They will be asked to read, consider and pray over these responses as they prepare to attend the Chapter.  So, we invite you and every member of the Passionist Family to begin to listen, to inquire, to pray and then to attend the upcoming conversations. Together, we can discern the ways that the Holy Spirit is calling us to respond most effectively and faithfully to the crucified of our world and continue to live and proclaim our Passionist Charism in all that we do.

Jim Strommer, C.P., shares some of his thoughts
on what Chapter 2023 might look like. 

The members of the Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) - Faith Offman, Chair; Keith Zekind; Jim Strommer, CP; David Colhour, CP; Elizabeth Velarde; Joe Castro; Phil Paxton, CP; Robert Choiniere, Chapter Facilitator - would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all who joined us for our Pre-Chapter via Zoom.  Your presence, energy and open, honest sharing were most welcomed and helpful to our on-going conversation.  The Visioning Process, begun in Holy Cross Province some years ago, has invited us to ‘hold the tension’ of living into the reality of the paschal mystery – the dying and rising that is foundational to life and life in community. We moved from ‘strategic planning’ to ‘visioning’ and ‘becoming visionaries’ as we continue to witness to God’s call to transform ourselves, our institutions and our ministries. At Pre-Chapter, we further embraced the synodal process as we explored shifting from a hierarchical/imperial/pyramidal model to a more horizontal/synodal/circular model of leadership. Grounded in the documents we pledged to live into at our last Assembly, we dreamed together what it means to enlarge our tent.   The energy among the 80 or so participants was positive and animated. We heard:

 

Gratitude For the Passionist Family and Charism For faith sharing opportunities among the Passionist Family who are grounded in our love and commitment to remain faithful to the Passionist Charism For our efforts to listen in a more synodal way and seek out voices not heard That people are feeling part of the Province and willing to work together to look at the future Uncertainty - can we continue To be open to the Holy Spirit and be willing to step out of our comfort zone To recognize the importance of cultivating a ‘habit of listening’ throughout the Passionist Family – open to ongoing conversion of mind and heart To acknowledge our need to continue to grow together, vowed and lay, united in the Charism Through the unknown, are we willing to move forward with the guidance of the Holy Spirit  With the process to decide and create which model to use for future leadership Hopefulness We find our strength in the community experience Excitement and willingness to work together to carry the Charism forward An openness of everyone sharing Excited about the direction the Province is moving toward The interconnectedness of all three documents – they work together to embody the Charism more deeply Holy Cross Province is in a period of important transition and transformation – if that continues, the future is immensely hopeful Concerned questioning  Need to continue to explore what it means to be Passionist Family and engage younger people How do we continue to refine the structure and mission of Holy Cross Province Need to open our eyes to the people we serve and the languages they speak The Extended Council is a step in the right direction but more work needs to be done to integrate the vowed and lay co-responsibilities and authority We need to address the power dynamics that are in play within our current system The leadership presentation could have been better modeled – perhaps  vowed and lay joint presenters Need to move from language of Vowed and Lay Passionists, to Passionists There is a general sense that many of the same people are on committees – in some ways this looks like more layers of management, ‘inside’ circles rather than enlarging the tent, still defaulting to imperial model – same old people How do we more openly name and address the challenges we face with moving forward as we address racism, sexism, comfort with status quo, power, fear and defensiveness Not enough diversity within our prayer experience or in the Pre-Chapter welcome – a little too ‘white’ Need more effort to make the experience intercultural How can we be radical and intentional in our strategic ways to include and engage others, not only in dialogue, but in leadership and decision-making as well How can we ritualize or validate the various levels of lay involvement within the Province  We are grateful for your presence at Pre-Chapter and for all that we heard in your honest sharing. We need you and your voice as we work together toward greater and deeper synodality and circular leadership.  Together, we will continue to invite the Holy Spirit into our planning, dreaming and discernment as we move forward toward Chapter. We look forward to you participating in further preparations and conversations with us. Invitations will be sent to you soon. Have a question or comment for us? We would like to hear from you. Contact us at chapter2023@passionist.org. May the Passion of Jesus Christ be Always in our Hearts! The Chapter Planning Committee