Toward a Renewed Theological Framework of Catholic Racial Justice: a Vision Inspired by the Life and Writings of Dr
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Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Toward a Renewed Theological Framework of Catholic Racial Justice: A Vision Inspired by the Life and Writings of Dr. Arthur Grand Pré Falls Lincoln Rice Marquette University Recommended Citation Rice, Lincoln, "Toward a Renewed Theological Framework of Catholic Racial Justice: A Vision Inspired by the Life and Writings of Dr. Arthur Grand Pré Falls" (2013). Dissertations (2009 -). 259. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/259 TOWARD A RENEWED THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF CATHOLIC RACIAL JUSTICE: A VISION INSPIRED BY THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF DR. ARTHUR GRAND PRÉ FALLS By Lincoln Rice, B.A., M.A.P.S. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Milwaukee, WI May 2013 ABSTRACT TOWARD A RENEWED THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF CATHOLIC RACIAL JUSTICE: A VISION INSPIRED BY THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF DR. ARTHUR GRAND PRÉ FALLS Lincoln Rice Marquette University, 2013 Catholic theological thought in the field of racial justice has evolved considerably during the 20 th century—and even more so over the past twenty years. I analyze changes in Catholic racial justice concerning the use of black Catholic sources and the role for African American Catholics in working toward a more racially just society. In order to properly critique and augment more recent developments in the field of Catholic racial justice, this work retrieves the life and writings of Dr. Arthur Grand Pré Falls (1901- 2000), a black Catholic medical doctor who worked ceaselessly for racial justice within the Catholic, political, educational, medical, and residential institutions of the Chicago area. The life and writings of Falls confirm that black historical retrieval and a role for African Americans in racial justice projects (or black agency) are prerequisites for the success of any Catholic racial justice project. Chapter one delineates the use of African American sources and black agency within the work of American Catholic theologians, United States Bishops’ documents, and Vatican documents during the 20 th and early 21 st centuries. Chapter two outlines the life of Arthur Falls—his family and educational background, his work and positions within the Chicago Urban League, the Federated Colored Catholics, the Chicago Catholic Worker, as well as his focused assaults on segregation in the housing and medical fields in his later life. Chapter three examines the writings of Falls in the field of theology and race relations. His writings provide insight into the fluid relationship that he entertained between contemporary theological thought and the suffering caused by racism in Chicago. Chapter four integrates the life and writings of Falls with the insights of current Catholic theological reflection on the social sciences, racial justice, and modes of action for addressing racism. This final chapter exhibits the efficacy of Falls as a resource for Catholic racial justice projects and the necessity of organized and authentically interracial collaboration if one hopes to achieve lasting positive results. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank Arthur Grand Pré Falls. The passion and vigor behind his life and writings has been an inspiration for me that I have yet to fully internalize. The decades of his life that he dedicated to racial justice were always a source of reinvigoration in getting back to work on this project. Falls’s own unique vision of the Catholic Worker movement pushes me to rethink my own understanding and incorporation of the vision of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in my own life. Second, but maybe first, is my wife, Laura Pope. I am thankful for her constant support of my academic studies as well as her generous spirit, which continues to stretch my understanding of love. Professionally, I owe my eternal gratitude to Bryan Massingale—my dissertation director. My initial interest at St. Francis Seminary had been in spirituality and scripture. The obvious enthusiasm he has for moral theology and its importance for 21 st century Catholicism are in no small way responsible for my further studies in the subject. I also owe my continuing gratitude to the rest of my board. Patrick Carey was supportive of a Ph.D. student who came into his office wanting to write a paper on Arthur Falls, without any real sources at the time of which to speak. Daniel Maguire is a testament to the importance of conscience and the need to intelligently—and at times humorously— interact with our great Catholic tradition. Jon Nilson’s own willingness to become an apprentice to James Cone and black Catholic thought serves as an example par excellence for how white Catholic theologians like me should address the moral project in United States. I would also like to thank Karen Johnson, a fellow researcher in Chicago who was willing to share her own discoveries of certain items related to Falls with me. ii I am also thankful to the Marquette Theology Department for its commitment to high academic quality and its generous funding of my classes. In addition, I am thankful to the family of Cyril E. Smith (1900-1969), whose funding during the first year of my dissertating in the form of the Smith Family Fellowship allowed me to travel to Chicago for research without having to worry about expenses. Finally, I am thankful to the many faith communities that have supported me over the years: the Casa Maria Catholic Worker, St. Michael Catholic Church, and Blessed Trinity Parish in Milwaukee; St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and Catholic Central Grade School in Green Bay; and, of course, my parents—Curt and Cele Rice… and their parents, who passed on a faith to them which they in turned passed on to me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………….………….………...……... i INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………. 1 Significance of Projects & Statement of the Problem ………………...……….... 1 Statement of Procedure and Methodology ……………………………………… 7 Outline of the Project ………………………………………………………...… 10 CHAPTER 1: THE ROLE OF BLACK AGENCY AND EXPERIENCE IN CATHOLIC RACIAL THOUGHT ………………………………………………………………….. 14 Sources Offering Limited use of Black Agency and Experience ….…………... 15 John LaFarge ……………………………………...…………………… 15 U.S. Bishops’ Statements ………………………...………………....…. 18 Discrimination and the Christian Conscience ……....………..... 18 The National Race Crisis ………………………….………...…. 20 Brothers and Sisters to Us ……….......…………….………...… 24 “What We Have Seen and Heard” ...……………….………….. 27 Individual Bishops’ Statements ………………………….……….…..... 29 Cardinal Francis George’s Dwell in My Love .............................. 30 Bishop Dale Melczek’s Created in God’s Image ........................ 32 Archbishop Alfred Hughes’s Made in the Image and Likeness of God ........................................................................................... 34 Vatican Documents ................................................................................. 36 Summary of First Section ........................................................................ 39 Sources Offering Sustained Use of Black Agency and Experience .................... 40 iv James Cone .............................................................................................. 40 M. Shawn Copeland ................................................................................. 46 Bryan N. Massingale ................................................................................ 50 Jon Nilson ................................................................................................ 54 Alex Mikulich .......................................................................................... 59 Laurie M. Cassidy .................................................................................... 60 Summary of Second Section .................................................................... 62 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER 2: THE LIFE OF DR. ARTHUR G. FALLS ................................................ 67 Black Catholic Congresses .................................................................................. 68 Growing Up & The Riot of 1919 ......................................................................... 73 Medical Career ..................................................................................................... 77 Marriage and Family ............................................................................................ 80 Chicago Urban League ........................................................................................ 83 Federated Colored Catholics / Interracial Federation .......................................... 90 The Catholic Worker .......................................................................................... 102 Fellowship of Reconciliation, Congress of Racial Equality, & Friendship House ........................................................................................... 119 Cardinal Stritch Correspondence ........................................................................ 121 Integrating Western Springs ............................................................................... 127 Hospital Integration ........................................................................................... 132 Parishioner