By Suresh Abboodas
“All are invited to come in traditional attires and costumes and bring a flag of your country of origin. This will add vigour and colour to the occasion,” cried the flyer to the faithful for Racial Justice Sunday. And all did come in their thousands, attired in their national costume and carrying their national flag of origin from far and wide of the Archdiocese of Southwark.
This was in utter obedience to the call of their shepherd, Archbishop John Wilson, to celebrate Racial Justice and Cultural inclusion at St-George´s Metropolitan Cathedral Southwark on Sunday 28th January. This is the first time ever such kind of a gathering has happened in the history of the Southwark Archdiocese.
Men, women, children, school children, and other Catholic agencies and organisations carrying their flags and banners, packed the large cathedral to its maximum capacity, much to the thrill of the organisers and the Archbishop, who is the architect of this commission, and who was the Principal Celebrant at the Holy Mass.
In his homily, Archbishop John Wilson made a fervent call to abolish racism both inside the Catholic Church and outside. “Racism is wrong. It is there even in the Catholic Church, but we make it clear that there is no place for racism. No ifs and buts,” he said. “The Vatican Second Council had called for equality for all people. Every face of social and cultural discrimination must be curbed and eradicated as something incompatible in God´s design.”
“There is no place for racism and never should be,” he continued. “Each of us are called to be a microphone of God, in a way to be like a prophet. As Saint Archbishop Oscar Romero said: ´let us not be cowards and hide our talents´. But remember that every person is a beloved soul of God.”
“Every person irrespective of language, or colour of his or her skin has a dignity, that must be respected. This divine truth must be at the heart of our faith. ´Love one another’ our Lord said. So, we are all called to love our neighbour,” the Archbishop stressed.
On the actions undertaken by his Archdiocese towards combating racism, the archbishop said: “Our Archdiocese is working with various organisations to combat racism. We are actively recognising the gifts of everyone. We are promoting saints from different cultures. We are also working with schools and other agencies to make our Archdiocese a welcoming place for everyone.”
The Prayer of the Faithful was read by people from various cultures in different languages. The prayers were said in Goan by Jennifer, in Igbo by Stella, in Tagalog by Larvie, in Yoruba by Francis, in Japanese by Kyoko and in English by John. The First Reading was read by Cecelia Brainard and the Second Reading was read by Francis Chinonso Onye.
Canon Victor Darlington, the President of the Commission, thanked the Archbishop for his support and leadership in promoting the works of the Commission. He also thanked the congregation for making the event a grand success by their presence. He also invited them to be a ´friend ´of the Commission by participating in its activities.
Two different choirs added colour and solemnity to the occasion. After the Mass, the faithful had a rare opportunity to greet and mingle with their Archbishop outside the Cathedral. The Racial Justice Sunday was a grand success and there is already excitement about next year´s event.