Archbishop Lori leads day of prayer for racial justice

Archbishop William E. Lori celebrated Mass at St. Peter Claver/St. Pius V Church in West Baltimore Sept. 13 to mark the feast of St. Peter Claver as a day of prayer for racial justice.

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thobodaux, La., and chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, advocated the commemoration as part of the work his committee has been doing to follow up on the bishops’ 2018 pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts.” 

“Our archdiocesan Racism Workgroup reinforced Bishop Fabre’s call by encouraging us on the feast of St. Peter Claver (Sept. 9) to pray for the wisdom and strength to uphold the dignity of all peoples and to bring about peace in our communities,” Archbishop Lori said.

He said concern had been expressed “that this not be a one-off event – a moment of prayer that is soon forgotten. … Prayer is the lifeblood of our continual struggle against racism.”

Watch a video of the Mass below. Story continues beneath.

Referring to the coronavirus pandemic, he said the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis this summer and Freddie Gray Jr. in Baltimore in 2015 and others illustrates that racism is also a pandemic – one that “never seems to go away, and its symptoms are many, whether it’s acts of violence committed against Black persons, a dearth of decent housing in many Black neighborhoods, a lack of educational and economic opportunity in Black communities, discriminatory attitudes, remarks and jokes.

“Some among us are asymptomatic – they do not appear to be overtly racist but nonetheless harbor racist attitudes and assumptions of privilege in their hearts,” Archbishop Lori said. “They, too, can be carriers of the sin of racism and they help to spread it in our society.”

He said just as COVID-19 did not stop at the church’s doorstep, neither does racism. “Because Black lives have been valued less than other lives – and for a long time – it is time that we, as a united church community – rooted in Catholic social teaching – affirm that “Black lives matter.”

The archbishop said such a rallying cry was not enough. “Laws, policies and resources alone will not bring about the end of racism. Only the conversion of minds and hearts will win that victory,” he said.

Archbishop Lori said the archdiocesan Racism Workgroup has been working with the community of faith to come to terms with racism in its midst and to find ways to ensure that the Archdiocese of Baltimore will do better in the future than it has in the past.

“If we hope to change minds and hearts,” the archbishop said, “if we hope that the beloved community of our church will become a model for how the larger society might address the sin of racism, then we ourselves must embody that spirit of mercy which in God’s grace has the power to change lives – our own and the lives of others.”

The Maryland Catholic Conference in partnership with the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Archdiocese of Washington will convene two town halls for discussion around police reform and race relations legislation and issues affecting communities. Participants will bring different perspectives to the panel. The event – hosted at St. Bernardine Parish in West Baltimore – will be online Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m.

Parishioners are invited to submit questions in advance to communications@mdcatholic.org and can submit questions via chat and email during the planned one-hour event. 

Scheduled panelists include Del. Samuel “Sandy” Rosenberg (D-41, Baltimore City); Sen. Jill Carter (D-41, Baltimore City); Michael Harrison, commissioner, Baltimore Police Department; and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore.

According to organizers, the town hall hopes to bring together key constituencies for moderated public discussions about police reform and race relations in Baltimore, in the light of the work being done by a legislative work group.

A similar session will be held Oct. 6 in the Archdiocese of Washington.

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