Saratoga Central Catholic School Preparation for College - Values for Life Mission Statement Saratoga Central Catholic School seeks to enlighten, inspire, and nurture the minds, hearts, and souls of our students in academic excellence based on the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Catholic tradition. "Omnia Pro Deo" - All for God

A Message From Sister Sue, ​Your Sister Chaplain, ​November 12, 2020

Good Day!

Yesterday was Veterans Day, another day of reflection in November that I failed to mention last week. On Veterans Day we remember all those men and women who have offered themselves to our armed forces in service to our country and citizens of our nation and of the world. I know that many of you have loved ones who have served and are still serving and some of you are Veterans yourselves. I hold you all in prayer and with a grateful heart I thank you all for your service.

Last week I mentioned that November is also Black Catholic Sisters Month but it is more than that - It is actually called Black Catholic History Month! Did you know that Ethiopia was the first Christian nation? Davis, a professor of church history at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology and author of "The History of Black Catholics in the United States" (Crossroad, 1992), tells us that the was not originally European but Mediterranean. Which is very true but I rarely think about it. He adds, “Remember, Ethiopia was a Christian nation earlier than many nations in Europe. It was a Christian kingdom before Ireland was evangelized, before more of North Germany was evangelized, and before Poland was a Catholic country.” WOW, I didn’t know that!

This is when being an educator is so important to me. I continue to learn even into my 8th decade! We need never stop educating ourselves. I learned that Black Catholics have been in this country since the 1500’s both free and enslaved. Living here in the Northeast I believed that there weren’t Black Catholics, even though I taught a few and was present at . There are many Black Catholics in this country and amongst us. There are also Religious Communities that began just for Black Sisters and Brothers because white congregations wouldn’t let them in. Even my community, the Sisters of Mercy, didn’t let a black sister enter until the 1960’s in Philadelphia. She is a good friend of mine today. May we hold our black sisters and brothers in prayer this month especially as they are most affected by this unprecedented pandemic.

The other celebration this month is called Native American Heritage Month. I have a Catholic friend who lives in Rochester and belongs to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (which is made up of 6 nations). As we all know the first people to live on the land we call the United States were members of many tribes across the country. Here where we live is where the Mohawks lived. Today you can visit Ndakinna Education Center, a wilderness and Native American education center in Greenfield Center, NY, operated by the Founder and Director James Bruchac. There are other places near us that teach us the culture of the first peoples of this land. There is an Museum near Howe Caverns, a Mohawk Community near Fonda, NY and the 2 sites that honor Kateri Tekakwitha, a daughter of a Mohawk chief and her Catholic Algonquin mother. These two sites are the St. Kateri Tekakwitha , in Fonda, her birth place and The North American Shrine of Martyrs in Auriesville (Fultonville) where she was baptized. These places give us inspiration and resources about the first peoples who lived here.

Why did I want to bring this to your attention? First, it is important to continue learning about the past in order to better the future. Second, my grand-niece who is in 6th grade didn’t know that “Indians” existed anymore!!! That concerns me as an educator. Third, Thanksgiving is coming.

We have much to learn from the first peoples' cultures. They have been living in harmony with the earth for hundreds of years, and making decisions based on their effect on seven generations. Our Catholic Church even named Kateri Tekakwitha the of the Environment and Ecology along with St. .

Let us remember our black Catholic brothers and sisters and our true Native brothers and sisters throughout the rest of this month. Let us pray with the words of Jesus - “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Much peace of heart and mind, Sister Sue

​Saratoga Central Catholic School 518-587-7070 www.SaratogaCatholic.org

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