The Second Vatican Council acknowledged and

the Archdiocese are being made, the persons around the

supported cultural diversity in the Church when it

table do not adequately reflect the rich cultural diversity

encouraged the  fostering of the qualities and talents of

that shapes our Church, city, nation and world. As we

the various races and nations  and the  careful and

continue to struggle against racism within the

prudent  admission into the Church's life of  elements

Archdiocese, we see a time when all of God's children will

from the traditions and cultures of individual peoples. 

be contributing to the governance of this local Church.

The use of vernacular languages and cultural symbols and

Constructing socially just patterns of relationships within

adapted rituals within the Church's liturgy is a sign of

our ecclesiastical institutions presents the same difficulties

Catholic unity and serves to bring all peoples and cultures

met in being a good neighbor anywhere; but, as

into the worship of God, who rejoices in the beauty of

Christians seeking to be true disciples, we can never

everything he has made.

abandon our efforts to embody the love and justice given

The Second Vatican Council also called the local

us by Christ. Most of all, we can count on his grace to

Churches to bring into their life  the particular social and

bring power to the vision faith gives us.

cultural circumstances  of the local people. This requires

that priests, religious women and men and lay ecclesial

The Eucharist as the Sacrament and Means 

ministers are called forth from among all the various

of Communion

cultural and racial groups that constitute the Church. To

We are most ourselves in the celebration of the Eucharist.

speak of oneself as Irish Catholic, German Catholic,

Our sacramental worship unites us and makes us a

Polish Catholic, Hispanic Catholic, African American

community of believers. The Mass calls us to communion

Catholic, Lithuanian Catholic is not divisive, provided

with one another in Christ Jesus. The proclamation of

each of these differences is lived and offered as a gift to

God's holy word and reflection on it within the

others rather than designed as an obstacle to keep others

celebration of the Eucharist, which is Christ's life poured

out. Catholic universality is marked by the contributions

out for us, cannot help but deepen our spiritual unity and

of all cultures. Each cultural group has enriched our

make our social solidarity possible. Too often, however,

Catholic community with its unique gifts. This sharing of

the pattern of culturally and racially homogenous

differences within the community of one faith is the path

parishes, sometimes established in the wake of  white

to salvation willed by the Triune God, whose love is

flight,  contributes to Catholic parishes being instances of

universal.

racial and cultural exclusion. Sunday, it has often been

Loving only people who are just like ourselves, loving

noted, is the most segregated day of the week in

only those who are members of our biological family or

metropolitan Chicago, as it is elsewhere.  We have

who share our own ethnic or cultural background, our

preached the Gospel while closing our eyes to the racism

own political views or our own class assumptions, does

it condemns.  Our failure to live the Gospel of God's

not fulfill the challenge of the Gospel.

unconditional and universal love in culturally and racially

If you love only those who love you, what reward can

inclusive parishes and communities contributes to our

you expect, even the tax collectors do as much as that. If

society's failure to confront the sin of racism.

you greet only your brothers, what is there extraordinary

The magnificent cultural diversity we witnessed around

about that? Even the heathen do as much. There must be

the Eucharistic table during our Archdiocesan millennium

no limit to your goodness, as your heavenly Father's

celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi in Soldier Field

goodness knows no bounds (Matthew 5:46 48 and Luke

was just a small glimpse of the possibilities for our future.

6:32 34; 36).

As a local Church, we gathered as the Body of Christ. We

Striving to be a witness for Jesus Christ as a good

gathered with longing for a time when, wherever we gather,

neighbor to all is difficult.  It seems easier to sit in our

we will do so enriched by our active welcoming of all those

divisions and our hatreds. It seems easier to ignore the gap

whom God loves. Our gathering for Mass is always a

between rich and poor; to forget the unborn and

gathering in the name of the Father of Our Lord, Jesus

unwanted; to block out those who are not free...because

Christ. In the Eucharistic assembly we share all the cultural,

they are in prisons; to live tied up in the bonds of personal

racial economic and spiritual gifts given us by the Spirit in

and institutional racism. But we cannot.  We cannot,

order to enrich and transform both Church and society. 

because we are called to dwell together in God's love.

To embrace the vision proclaimed in Jesus' preaching

The Empowering Gifts of the Spirit

of the reign of God, we need to see new patterns and

From diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, we accept

possibilities. Too often, when decisions about the future of

and embrace in faith the love of God that compels us to

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