Georgetown University Hosts Liturgy of Penance for Sale of Enslaved People

ICYMI: Earlier this year, Georgetown University hosted a Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition and Hope as a moment to express contrition for the institutional sin of selling 272 enslaved people to raise money for preserve the university in 1838.

“Now, nearly 200 years later, we cannot heal from this tragic history alone. Many have confessed and labored to atone for this sin, but mostly within the confines of our own religious houses and apostolic works. Because we are profoundly sorry, we stand before God—and before you, the descendants of those whom we enslaved—and we apologize for what we have done and what we have failed to do,” Father Timothy Kesicki, S.J., president, of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States said.

Learn more about the event by reading the full article on the America website.

 

Food for Thought Friday: Healing in Worship

Food for Thought Friday: The death of a college student, a friend, classmate, and community member, brings great grief to a campus.  During these difficult times, campus ministry staff, faculty, and other campus staff provide care for students and help them process their grief.  In an article published in the July 2016 issue of U.S. Catholic, writer Jessie Bazan, Director of Retreats and Social Outreach at Saint John’s University explores the impact of the liturgy, both memorial services and the Mass, on campus communities after the death of a student. In her own experience, she finds that although the liturgy does not reverse the situation, it often helps in the grieving process. She writes, “Our liturgy didn’t take away the hurt, but it gave us a safe space to hurt. It didn’t bring our dead classmate back to life, but it honored the life he had – and his life to come.”  Read the full article here.

Laudato Si Release: Pray

Earlier today, Pope Francis released his long-awaited encyclical letter, Laudato Si.  We at ACCU are sharing resources and best practices to help our campuses pray for commitment to care for creation, learn about the encyclical and our call to stewardship, and act upon our beliefs to work for the common good.

˜PRAY˜

We share these prayers, from Catholic Relief Services and Xavier University, so that we may reflect and pray together for a renewed commitment to care for God’s creation.

 

 Prayer for Environmental Sustainability

Let us pray for an end to the
Waste and desecration of God’s creation
For access to the fruits of creation
To be shared equally among all people
And for communities and nations to find sustenance
In the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

Almighty God, you created the world and gave it
Into our care so that, in obedience to you,
We might serve all people:
Inspire us to use the riches of creation with wisdom,
and to ensure that their blessings are shared by all;
That, trusting in your bounty, all people may be
Empowered to seek freedom from poverty, famine, and oppression.

 

Looking for additional prayer resources?  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Climate Covenant have shared resources on ecology for prayer and the liturgy.