JOINT STATEMENT
ON THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
AND
BLACK CATHOLICS RESPONSIBILITY
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:40
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW THE ENDING STATEMENT FOR
THE BOWMAN-FRANCIS MINISTRY TEAM'S JOINT STATEMENT ON THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
AND BLACK CATHOLIC RESPONSIBILITY
THE BOWMAN-FRANCIS MINISTRY AFFIRMS THAT #BLACKLIVESMATTER
COMING SOON!!!!
Wall of Remembrance
for those we have lost at the hands of Law Enforcement
Where we pour LIBATION and HONOR their memory.
OUR BLACK CATHOLIC SISTERS & BROTHERS WHO HAVE RECENTLY GONE HOME TO BE WITH THE LORD:
The Most Rev. George Vance Murry S.J.
​
Fr. George Clements, Fr. Lawrence Lucas, Fr. Russell Best,
Fr. Kenneth Westray, Fr. Jay Matthews, Fr. Kenneth Taylor,
Fr. August Thompson, Fr. John Sanders (Episcopal),
Fr. Jerome LeDoux, Fr. Jerome Robinson, Fr. Bruce Greening,
Fr. Overton Jones, and Fr. Chester P. Smith SVD
Sr. Patricia Haley, SCN
Kirk Gaddy, PhD and Denise Gumms
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Reflection on Racism in the Church
Fr. Kenneth Hamilton, SVD
​
We lift up the well-lived lives of our recently deceased black brothers and sisters.
We remember also the ministries they exercised in the midst of their people, ministries often fraught with the troubles of this world, witnesses often silenced by the weight of racism in the church they served in, hearts so often filled with regret, rejection, misunderstanding, suspicion and hate. We lift them up so as to reject the system of racism that caused so much stress and illness in their lives. We lift them up so as to rebuke the demonic spirits that oppressed them. Yet, we lift them up so as to continue defiantly in the struggle, knowing that we stand on the strong foundation of their commitment and love for their people.
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We lift them up because they were followers of a liberating Lord, believing that the liberation he promised, though not yet delivered, will surely come about. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the great mercy
of God, rest in peace.
Prayer to Overcome Racism Issued by the USCCB
Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.
Learn more: www.usccb.org/racism