Cracking the Codes

By CAROL FISHBUNE

On the morning of Saturday, November 9, 25 Catholic parishioners came together at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church to view the video Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequality. Present were parishioners representing all six of our Rochester Catholic parishes. The 50-minute video was followed by small group discussion questions and then large group brainstorming about next steps.

Here are the next steps that we discussed:

1. Find a way to get the support of our diocese to recognize that this is a pro-life issue that should be addressed by the Catholic Church in Rochester.

2. Repeat this event during the Lenten Season so that more Catholics have the chance to participate. This event will once again be hosted by the Faith Justice Committee of Saint Francis of Assisi parish and will once again include the video, small group discussion and large group brainstorming about next steps. If you feel that more of your parishioners would attend if it was held in their own parish, please let us know and we will assist you in getting that done.

3. The participants were sent home with a list of possible resources to continue their education on this topic. All participants were encouraged to read documents on the USCCB website, including the document Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.

If any local parishes or area priests would like to have a preview of this event, the Faith Justice Committee at St. Francis of Assisi Parish would gladly provide that for you.

Carol Fishbune is the chairperson of the Faith Justice Committee at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Rochester.