Addressing the Sin of Racism
Learn more about the National Catholic Ministry Leaders Experience to Montgomery & Selma, AL happening September 18-20, 2024.
Our Guiding Questions
During three days, we will witness landmarks of racial violence and resilience in Montgomery and Selma—the cradle of the domestic slave trade, of the Confederacy, and of the Civil Rights movement.
We will unpack how the legacy of our nation’s history of slavery, lynching, and segregation is manifest in contemporary injustices, such as mass incarceration, capital punishment, and the racial disparities embedded in them. Through encounter, prayer, and dialogue, we will discern how we are called to answer those questions:
- What is the relationship between the nation’s past and modern-day systems of oppression, particularly related to the criminal legal system?
- What is required of the Church, its leadership, and its faithful in order to be ministers of reconciliation?
- How can the Church and its members play a more active role in truth-telling and meaningful efforts that move our ministries, communities, Church and country forward?
“We can never move forward without remembering the past.”
—Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti
On this trip you will…
Further your knowledge of the history of the Civil Rights Movement where key events happened, with community members who were present.
Sites of the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott
- Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and Dexter Parsonage | Young Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the Congregation from 1954 to 1960
Sites of the 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery
- Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma
- The Catholic City of St Jude
- Meet with a life-long Civil Rights activist who participated in the March
Understand the connection between the history of slavery and racial terror, and the modern-day systems of mass incarceration and capital punishment.
- The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration
- The National Memorial for Peace and Justice: A sacred space for truth telling and reflection about lynching and its legacy
- Meet with a Senior Attorney from Equal Justice Initiative
Pray and discern how Catholics can play a more active role in truth-telling to move our nation towards justice and healing.
- Encounters with Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South & the Edmundite Missions
- Mass, group prayer and meditation times
- In-depth sharing times with fellow national Catholic ministers
“These encounters will help open our minds and hearts more fully and continue the healing needed in our communities and our nation.”
—U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism
I’m interested! Please contact me with more information.
Please note that there are limited spots available. This form does not confirm your registration for this experience.
Logistics
Dates
The program starts at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 in Montgomery, AL.
The program ends at 12 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 in Montgomery, AL.
Registration Fee
$650
Includes: all meals from Wednesday lunch to Friday breakfast, ground transportation, museum entrances, speaker honorarium.
Does not include: air travel to Montgomery, Atlanta, or Birmingham airports, transportation from and to the airport, lodging.
Lodging
All participants will stay at a hotel in downtown Montgomery where the group meetings will also take place. The discounted rate will be $199/night + tax. Information about booking will be communicated after registration.
Travel
Participants are responsible for arranging their flights and transportation to and from downtown Montgomery. Taxis and ridesharing services are readily available at the Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM). It is also possible to fly to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) or Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) and rent a car from there. Affordable and safe parking is available close to the hotel.
Please be aware that the Atlanta airport is in the Eastern Time zone and Montgomery, Alabama is in the Central Time zone.
If you plan to depart from Atlanta airport on September 20, we recommend booking a flight no earlier than 5:30 p.m. in order to account for the one hour time difference between Central Time (Montgomery) and Eastern Time (Atlanta).