CHRIST CATHEDRAL CELEBRATES GOSPEL MASS

BY LOU PONSI

DENOUNCING RACIAL INJUSTICE as a sin while honoring the contributions of six Black holy men and women on the road to sainthood were the core messages of a special Gospel Mass celebrated at Christ Cathedral on March 11.

Fr. Brendan Busse, pastor of Dolores Mission Church in East Los Angeles and board member of Loyola Institute of Spirituality, presided over the Mass, with hundreds in attendance, including Bishop Kevin Vann, Cathedral Rector Fr. Bao Thai, and other clergy. Deacon Darrell Miller, the first African American to be ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Orange, proclaimed the Gospel.

In January, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement announcing beatification and canonization causes of six inspirational African American Catholics:

Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley and Sister Thea Bowman.

Any person, philosophy or system that would question the holiness of the six African American holy men and women should be shouted down, Fr. Busse said.

“Today, Christ invites to remember that there is not holiness without wholeness,” he added. “I’m proud to say that our Catholic Church takes that notion very seriously, that we don’t become human alone. We can’t save ourselves alone. It’s not just me and my family. But it’s me and my family all around the world. That I think is what it means to be a saint.”

Fr. Busse, meanwhile, cited examples of racial injustices occurring throughout our country’s history, such as separate drinking fountains and swimming pools and segregated churches and buses.

“The sin of racism is a sin of many generations, of systems and structures,” Fr. Busse said. “It’s not just about our personal biases and prejudice although those are important. It’s about the big picture story. This Gospel Mass is a way for us to pray together, to acknowledge our sin of racism together, to acknowledge the holiness of these six African American saints and ask for their intercession for us, individually and corporately, that we will open our hearts to God’s gift of repentance and forgiveness and the Beloved Community to which we are called, a unity ultimately made possible only by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Kevin Vann offered concluding comments extending his gratitude to the organizers and making a personal note of his connection to Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton from his home diocese of Springfield whose grave at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Quincy he visited regularly.

Prior to the start of Mass, Greg Walgenbach, director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace at the Diocese of Orange, read passages from the book, “Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood,” a biography of the six holy men and women.

“At a time when our country continues to reel from the pain and fear surrounding racial injustice and when violence is occurring in its wake, many believe the church should make a concerted effort to bring greater attention to bring witness and holiness of the African Americans with open canonization causes,” said Walgenbach, quoting from the book. “The very legacy of holiness of these six Black Catholics on the path to canonization is therefore a great blessing for the Church in America, for all of us. The light they magnify cannot be hidden under a bushel basket. Instead, it must be shared.”

The Gospel Mass came to fruition based on a collaboration between

Walgenbach, Lori Stanley, executive director of the Loyola Institute of Spirituality in Orange and assisted by the Knights of Peter Claver, Sister Thea Bowman Council 406, based at Christ Cathedral Campus.

Stanley and Walgenbach had helped to co-facilitate a Just Faith workshop on Faith, Race and Social Justice, at the end of which each participant shared commitments to action in response. Stanley approached Walgenbach about the possibility of celebrating special Mass at Christ Cathedral to raise awareness about these six African American religious leaders. Eddie Hilley, director of music at St. Agatha in Los Angeles, with a small choir, was invited to lead the people of God in prayerful song.

“The impetus for me to elevate knowledge of the six Black holy men and women on the road to canonization was my belief that we are created to worship God and to serve others,” Stanley said. “These six holy men and women endured unbelievable suffering and dehumanizing treatment yet their abiding relationship with Christ strengthened their faith, fortified their missions to be courageous prophets of love. in serving God, they served all people in need without distinction.”

The six religious leaders are:

PIERRE TOUSSAINT (1776–1853)

A philanthropist and founder of many Catholic charitable works, Toussaint was born into slavery in Haiti and then brought from Haiti to New York to serve as an apprentice under a popular hairstylist in the city.

Toussaint went on to become quite wealthy, using his resources to support the Church and the poor.

Toussaint and his wife provided shelter for orphans, refugees and others on the streets and founded one