In 2021, President Biden declared Juneteenth a national holiday, but sadly this day in history remains largely unknown for many Americans.
Juneteenth is the blending of “June” and “Nineteenth,” and the holiday commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of African-American slaves throughout the Confederate South. For our friends in the African-American community, it is known as their second “Independence Day.” The 1865 announcement was 2 1/2 years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official on Jan. 1, 1863. Sadly, it took two years for the Union troops to assemble a force strong enough to overcome the resistance to the news of freedom.
The Camden Diocese will celebrate Juneteenth with two events. At 7 p.m. on June 19 at Christ the King Church in Haddonfield, join Brother Mickey McGrath and Church musicians from throughout the Camden Diocese for an evening of art and stories in celebration of the Juneteenth holiday and the beautiful diversity of all God’s children. Beauty unites us heart to heart and brings us closer to the Sacred Heart of Christ, where peace and prayer unite us as one beneath the surface of our differences. In this time of division in our country, allow the stories of the saints and the healing power of color and music to calm your spirit and bring you joy.
On June 22, Juneteenth events continue with a prayer service for racial justice along with a service project to feed the poor in Camden. This will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Saint Bartholomew Church, 751 Kaighn Ave., Camden. Juneteenth is a day to remember, give thanks and to continue to work for racial justice in our country. Participation at these events is a wonderful way for people of all races and nationalities to unite in prayer and service as we celebrate the beauty of diversity and assist those in need.
The Juneteenth holiday also reminds us that there is work to be done. In 2018, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, wrote a Pastoral Letter Against Racism titled: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.” This Pastoral Letter and an accompanying Study Guide are both available on the USCCB Website at usccb.org. It is a wonderful document that I encourage parishes and schools to study.
In this letter, the bishops state that racism is not just impolite or unkind, but that racism is a sin. The bishops write, “Racism arises when – either consciously or unconsciously – a person holds that his or her own race or ethnicity is superior, and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as inferior and unworthy of equal regard. When this conviction or attitude leads individuals or groups to exclude, ridicule, mistreat or unjustly discriminate against persons on the basis of their race or ethnicity, it is sinful. Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love (Mt 22:39).” (USCCB, Open Wide Our Hearts, p. 3.)
June is the month of the Sacred Heart. The Church reminds us that we must conform our own heart to the Heart of Jesus, a heart of love and compassion. A heart that recognizes the presence of God in everyone. We pray that Juneteenth is not just another summer federal holiday, but a day to recognize that the sin of racism continues to scar our county, and that as followers of Jesus, we all have a part to play to eradicate this evil.
Father Vince Guest is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Camden, and coordinator of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission and Racial Justice Commission for the Diocese of Camden.
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