The textbook definition of racism is “the belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (Webster Dictionary). During our first day of the Novena for Human Dignity, students of St. Mary’s gathered in the church for a presentation by Father Alonzo Cox, pastor of St. Martin DePorres Parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant, joined in prayerful meditation during the Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and discussed issues of racism and discrimination in our Sodality groups. 

 

As Father Alonzo Cox pointed out in his presentation, racism exists in several forms, as it can be expressed and experienced in many different ways - sometimes, someone may not even realize that they’re being racist. Today, Saint Mary’s High School welcomed Father Cox and his reflection on and experience with discrimination. We were all left with a lasting impression - so much so, that we had a sodality discussion based on his sermon. We, Leigh and Suryielle, had similar thoughts about the sermon - it was eye-opening, appropriate, and meaningful. In particular,we were struck by the stories about the woman he encountered shortly after he was assigned to a new church and the man who confronted him at the airport. Father Alonzo made it a point to emphasize that using “fruitful dialogue” should be our preferred method of combating racism. 

 

Father Alonzo described the time he encountered a woman in search of a new parish. She noticed his priestly attire and engaged in conversation with him, only to decide against joining his parish. Her rationale was that the church was too “black” for her, among other racist remarks. She then ended her derogatory comments by questioning if this is “what Jesus would have wanted” in regards to the diversity of the congregation. Similarly, Father Alonzo described his experience being approached by a man who asked him what his denomination was. When Father Alonzo informed the man that he was a Roman Catholic priest, the man responded with disbelief and claimed that "Black and Catholic" don’t mix. Father Alonzo was stunned by the preconceived judgement this man had made about him. These two stories are examples of prejudice that exists within the Christian community. In both these instances, people made premature judgements based on skin color. These stories are very insightful, especially for those who haven’t experienced racism firsthand. We must keep in mind that events such as these are not rare occurrences. They happen to all types of people, in all types of settings, under varying degrees of severity. This is something that some people, unfortunately, don’t understand.

 

The woman Father Alonzo encountered  questioned if a diverse congregation is really what Jesus would want, when in fact Jesus stated in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Reflecting on that, it is baffling to us how people can have such hatred in their hearts while simultaneously claiming to be devout followers of Christ.  If God says we are all made in His image and if God calls us to accept each other regardless of our differences, how can “followers” of Christ completely contradict these foremost principles of Christianity? Fr. Alonzo’s willingness to share his experiences and his belief that the way to combat racism is with love, gave us much to contemplate and pray over.

 

Following Father Alonzo’s reflection, we joined in prayer during the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration was a time of self-reflection. We were permitted to not only worship God, but to contemplate the life Jesus would want us to lead and compare it to the life we’re currently leading. It was a time of individual prayer and meditation.

 

In contrast, Sodality was a time of group-reflection. When we returned to our classrooms, we joined our Sodality groups and explored the various forms racism can take. Through our discussion, we realized that discrimination isn’t limited to racism - people are constantly judged for their gender, body type, mental disabilities, etc.. We also discussed the various ways we can fight it - namely, how God factors into this battle.  We were happy to find that the members of our group have found that St. Mary’s students are more tolerant than many students experiences in other schools. Sodality provided us with an opportunity to further discuss this idea. 

 

We are grateful to Father Alonzo for sharing his experiences and giving us the opportunity to pray and reflect both individually and in small groups. We believe this presentation was engaging and relevant because of all the issues regarding race that have taken the world by storm.