Kevin's Corner 02-05-12

WHY A “BLACK HISTORY MONTH”:  Many of my friends teasingly say: “When they set aside a month to remember Black history, did it have to be the shortest month of the year?”  The 1976 dedication of a full month (even the shortest one) to the African-American heritage of this nation was a step ahead, however.  For the first fifty years, starting in 1926, even those not committed to our nation’s racial amnesia only devoted seven days to Negro History Week.  Those seven days, meant to encompass the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, were the brainchild of Dr. Carter Woodson.  Denied a formal education until he was twenty, Dr. Woodson proved to be a brilliant scholar and was only the second Black person to receive a doctorate from Harvard University.  He dedicated much of his life’s work to helping a formerly enslaved people understand that they were not the ignorant brutes much of this nation perceived them to be, but an industrious and dignified people of much accomplishment.  Dr. Woodson hoped that special attention to Black history would soon be unnecessary because it would have become a normal part of America’s self-understanding.  You might listen to the undertone of racism in some 2012 campaign rhetoric and ask yourself whether that day has yet arrived.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH #1: CARTAGENA AND PETER CLAVER:  Much of the Black history of the Americas had its start in the beautiful city in which I spent this Thursday and Friday.  Cartagena is now a tourist destination with glorious architecture and a lovely seaport.  The lovely city, however, was built through the money earned from the sale of hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans who were transported to Latin America and the Caribbean through that same seaport.  I stayed for two nights in the same spot from which a Jesuit priest named Peter Claver launched his thirty years of labor with those dehumanized human beings.  What courage it took for him to confront the lie that undergird his countrymen’s exploitation of people they considered unworthy of freedom or dignity. 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH #2: SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA:  Two centuries after Peter Claver carried out his lonely and powerful work, another African was enslaved.  By then slavery was illegal in Europe and the Americas (although racism was not).  But slavery was still a part of Moslem life (as it still is in parts of Africa today).  The woman we know as Saint Josephine Bakhita was born free but was kidnapped and enslaved as a child.  So cruel was her treatment during a dozen years of slavery that she forgot her own name and was known by the Arabic word for “Lucky”.  She came to consider herself truly fortunate, however, when she was eventually purchased and freed by an Italian diplomat.  She considered herself so blessed that she entered a religious community and lived a life of prayer, service and holiness until her death sixty-five years ago this Wednesday.  Canonized as a saint in the year 2000, her feast day is February 8, the anniversary of her passage to heaven.  Saint Josephine the Fortunate, pray for us!

THE COMMISSION OF BLACK CATHOLICS:  For just short of twenty-five years, African-American Catholic leaders have gathered together regularly to encourage one another in their Faith, to advise the Archbishop on various matters, and to create and nurture connections among the more than five thousand Black Catholics in the Twin Cities.  The Commission meets again next Saturday morning (this time at Saint Peter Claver School).  Much of the agenda is devoted to preparations for July’s National Black Catholic Congress: watch this space for more information.

A MASS FOR GABI:  This Friday evening’s 5:15 Daily Mass will be offered for Gabi Palacios.  Gabi was just fourteen when she was killed in a car accident three years ago.  Her mom, a friend of mine, was home in Minnesota when Gabi was killed along with the grandparents and the uncle she was visiting in Mexico.  We offer a Mass for her not so much because of fear that some sin would keep her from heaven – she was a lovely, innocent girl – but because her mom feels so closely connected with Gabi when we are sharing the Bread of Angels.  Catholics celebrate Masses for their deceased loved ones for lots of good reasons.  Let us know in the parish office if you would like a Mass offered.

SUPPORT FOR MARGE TUHY:  Marge has been part of our parish for about forty years.  She recently was diagnosed with cancer and is hopeful that aggressive treatment will bring her back to full health.  Treatment knocks her flat, and her health insurance will not cover in-home respite care.  Any chance you could spare a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to sit with Marge while her daughter has time to take care of family business (or a nap)?  Please send me an e-message if you want more info or would like to sign up: I will connect you to the right folks.

COOL LECTURE NEXT WEEKEND:  Well-respected scholar Robert Orsi is speaking at 4:30 PM at Macalester College’s Chapel on Sunday, February 12: “Secrets of the Confessional: The Making of 20^th Century Catholicism”.  It’s free!

THIS WEEKEND IN BARRANQUILLA:  I left Cartagena Friday afternoon and took a beautiful coastal bus ride to the big (more than a million inhabitants), modern port city of Barranquilla.  The regional seminary named for Pope John XXIII is located here.  Over the weekend, another American priest and I are meeting with the bishops who sponsor the seminary, with its staff, and with some of the students.  We are representing a committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that promotes an annual collection of the Church in Latin America and then distributes the proceeds of that collection.  You may not have heard of that collection, since in this Archdiocese it is usually addressed through a share of the Catholic Services Appeal.  The funds go to help the training of lay leaders, the promotion of media efforts, support for communities of religious women, and the strengthening of seminaries – like the Seminary of Pope John XXIII in Barranquilla.  Having studied in seminaries for five years, led one for three, and served on the boards of two for nearly two decades, it is fun to be back in this important environment.  Please pray that we have a productive visit.  See you next weekend!