To the CDH Community on June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

Today, as George Floyd is remembered and honored by those who loved him, let us as a CDH community hold him dearly in our prayers. Let us lift up his family, his friends, and his neighbors who knew him well. And let us ask for strength, wisdom, compassion, and grace to pursue a greater good.  Let us humbly pursue the justice that will arise from all this pain when we are all able to truly grow in the love of our dear neighbor, without distinction.

 

God of justice,

In your wisdom, you create all people in your image, without exception.

Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty,

and worth of every human being.

Open our minds to understand that all your children

are brothers and sisters in the same human family.

Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech that demeans others.

Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial discrimination

and their passionate appeals for change.

Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history.

And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen

-Catholic Charities, USA - Prayer for Racial Healing-

 

We humbly recognize that these are lofty goals and the monumental challenge of a lifetime. And, sadly, such has been said far too many times before with far too little progress. As a Catholic educational community, we are uniquely called to challenge ourselves to see the world through more just eyes. This will be tough, it may be painful, and the path toward a more just world is certain to be rocky. At this difficult time, we stand together in support of everyone in our community, especially our students and staff of color, and all those most impacted by systemic racism and the tragic events of this past week. 

In all honesty, we have no new and insightful answers today on how we begin to implement this change within each of us and within our CDH community - the questions are broad and the plan must be inclusive - but as a school, we will embrace this challenge to grow to become peacemakers and change agents in a world that demands it. We will listen to the voices of our students and faculty, and we will honor our Catholic call to seek peace, ensure justice, and promote the sanctity of life. May God bless us all as we seek to understand the nuances and the complexity that are ingrained in any conversation about race and the work that is needed to impact a more just world.  

Let us pray for peace and work for justice.

Live Jesus in our hearts.  Forever.

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