FA I T H F E AT U R E
D S H A C E L E B R AT E S B L A C K H I S T O R Y MONTH WITH ALL-SCHOOL MA SS
LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING The traditional hymn, Lift Every
At the forefront of DSHA’s mission is forming students in their whole person — in faith, heart, and intellect. To share in this Catholic Christian faith, all-school Masses offer a place for the entire student body to come together as one in community.
Voice and Sing, was sung toward the end of Mass. Also known as the Black anthem, the song was written in 1919 by James Weldon Johnson as
These all-school Masses are often a commemoration of special events
a prayer of thanksgiving to God for
like Catholic Schools Week or the closing of the school year, or church
freedom and faithfulness. The final
feasts such as Our Lady of Guadalupe. In February, the community
verse is sung as follows:
celebrated two all-school Masses: Ash Wednesday Mass, and the newly annual Black History Month Mass in conjunction with Black History Month and DSHA’s Multicultural Week.
God of our weary years,
The Black History Month Mass was planned and organized by the Sisters
God of our silent tears,
of Culture Club (SOC) and supported by Campus Ministry. Students from the club led the school in gospel music and performed a prayer and worship dance.
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Gratitude and Persistence; Strength and Blessing
Thou who has by Thy might
“The Black History Month Mass was a great honor,” said Mamaa Yorke,
Led us into the light,
DSHA ’20, one of the student leaders of SOC. “It was an opportunity for the Sisters of Culture Club to express a culmination of our culture and faith through song, dance, and proclamation. Singing the song Lift Every Voice to and with the school allowed us to express the gratitude and persistence of the Black experience; it also serves as a song of gratitude to God for giving us strength and blessings.”
One Body with Diverse Gifts
Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
“We celebrate Black History Month with a Eucharistic liturgy because ‘liturgy’ means thanksgiving,” adds Theology Faculty Lisa Metz, who also serves as the SOC club moderator. “We are deeply thankful for all of our students at DSHA, and our Black students deserve the opportunity to see images, hear voices, and pray words that are reflective of their
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God,
culture. The universality of our Catholic faith gives us the belief that we are indeed One Body. We all benefit when we celebrate and give thanks
True to our native land.
for our diverse gifts.”
B L A C K H I S T O R Y M O N T H AT D S H A | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 Throughout February, and supplemental to curriculum, students participated in Black history trivia, the DSHA Student Diversity & Inclusion Council held a Dasher Dialogue on “If we’re all Dashers, why do we need to celebrate Black History Month?”, and Black history achievements were highlighted during daily announcements.
A Multicultural Celebration In addition to Black History Month Mass, other events included a cultural food fair; an assembly for students to share personal stories of identity and self-love; Open Mic Night — a celebration of diversity through various forms of art; and a Multicultural Dance.
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