Dear Friends,
Our nation once again finds itself torn apart by police violence against a Black American. As a community of faith, as a Catholic school committed to social justice and blessed with a diverse community, in a city that has strong roots and pride in its Black history, I know everyone in our O’Dowd community is experiencing great sadness, frustration, anger, and heartbreak.
This week, our country saw George Floyd get murdered on camera. This injustice is not new. In the last few years alone, we’ve experienced a litany of victims whose deaths cry out for justice. It is hard to understand what will, finally, be the catalyst for transformation of this violence into a better future. I’m stirred by the lamentations of twelve-year-old
Keedron Bryant: “I just want to live,”
whose voice fills heaven and earth with pleas for justice.
In his op-ed in the L.A. Times over the weekend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar succinctly expressed the need for systemic change in the aftermath of violent acts against Black Americans, and violent response to those injustices, writing, “What I want to see is not a rush to judgment, but a rush to justice.” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver plainly captured the tension of the moment as he wrote, “Racism, police brutality, and racial injustice remain part of everyday life in America and cannot be ignored. At the same time, those who serve and protect our communities honorably and heroically are again left to answer for those who don’t.”
At O’Dowd, we stand with all people. With the saints, we believe that the glory of God is the human being fully alive. We educate and advocate for justice and equity. Honoring the dignity of every human being is crucial to living our mission to create a more just, joyful, sustainable world. These tragic injustices, all too common, are a call to act on our values, to more deeply discover their prophetic call in our own community.
I ask our community to fully embrace our charism values of social justice and community in diversity: to speak up in the face of intolerable racism and injustice, even in its subtle forms; to have hard conversations about what is happening and what we are called to do about it - at home, at work, at church. Grieve this loss with friends and family. For any who may be struggling to make sense of it all, I encourage reaching out, connecting, and supporting one another.
May we each and all find ways to pray and stand up for the common good and the deep belief that our fates are inescapably interdependent - ideals and beliefs that shine brightest when the world appears most contrary to their possibility.
I hope in the summer days and weeks ahead, whatever communities we live in, we can take time to internalize, speak to, and embody this truth, serving justice in ways that are authentic and personal.
Our most recent graduates, the Class of 2020, give me hope, even in these difficult days. With their brilliant diversity of talents and convictions, forged in their time at O’Dowd, our graduates are well-poised to make a difference in the world and combat these injustices. Like generations of Dragons before them, they will be part of a long-standing tradition, using their gifts to bring forth a more joyful, just, sustainable future for all.
With prayers for all of our families and our nation,
