Saint Helen youth Ministry (6th-12th Grade) // Family Ministry Spring Session 4 // The Barrio Bishop and the Sing

Goal The goal of this session is to challenge middle schoolers with the lives of and holy men and women who were reformers within society and to encourage them to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to work for justice and truth in their world. Main Ideas • Jesus was not a “nice teacher,” but called out injustice, spoke the truth, and continually offered mercy for hearts that repented. To be a follower of Jesus is to do the same. • Many saints and holy men and women including Venerable Alphonse Gallegos and Sr. Thea Bowman became influential social reformers and, like Jesus, called people toward justice, truth, and proclaimed Christ’s mercy for repentant hearts. • Before we seek to oppose injustice in our world, we must first conform our hearts to Christ and seek mercy for the places we fall short.

Scripture Catechism Genesis 1:27 1931-1933 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 Mathew 5:44, 19:21

Engage Opening Prayer Invite your teen to open in prayer! The prayer doesn’t have to be long or arduous, just intentional. It is okay if it’s just an Our Father or a Glory Be – most teens just feel uncomfortable praying out loud because it’s not something they’re used to. The more often they hear you pray aloud and pray aloud themselves, the more comfortable they become in it.

Reflect Jesus and Justice Question: Who is the nicest person you know? That makes them so nice?

When we think of nice people, we often think of those who are kind, easy-going, easy to get along with. Sometimes, the people we would categorize as nice we would also say don’t generally get into arguments or “rock the boat,” they usually just go with the flow and desire to make the people around them happy. Sometimes we can also put Jesus into this “nice” category. We often think of Him or see Him depicted, with soft lighting, fluffy clouds around Him, laughing with children, or holding sheep in a field. When we think of Him, we know that He is our greatest example of love, and often we equate that to be loving means that we must be “nice.” While it is an aspect of love to be kind and charitable to others, the definition of love is not just to be nice and make everyone happy. Jesus lived out the true definition of love: to will the good of the other and do things that bring about their good. Jesus was not chiefly concerned with making people happy. He was most concerned about making people holy. Jesus called out those who were being hypocritical. He lovingly redirected those who were sinning. He spoke out against injustice. He challenged everyone who followed Him to do things like love their enemies and give everything they have to the poor (Matthew 5:44, 19:21). To be a follower of Jesus is not about being “nice” and getting people to like you. Being a follower of Jesus means imitating Him, which can lead to uncomfortable situations where we call out injustice, speak the truth, or offer mercy and forgiveness to people who have wronged us or others.

Questions: what is one way you have seen someone longingly call out another’s wrong actions? What was that like? How did that make you feel?

THE BARRIO BISHOP AND THE SINGER

When it comes to speaking truth and justice, and genuinely being loving by seeking the good of other people, there are many holy men and women who would fit into that category — but the two, in particular, we are going to discuss are Venerable Alphonsus Gallegos and Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman. Through their specific life circumstances and unique gifts and talents. This man and women became social reformers, and, like Jesus, they called people toward justice, truth, and proclaimed Christ’s mercy for sinners.

Venerable Alphonsus Gallegos was born in 1931 in Albuquerque, . He was one of 11 children and had a twin brother. He grew up in a very pious and devout family, and from a young age, he struggled with severe vision and eye issues that led to a variety of surgeries, but his sight was never fully restored. He achieved high education levels attending universities such as in New York and Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. At the age of 19, he joined a religious order — the Order of Augustine Recollects (O.A.R.). Eight years later, at the age of 27, he was ordained a priest. He served in New York for eight years, helping at local hospitals and with other neighboring orders. Alphonsus was then transferred out to the West coast and served in Los Angeles and Sacramento. He was placed as an advisor for Hispanic affairs for the diocese and in 1981 he was instituted as the auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Sacramento. As a priest and later as bishop, Alphonsus was known for his ministry to gang members, those who drove lowrider cars, and at risk youth in the poor areas of Sacramento and Los Angeles. He would spend the weekend blessing the lowrider cars, encouraging the Hispanic youth to pursue higher education, and taking care of the elderly. He opened his home to anyone in need and he personally paid Catholic school tuition for the poor. Alphonsus died in 1991 when he was hit by a car and killed instantly on his way back from praying a rosary for the end to abortion. He was considered an unofficial chaplain to the lowriders and migrant workers. He was often called the “Bishop of the Barrio ‘’ — at his funeral, about 300 lowrider cars formed part of his funeral procession. He was given the title Venerable in 2016.

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman was born in 1937 in Mississippi to a Protestant family. From a very early age, Thea was exposed to her African American culture and spirituality’s richness, most notably her people’s history, songs, stories, prayers, customs, and traditions. She learned the lesson of “if you get, give — if you learn, teach,” and a great love for God was instilled in her from a young age. At the age of 9, she decided that she wanted to be Catholic and at the age of 15 she went to LaCrosse, Wisconsin to join the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration where she was the first and only Black nun in her order. She attended the university run by her order and received a BA in English and then went on to the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, where she received her MA and Ph.D. in English. She taught at the elementary and high school level and later at a college. She was also instrumental in creating the Catholic hymnal “Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal,” which was the first hymnal directed to the Black community. She spent 16 years in education and then became a consultant for intercultural awareness for the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. During this time, she also became more directly involved in ministry to African Americans. Sister Thea traveled, spoke, and sang, delivering inspiring and joy-filled messages calling on Catholics to celebrate their differences, retain their cultures, and celebrate being one in Christ. Before her death, she spoke before the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops about what it was like being Black and Catholic. She challenged and rebuked the bishops calling them not to neglect their members of color. She sang, she spoke, and she enlightened the bishops on African American history and spirituality. She urged them to continue to evangelize the African American community, promote inclusivity, and understand the necessity and value of Catholic schools in the African American community. She died in 1990 from breast cancer. It was her prayer “to live until I die” which she did, inspiring many along the way and working to transform and reform the segregation and racism within society and the . She was given the title Servant of God when her cause for was opened in 2018.

Question: What stands out the most to you form the lives of these two holy people? Why?

If we want to see justice in our world, if we’re going to see actual change and the fullness of the love of Jesus Christ realized in our families and our communities, we have to begin with ourselves.

When we look at the lives of Sister Thea Bowman and Alphonsus Gallegos, we see people of faith. We see people who were rooted from a young age in both their culture and their faith. Their love and desire to see justice in their communities came from a place of understanding the dignity of every human person as being made in the image and likeness of God — no matter their skin color or their economic status. (Genesis 1:27)

It is no secret that our world is hurting from injustice. There are problems of racism, hatred, and unjust systems that divide people based on their skin color or economic status. We see this on the news, we see it on social media, many of you experience it firsthand, and some of us may have begun to see seeds of racism or racists thoughts in our own homes or families. In this time, it is essential that we both fight against injustice and do the hard work of looking at our hearts and our thought patterns. Jesus calls us to love one another unconditionally and to recognize in the other His image and likeness. We are all God’s children, and we can be inspired by the work of holy men and women who have gone before us to be our example. Question: What are some examples of injustice you have seen in our world? What responses have you seen towards these acts of injustice?

When we look to Venerable Alphonsus Gallegos, we see a man who was passionate about the culture of life. He ministered to a diverse group of people. His motto was “love one another,” and he advocated for those in need. He is quoted to have said, “I would like to be remembered as having helped the young people how to appreciate who they are and to value the life God has given them. I would also like to be remembered as having appreciated people and all that they have to offer in making the world a better place to live in.” He loved and respected all people, regardless of their skin color or the zip code they lived in. He went to them, and he got to know them, he shared the love of God with them and transformed the community he lived in.

(The Sacramento Bee Magazine, January 18, 1987)

Sister Thea Bowman also worked to overcome injustice, and her love of God and love for her people and her culture led her to speak the truth about what the Church could and should be — a welcoming place and home to everyone no matter the color of their skin. She was proud of her heritage, and she was not shy to stand up to racism and segregation, particularly within the Catholic Church. She was quoted saying, “I think the difference between me and some people is that I’m content to do my little bit. Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make a change. But if each one would light a candle, we’d have a tremendous light.” She understood her dignity and worth as a daughter of God, and she worked so that others, too, would know their great dignity and worth and that God loved them no matter their race or faith. (Sister Thea Bowman (1937-1990): From April 28, 1990, American Magazine)

Question: What do you find most inspiring about the work of Venerable Alphonsus Gallegos or Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman? Why?

While we may never go and minister to lowriders or stand before the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we are still called to do the work of Christ in our own home, communities, and within our hearts. He calls each of us to imitate Him, who loved and served without boundaries, who set out to encounter all people with transformational love, showing them the dignity and worth they have. We must first look within ourselves and seek to overcome anything that might make us think less of another for any reason and begin to understand others’ experiences who have suffered from injustice or racism.

It is worth taking even the smallest steps toward creating a world of true justice, where everyone seeks the other’s good and gives to him or her what is due. We all can make a tremendous difference even in the small areas of influence we have when we stand up for someone who is being made fun of, when we shut down racists jokes or comments, and when we take the time to get to know another person’s point of view. Through the truth and love of Jesus Christ, we can change our world and our culture one step at a time, one heart at a time, beginning with our own.

Question: What is one way you want to grow as a person in how you view others who are different from you? What is one way you can be an advocate for justice within your home or your community?

RESPOND

Examination of the Cross Place a crucifix in the center of the group or at the front of the room and give each youth a piece of paper and a pen. Play instrumental music in the background.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 and use the following as an example to introduce this time of prayer:

Every person we come in contact with is a child of God. They’ve been made in the image and likeness of God. They are in our homes and in our hallways. They are on the news and on social media. The sadness of being left out or ignored does not go unnoticed by Christ. Nevertheless, we, too, must remember to open our own eyes and see where our family, friends, and neighbors are hurting. We must not forget to open our ears and listen to those who have been hurt by others or by us.

In a few moments, we will re-read this passage. Think of some people who we may have hurt or ignored over the last week. Being uninvited to something we desire so much is never fun, but how often do we think of those we uninvite to groups we are a part of? Think of someone you can invite; think of someone you have intentionally or unintentionally dismissed from the Body of Christ.

Read the passage one more time and ask the youth to take some time to write a letter to a person that they have intentionally or unintentionally left out or not invited to something. This letter does not have to be delivered, but the youth can keep it with them, reflect on it, and pray about reaching out and reconciling with that individual.

Closing Prayer Use the following attributed to Thomas Merton:

O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you. You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts. Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection. O God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept you, and we thank you, and we adore you, and we love you with our whole being because our being is your being, our spirit is rooted in your spirit. Fill us then with love and let us be bound together with love as we go our diverse ways, united in this one spirit which makes you present in the world, and which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love. Love has overcome. Love is victorious. Amen.