RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY 2021: A TIME TO ACT
Webmaster • January 30, 2021
Ethnic minorities have suffered disproportionately from the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating a systemic problem with racial injustice in our society. This was dramatically brought home with the brutal killing of George Floyd and the reaction it provoked. As Pope Francis reflects: “instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.”
These shameful reminders of racism demand meaningful action to confront and dismantle sinful structures of injustice. Our brother Bishops in the USA remind us that: “all of us are in need of personal, ongoing conversion. Our churches and our civic and social institutions are in need of ongoing reform. If racism is confronted by addressing its causes and the injustice it produces, then healing can occur.”
Racism is a sin and a violation of human dignity in which we are all complicit. As Catholics we need to acknowledge and confront our own failings, as individuals and as a Church. Every single one of our parishes, schools and organisations has a responsibility to actively practise anti-racism in all aspects of our mission.
We need to address the lack of visible diversity at every level, so that people can see themselves, their race, their culture and their history in the Church’s life.
We need to engage suppliers and businesses from all parts of the community, seeking out those which promote diversity and inclusivity.
Most importantly we need to actively invite people from different ethnic communities to share their experiences and genuinely listen to their voices, however challenging this may be.
It is not enough to simply denounce racism. This is a time to act. In the words of the Holy Father: “This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities — what we value, what we want, what we seek — and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of. God asks us to dare to create something new.”
NOTES FOR PREACHERS
At the beginning of his public ministry Jesus outlines his Mission in the synagogue in Nazareth,
‘He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’
His ministry was one of compassionate involvement, concern for the disadvantaged. Aware of obstacles, including those of the Law, which limited joy and fulfilment Jesus acted. He confronted, sometimes angrily, what undermined a person’s dignity.
The theme of Racial Justice Sunday 2021 is A Time to Act.
Racial issues and inequalities were identified nationally and internationally in 2020 generating awareness, emotion and outrage. In light of this Racial Justice Sunday 2021 is particularly significant.
Action is needed to further the cause of racial justice. What can we do?
In recent years Pope Francis has repeatedly used four verbs encouraging positive and direct action in relation to migrants and refugees, ‘Welcome, Protect, Promote and Integrate’. These same words are essential to advancing the cause of racial justice. None can be omitted, it is as necessary to have plans to Promote and Integrate as it is to Welcome.
Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue in Capernaum (today’s Gospel Mark 1:21-28) triggered a reaction from a member of the congregation. (It is always unnerving to have your sermon interrupted by someone who disagrees with your words). ‘What do you want with us?’ ‘Have you come to destroy us?’
The duty of the Prophet in speaking God’s words and so bringing God’s light into lives and situations is to enlighten, to encourage, sometimes to warn. To identify what action is needed to ensure that all God’s people know they are equally valued by society and the Church.
The plea of the psalmist today is ‘ …listen to his voice, harden not your hearts’. Racial Justice Sunday is a time to absorb fully this scriptural request.
Listening to the voice of God and the voice of the Church we learn of equal love for all.
Voices that discriminate unjustly, attitudes that undermine on the grounds of race must be opposed.
Voices of those who feel rejected or perpetually in second place must be listened to.
The dignity of all must be respected and promoted.
In the Church we proclaim that everyone of whatever racial origin should be Welcomed, Protected, Promoted and Integrated. What action is needed that this may be achieved?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ,
in your ministry
you were approached by people
of many different nations and cultures.
You listened to their cry for help,
treated them with love and compassion,
and brought them healing and wholeness.
In our own time may we provide
to all those who are suffer
the help that they need
and the care that they require.
May we respond to the invitation of the Holy Spirit
to dream of a world made new
where the poor are not forgotten
but are given the opportunity
to live and flourish
with good health and equal prospects.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
We still have a little time to wait for our new Bishop to arrive in the Autumn, Like the whole of creation we have been "groaning inwardly" for the revealing of our new apostle and shepherd who will lead us in the way of the Good Shepherd. Fr Stephen has a heart for sharing the gospel of Jesus. In today's Gospel Jesus speaks of sowing seed: "A sower went out to sow". That is what a sower does. The Church spreads the news about Jesus, like a sower. This is what the Church does, it is who we are. The sowing of seed doesn't seem efficient or even planned. There seems to be a lot of waste and disappointment. But the seed that does grow bears fruit abundantly. Bishop-Elect Stephen seems to recognise this. In an interview recently he said, "As a Church, we need to have a big heart and open doors, and a flexibility. This might not be tidy. We have to take seriously the questions people are asking and be prepared to enter into those questions and offer them the wisdom of the Church and of the scriptures." We try to do this but as a parish we need to remind ourselves constantly why we are here. We do not exist for ourselves but for Him who has given us new life. We cannot keep Him to ourselves. We must continue to sow the seeds of the gospel in old and new ways that others might receive eternal life. It is not tidy. May God bless you. With my prayer for you everyday. Fr Graham
Bishop-elect Stephen shared this message for diocesan parishes on 2 July 2026: Dear friends in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, dear brothers and sisters, I’m so happy to be appointed as your new bishop, and I am really looking forward to meeting you and getting to know the Diocese – the priests and deacons, those in consecrated life, all the lay faithful, and so many others. I’m really looking forward to visiting our parishes and schools, and all the other communities that make up our Diocese. I’m just sorry that I can’t get back to be with you at this time because we have our diaconal ordination in Rome this weekend. As you can imagine, the news came as a complete surprise to me. The first thing I did after being told on Tuesday morning was to visit St Peter’s Basilica. I prayed at the tombs of St Peter and St John Paul II for you all and offered Mass for the Diocese. There are many challenges ahead, but I am full of hope. I’ve seen so many times what God can do when people pray and work together, and when they put their trust in him. If we listen to one another, and to the Lord, then he will show us the way forward. You have been very blessed to have Archbishop Richard with you over these years. I keep being told what a wonderful diocese it is and how lucky I am to be going there! Which I certainly am. I want to thank Canon Jonathan Martin as well, for looking after things so well in this interim period. Let’s pray for each other, and for our Diocese. Please pray for me and for my intentions. I put all my trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in his Church, and in his mother Mary. His love is so powerful. There is so much to be grateful for, and so much to do. I pray that we can grow in holiness together, be of service to those around us, and help all people to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel. With every blessing, Fr Stephen Fr Stephen’s Biography Fr Stephen Wang was born in London in 1966 and grew up in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He read Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge University from 1986 to 1989, before undertaking priestly formation at the Venerable English College in Rome from 1992 to 1997. Ordained on 3 January 1998, he worked in parish ministry in Dollis Hill, London, from 1997 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he studied for a PhD on the subject of human happiness at Cambridge University, assisting at Fisher House Chaplaincy, based at the University, for two years. He lectured in Philosophy and Theology at Allen Hall seminary in Chelsea from 2005 to 2013 and was Dean of Studies from 2009 to 2013. During this time, he was also a visiting priest at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, White City, and a confessor at Notting Hill Carmel, a cloistered convent of Carmelite nuns located in St Charles Square. From 2013 to 2021, Fr Stephen served as Senior University Chaplain in the Diocese of Westminster and was Catholic Chaplain at The London School of Economics. In 2014, a group of young people led by Fr Stephen developed ‘Sycamore’, a video-based Catholic faith formation programme that explores the Christian faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make Christianity more accessible, Sycamore is now used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world. Following three years as Vocations Director for Westminster Diocese, Fr Stephen was appointed Rector of the Venerable English College in 2021, where he served for five years.
Most of us will leave church today and go safely home. We will sit at a table, speak to the people we love, and sleep in our own beds. For many seafarers, that simply isn’t possible. They can spend months at sea, often unable to step ashore, with limited contact with home. When something goes wrong, they are far from everything and everyone familiar. And today, many seafarers are working in even more difficult circumstances. In recent weeks and months, the world has watched events in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important shipping routes in the world. We hear news reports about trade, petrol prices and security. But behind every headline, there are real people on board these ships. People who are wondering when they will get home, whether their ship will be safe, and when they will see the people they love again. At the start of the crisis, around 20,000 seafarers were trapped in the Strait, caught up in a conflict that was completely outside of their control. Some ships and crews have now been able to evacuate. But for Stella Maris, this is often when the work really begins. We know this from our support for seafarers affected by the war in Ukraine. The impact of a crisis does not always appear straight away. Fear, stress, separation from family and financial uncertainty can affect people weeks or even months after the immediate danger has passed. This is why Stella Maris exists. Our chaplains and volunteers visit ships, they listen to crews, help them contact home, support them in hospital, pray with them, and stand alongside them when life at sea becomes frightening or lonely. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of seed being sown generously. The work of Stella Maris is like that sowing. Each visit, each conversation, each quiet act of care is a seed planted in a life that is often hard, isolated and unseen. You may never meet the people who benefit, but your support helps that seed take root. Today is Sea Sunday. A chance to remember the seafarers who bring us so much of what we rely on every day. It is also a chance to help Stella Maris be there for them, offering practical, pastoral and spiritual support when they need it most: during the crisis, and long after the headlines have moved on.
Starting this weekend, we are inviting parishioners to add an item or two to their weekly shop to support our Summer Foodbank Campaign. Thank you in advance for your kindness. 5 & 12 July – Getting Ready for Summer: plasters, wipes, suncream etc 19 & 26 July – Picnic Time: cartons of juice, snack bars, and similar items 2 & 9 August – Home for Tea: tinned meals, pasta, rice, etc
Congratulations to our young adult parishioners, Aiden, Aleya, Amelia, Daniel and Senna, who are to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at Arundel on Sunday. Please pray for them. May they have the faith and the courage of Saint Maria Goretti, a young girl, when she was martyred. Her relics are embedded in the altar at St Peter's in Shoreham. Her photograph is just outside the confessional door. Her feast day is on Monday.
The last part of today's Gospel is often read during the celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick and even when a person is dying and receiving the Last Sacraments. I must admit I feel uncomfortable when I read the words of Jesus saying that "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" when the person receiving the anointing is struggling, in pain or facing a terminal illness. That burden doesn't seem easy or light. Jesus does not make mistakes, so what does He mean? Firstly, the yoke of the Law and the Commandments was very heavy. It prescribed in minute detail how to live a life pleasing to God by obeying certain laws. Breaking even one was displeasing to God and had consequences. How could anyone be perfect or free? Jesus comes as the perfect human being as He is God and freely chooses to obey the Father by offering His life as the perfect offering on the cross. His death sets us free to love as He loves. The law of love fulfils the Law and the Prophets. Secondly, Jesus asks us to share His yoke. He invites us to come to Him and rest when we are tired and our burden is heavy. Jesus wants us to swap burdens and yokes. He takes our heavy burden for His yoke of love. There is nothing that we cannot bring to God in prayer. Jesus shares our humanity and He gives us a share in His divinity and the love of the Father with His Spirit living in us. May God bless every one of you. With my prayer. Fr Graham
In addition to the First Friday mass, celebrated for our collective Parish Prayer intentions, we now have two prayer groups on the First Friday of the month: 10.00am-11.00am Mothers Prayers, in the Parish Room at SP 4.00pm-5.00pm: Prayers for Peace, in the Divine Mercy Chapel at SP Thank you to the organisers. All are welcome.
Peter and Paul had several arguments. Initially they disagreed about salvation, Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah and Saviour, Paul considered Jesus to be a false prophet but, after meeting with the resurrected Jesus, Paul changed his mind. Peter and Paul now wanted the same thing; they shared the exact same mission: to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ and to build up Christian Communities. They also agreed on where they should preach. Peter had the task of spreading the Gospel to the Jewish people whereas Paul had the task of preaching to the Gentiles. However this opened up another issue, which Jewish Laws should be applied to Gentiles. Again, there was disagreement but eventually this was resolved. As Pope Leo put it “the history of Peter and Paul shows us that the communion to which the Lord calls us is a unison of voices and personalities that does not eliminate anyone’s freedom. Our patron saints followed different paths, had different ideas and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet this did not prevent them from living in Apostolic Harmony, that is, a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity. As Saint Augustine remarks, “the feast of the two Apostles is celebrated on one day. They too were one. For although they were martyred on different days, they were one” With my prayers for you all, Deacon Simon
All are welcome to come and hear Fr Dr Fadi Diab from St Andrew’s Church, Ramallah, for an evening exploring peace and justice in the Holy Land. Saturday 4 July, 8.15–10pm, Steyning Centre “Peace in the Middle East: An Impossible Dream? A Palestinian Christian Perspective” In partnership with Steyning for Peace and Friends of the Holy Land. Free admission (voluntary collection). Wheelchair accessible. Free parking at Fletcher’s Croft Car Park (BN44 3YB). Enquiries: Dr Roger Williamson – rjlmwilliamson@gmail.com | 01903 892989
The Catechists would like to thank all those who helped in any way to make this a special year for our First Communion children. Father Graham for the Mass at St Peter's. The parents for their support throughout the preparation, the children who behaved so reverently and the families for their generous gifts to the catechists.