Purvis points to the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as essential for combatting racism, which she says is even more of a spiritual problem than it is a policy one.
Blonski says the Church has a “wealth of knowledge” about the true source of human dignity and the need to overcome racism, such as the Vatican’s 2021 document “The Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society,” while Sister Josephine says the Church has both the “duty and the authority” to speak out against racial injustice, which is a barrier to “the final realization of the unity of the human race” that God wills (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1045).
Father Boxie says the Church has a “real opportunity” to lead in this moment, when people are desperate to hear a message of justice that promises overcoming, and not merely managing or even exploiting, racial divisions.
“We have to propose a path forward for the culture, because the culture does not have the answers,” said the diocesan priest, suggesting that the Church’s credibility is on the line, especially for those who might be estranged from the Church because they’ve been mistreated on the basis of race in the past. “We do have the answer in Jesus Christ, and we have to be true to who we are.”
Cultivating Conversation
Most people interviewed for this story agree that one of the biggest obstacles to making progress on racial issues in the United States is the way in which the issue is framed in the media and politics.
Father Boxie says the polarized landscape seems more geared toward generating conflict than understanding, which makes it difficult to get to what Servant of God Thea Bowman called the “true truths” about racial injustice, free of spin or polish. Blonski spoke of a need to cultivate a desire to get to the truth, not merely to win.
Sister Josephine says it might be challenging to talk about something like race, which can leave one feeling vulnerable and exposed, but for the Christian, there’s no other way.
“If we’re going to be people faithful to the truth, we have to have difficult conversations,” she said. “And we have to figure out how to do them right, how we can arrive at conclusions that make us even more authentic and sincere followers of Jesus Christ.”
The religious sister says she has experienced this most fruitfully in the context of concrete relationships in her own life.
For instance, when a friend wrote something that she felt was racist and was personally hurt by, she prayed about it for a week before deciding to engage. She approached the encounter not as an intellectual debate to win, but simply as a dialogue with a friend and a fellow child of God.
Sister Josephine says it can be a “challenge of faith” to believe that these types of small conversations can make a difference, but they’re the only way to lead to true change and transformation, which can then have an impact at a broader level.
“People who write policy are not likely to change without an encounter,” said the sister, who said Catholics need to focus on conversion of hearts and proclaiming the Gospel, as well as political advocacy as an extension of that primary mission.
In their role as leaders at educational institutions, both Blonski and Father Boxie have also seen the power that simple, honest and humble conversations about such a divisive issue can have.
Constructive Dialogue
At Providence Academy, students regularly have opportunities to have constructive conversations through the Symposium Society, which Blonski helped found when he came to the school five years ago. The most recent symposium, held shortly after the police shooting of Daunte Wright only miles away from Providence Academy, focused on questions of racial justice. Blonski says it was important for students of different races to exchange their stories and experiences and to grow in empathy and a shared desire to seek the truth together.
At Howard, which is a historically Black university, the Newman Center has held several joint sessions on racism with the Catholic Student Center at the nearby University of Maryland.
Only two sessions were originally planned, but Father Boxie says that students found them so helpful that a third was held. The sessions give students a chance to talk about their own experiences related to race and thoughts on current events, while also being formed in the moral vision of the Church.
Father Boxie says young people are “hungry” to have these types of conversations in a faith context, adding that the Church needs to be able to provide them going forward.
“We have to propose a solution in Jesus Christ to our students and to our young people,” he said. “And hopefully that will have an effect, here on campus, but also beyond.”
This article was first published by the National Catholic Register and is reprinted with permission.