“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” (from the baptismal vows in the Book of Common Prayer)

Sacred Ground Pilgrimage: February 2023

sacred-ground-feb-2023-pilgriamge

The diocese will be sponsoring a pilgrimage to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, in February of 2023.  The Legacy Museum is a comprehensive history of the African American experience in American society, from enslavement to mass incarceration, and is located on a site where Black people were forced into bondage.  The Pilgrimage will also include the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the location of historic voting rights marches during the Civil Rights Movement.

Read Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe’s invitation to discern whether you are called to join this pilgrimage.

Please fill out the updated Interest Form below if you are feeling called to join the Pilgrimage:

Preparation for Legacy Museum Pilgrimage:

Many thanks to all of you who have expressed interest in attending the diocesan Sacred Ground Pilgrimage to the Legacy Museum in Alabama in February of 2023!  We will soon have a more detailed Interest Form available online, and hope to have gathered a group of Pilgrims by mid-November.

We are also having a Film Series and discussion this fall in preparation for this Pilgrimage.

For those interested in attending, it’s strongly recommended you join in this discussion as part of preparation for the Pilgrimage to Alabama in February of 2023.  Please be in touch with Karen Anderson, co-chairs of the Pilgrimage Planning Team, with any questions.

We are focusing on two films:

13th, a documentary by Ava DuVernay. Named for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that outlawed slavery, this documentary looks at how systems of exploitation of African Americans continued after slavery was formally abolished, and examines the way systemic racism shaped mass incarceration.

People will have the opportunity to view 13th from October 17-30.

On November 1 and 7, we will have a Zoom discussions of the film, moderated and guided by members of the Pilgrimage Planning Team.  Register at the bottom of this section for one of these discussion sessions.

13th is available on Netflix for those who have a subscription.  Given the cultural and historical importance of this documentary, Netflix has made it available for free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8.

Selma, a film also directed by Ava DuVernay which looks at the voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Since we will be visiting the Legacy Museum in Montgomery and continuing on pilgrimage to Selma, this film provides background to the specific places to be visited and issues which shaped the civil rights movement.

Selma is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and other streaming services.

People will have the opportunity to view Selma from October 31-November 13.

On November 15 and 16, we will have a Zoom discussions of the film, moderated and guided by members of the Pilgrimage Planning Team.  You can register for these meetings below.

Please only choose one session for each film; we’re offering the same discussion for each film on multiple nights to try to accommodate people’s schedules.

To register for the Zoom film discussion session, click the button below:

Becoming Beloved Community in Community

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.

The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.

Healing from Internalized Oppression

The Office of Black Ministries of the Episcopal Church offers a training for people of color focused on healing from internalized oppression.  Through a series of modules, this curriculum educates participants about institutional, interpersonal, and internal oppression to facilitate a healing process that empowers people for transformational ministry in the name of Jesus.

Resources

Confronting Racism resource list. View books, articles, videos, curricula, prayers and litanies, and other racial justice resources suggested by members of the Diocese, and add your own recommendations.

Resources for Racial Reconciliation from The Episcopal Church.

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