Saddened by the taking of innocent black lives and mindful of the many protests and vigils taking place across the country and in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth delivered a statement affirming the despair being felt because voices have not been heard.
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth speak out against racism from Sisters of Charity of Nazareth on Vimeo.
We, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, join in prayer with our neighbors for the family of Breonna Taylor and all those feeling deep sadness and despair over her senseless death. We stand with all who are enraged by the continued taking of innocent black lives. We affirm the despair that the black community feels because voices have not been heard and we believe there can be no true peace until there is justice for all.
As Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, we stand against racism in all of its manifestations. We stand against violence, and we believe that only non-violent protest will bring about the justice and peace we all desire.
Today we gather around this statue of Mother Catherine Spalding, our foundress, because she ministered on the streets of downtown Louisville in the 1800s. We love the city of Louisville and all of its people just as Mother Catherine did when she ministered during a pandemic and in times of social unrest. We recall her sadness at the injustices of her time. We stand here with deep concern about the injustices of our time.
As a predominantly white community within the United States, we acknowledge our part in the sin of racism. We recommit ourselves to self-examination, to prayer, and to advocacy for the elimination of racism in all its forms. We call for fundamental reform in the way policing is done in this country and for fundamental legal reforms regarding the violence and death perpetrated on unarmed black people.
We pray, and we invite you to pray with us, for God’s grace and guidance for the people and leaders of our cities and country so that as one people we will move towards understanding, healing, and a just society where all are treated with the dignity they deserve.
Source: SCN Website
Thank you, Sisters! Yes, as we’ve been hearing, we’re all in this together. For everything is connected to everything else. Or in John Muir’s words, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” We’re all on board together, with regard to racism, COVID-19, and ecology. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Illness anywhere is a threat to everyone’s health. The pollution that hurts the Ngäbe people is a threat to clean environment everywhere.