Saint Mark’s Racial Justice & Healing Commission
Across the summer, your Racial Justice and Healing Commission (RJH) met four times. We studied the “Racial Justice Audit” undertaken by Saint Mark’s leadership team, clergy, staff, and Cathedral council in late 2019-2020. The RJH Team includes Tim Kingsley (Canon Pastor), Mary Lusk (Canon Community Developer), and Monica Kruger (Godly Play); David Albrecht (council member) and Denise Graber (junior warden); plus, lay members Emmanuel Wilson, Brian Childs, and Mary Ramsbottom, the latter two serving as co-chairs. Rena Turnham (Archdeacon/Associate for Community Engagement), Chelsea Stanton (deacon intern), and John Satterberg (Dean’s Chaplain) provide support.
The Dean and Council charged the RJH Team with studying the Audit Report’s findings and recommendations as a first step in this essential work.
Among other conclusions, the Audit Report identified “Six Dominant Patterns” for our individual and collective attention. We discerned the following questions as vital to Saint Mark’s pursuit of racial justice and healing.
- Do we honor racial difference and encourage diversity in our faith community and leadership bodies?
- Might we broaden our practice of church worship traditions to be more inclusive of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Anglican way?
- Do our institutional policies and practices privilege certain cultural norms and identities over others?
- How might we assist each other from “getting stuck” in personal indifference, guilt or hopelessness in this challenging work?
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Finally, what is our dream for restorative justice and healing at Saint Mark’s?
The RJH Team discussed the Report prayerfully and courageously, sharing personal stories, and drawing upon our lived experience inside and outside Saint Mark’s. Going forward as a faith community, our continuing challenge will be this: with the guidance of the Spirit, discovering, confronting, and ultimately working to dismantle systematic racism and white supremacy in our midst.
Seeking the “Beloved Community” needs the commitment of many hearts, hands, and voices at Saint Mark’s as well as ongoing budgetary support for our racial justice and healing ministry. In coming months, the RJH Team will delve into Saint Mark’s history, develop opportunities for discernment in the wider congregation, and begin to plan concrete actions. Rachel Babbitt, ECMN Missioner for Congregational Engagement, will be assisting us. Please pray for the RJH Team and how you might join us in the process of congregational discernment and transformation.