Chester parish marks Juneteenth at prayer service at boro gazebo

CHESTER  The long road to greater racial justice in our communities starts with a simple step: “Making friends with people who don’t look like you — white, black, and brown — and then sharing God’s love with them.”

That hopeful message came from an African-American man, who experienced racism as a child in the South: retired Deacon Frank Owens of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish here, who spoke at an interfaith prayer service in Chester three days before the June 20 observance of June­teenth, which marks the finality to end slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865. It officially became the 11th federal holiday on June 17, 2021.

In and around a gazebo in the heart of the Morris County borough, a small group of socially minded residents, including 10 members of the Racial Justice Ministry of St. Law­rence, not only step­ped back in time to celebrate the historic event, but also pledged to honor that legacy by continuing to work for racial justice into the future. The 30-minute event included the singing of African-American songs, such as “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and talks by residents and clergy about the history and meaning of Juneteenth.

“I was raised to see God in all people. We are all blessed as brothers and sisters,” Deacon Owens, 83, the opening speaker at the June­teenth prayer service, which was attended by young and old alike. He had experienced overt racism as a child in the South, such as having to patronize a “colored-only public library.” “You are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. Share that message with each other,” he told the audience.

Juneteenth marks the time when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with his troops and announced the end of the Civil War and slavery on June 19, 1865. While President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipa­tion Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold Black people captive after that date. Thus, June­teenth became a symbolic date that represents African-American freedom and is the oldest national commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. It was recognized formally as a New Jersey state holiday in Sep­tember 2020.

The Chester celebration on June 17 was organized by one of St. Lawrence’s partners in the Morris County township, the Church of the Messiah, an Episcopal congregation. Occasionally, motorists on the main road voiced their support by honking their horns as they drove by on that sunny summer evening.

“Everybody on the earth looks different from everybody else. It’s a wonderful world! We are all created equally. This is our opportunity, our obligation, and our ministry to share that love,” said the Rev. Margaret Otterburn, who recently retired as cleric in charge of the Church of the Messiah.

Next to the gazebo, Deacon Owens displayed a disturbing large black-and-white photo. It shows him at age 6 in his native Asheville, N.C., peering into the window of a “colored-only public library” with his sister, Dorothy, and cousin, Spenser, in 1946. In his talk, the deacon told the audience that this family came to the U.S. from Africa 426 years ago, only to become slaves for 250 years until the Emancipation.

“But since the Emancipation, there has been more than 160 years of slavery because of unjust laws and policies and systematic racism,” said Deacon Owens, who was ordained the first African-American permanent deacon of the Diocese in 1991 and retired from active ministry at 75. He remains active in ministry in a limited fashion. “In my 83 years, I can see that the Church has become more inviting. I pray that it becomes even more sensitive [to racial justice]. The Racial Justice Ministry will join hands with the Church of the Messiah to make big things happen in small ways in Chester. God is good,” he said.

It was two years ago that St. Lawrence started its Racial Justice Ministry, in part as an outgrowth of a prayer service that the parish held in the summer of 2020 at a time of racial tensions in the country. It used a “Prayer Service for Racial Healing in Our Land,” by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ministry started when a parishioner asked that a racial justice ministry be established. Today, the ministry has 12 members, who meet at Deacon Owens’ house monthly, said Deacon William DeVizio of St. Lawrence, who is a ministry member.

“We want to engage St. Lawrence and the Chester community in issues about racial justice under Catholic Social Teaching. We stay away from politics — on the left or the right,” said Deacon DeVizio. “Participating in the ecumenical Juneteenth prayer service strengthens our relationship with the Church of the Messiah and helps our young ministry grow into the community,” he said.

Since its inception, the Racial Justice Ministry led a Stations of the Cross with a racial justice theme and visited the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May. In the fall, it will lead a visit to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., Deacon DeVizio said.

One of the many Racial Justice Ministry members, who attended the Juneteenth prayer service, was Arlene McDonald. Growing up, she attended Catholic schools and went to Cabrini University, a socially active Catholic college in Radnor, Pa. She counts as one of her heroes her father, who stood up to neighbors in Westchester County, N.Y., who wanted to buy the house next door to him, so an African-American family, slated to move in, could not buy the place. Her father rebuffed their plan, saying, “I will welcome anyone who moves in to that house!”

“This is a good turnout [for the prayer service]. Juneteenth is important because it was the final act for freedom in the U.S. It’s been a long road since then,” said McDonald, who noted that St. Lawrence and the Church of the Messiah have worked together for years in social justice ministries, such as in food pantries. “I hope our Racial Justice Ministry grows. Christianity started with Twelve Apostles and look what happened,” she said.