Racial Justice and the Catholic Church

by Bryan N. Massingale

Confronting racism is difficult but essential work if we are to heal the brokenness in our society and our church. In the author's words, "We all are wounded by the sin of racism... How can we struggle together against an evil that harms us all?" Racial Justice and the Catholic Church examines the presence of racism in America from its early history through the Civil Rights Movement and the election of Barack Obama. It also explores how Catholic social teaching has been used--and not used--to promote reconciliation and justice.
Massingale writes from an abiding conviction that the Catholic faith and the black experience make essential contributions in the continuing struggle against racial injustice that is the work of all people. His book is essential reading for all those concerned with justice and healing in our world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology, Religion, Catholic, History, Faith, Unfinished

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2014

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this and gained an awareness of both the historical failings of the church and the power of Catholic theology to articulate a foundation and vision for racial reconciliation. It is a dense read but so rich.

[Alicia Tapia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves a Catholic.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doesn't miss.

Should be required reading at every Catholic college in the U.S. a heartfelt and rigorous examination of race within the Catholic church.

[James Millikan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This broad, interdisciplinary look at racial justice and the Catholic Church will appeal to novice and expert readers alike. Theology, anthropology, Church history, Supreme Court precedents, personal experience, US Conference of Catholic Bishops statements, Black-American literature, and many other sources are woven together in Bryan Massingale’s excellent text.

Racism, as all levels of the Church hierarchy have taught for decades, is a sin. Please prayerfully read this book so we can better identify and begin to heal this tragic wound in the Mystical Body of Christ. Very highly recommended.

[Jen Wehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely well done. Chapter 10 should be read a couple times to really soak it in.

[Don Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all Americans, especially those who identify as Catholic. This is an eye-opening book which is chocked full of interesting facts and anecdotes of a life working in the minority. Interesting too is the author's prescription for change and a solution centered on the principles of the Gospel.

[Quincy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're a Catholic or not, if you're an American of faith, you should read this book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you identify as a Catholic!

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: An exploration of the Catholic Church and its history and future around racial justice. 

Some books on Catholic thought are about the universal (catholic) church but written from the perspective of a Catholic thinking. While other books on Catholic thought are particularly about what it means to be Catholic in particular. This is the latter not the former. As a non-Catholic reading it, there are still helpful ideas and considerations that can be used outside of the Catholic Church. The chapter on culture is particularly helpful in part because the Catholic Church is so universal that it (or at least parts of it) have thought deeply about how culture and faith work together.

Other parts of the book, history and the discussion of what it means to be a Black Catholic theologian in the US, are more particular and those parts are not as immediately applicable for those who are not Catholic (or Black). But there is still value in understanding particularity. Particularity, when you can understand it allow you to see how to think and act, or at least how others have attempted to think and act, and then to see if those process of thinking and acting can be helpful for you in a different context.

This is also a book written at a particular time, 2010. That time was very particular. Obama had been elected president. And the very public deaths of Black people (mostly men) that eventually gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement had not started. Massingale was writing with tempered hope. He was well aware that the idealism of many who thought we were in a "post-racial" world was not true. But he also was aware that there had been improvements within his lifetime both inside and outside the Catholic Church. Fifteen years later, and not only Benedict, and Francis, have passed away, but the American Catholic Church is in an even deeper sense of division as a result of the continued fall out of the abuse crisis, the politics of Trump, the strain theologically between reformers and traditionalists and other issues. However, I am not sure that much of the discussion in the book is really significantly different.

I am very much influenced by the work of the Catholic Church. My spiritual direction training was at a Catholic program. I am very much influenced by Catholic social teaching. But I also am aware that as much as I find value and ideas helpful, that I am not Catholic. My particularity as a Christian does not have to be disturbed by grappling with difference. Instead the difference can help me understand myself and my own context more clearly.

I originally posted this on my blog at https://bookwi.se/racial-justice/

[Stephen Dages · Rating 2 out of 5]

A more appropriate title for this book would be Racial INJUSTICE and the Catholic Church.”

I think a lot of my frustration with this book comes from my own personal experience and expectation. As a man wrestling with his catholic identity, I suppose I was looking for answers, and more importantly, looking for hope. Neither of these were byproducts of reading this book. In fact, I feel even a little bit more hopeless about the Catholic Church now, and can’t help but feel a little bit sorry for massingale who is dedicated his life to a mission that’s never going to happen?

This book focuses on the shortcomings of the CC when it comes to racial justice. And of course, they are numerous. But massingale never really gets around to speaking on what the CC can actually do to become a more racially just institution. Yes, he does speak a little bit on the 50,000 foot level (I.e, the church needs to make bold statements, the church needs to train more black leadership, the church needs to be better aligned with its true mission, etc). But this is NOT how change is made, especially for an institution that is member-based. If the CC is to experience a revolution it must have a strong grassroots component and massingale doesn’t even touch on this. He offers no concrete, tangible action steps that Catholics can make to advocate for a more just institution. This book is. It practical in any sense, and for that reason, I was really let down.

Lastly, massingale does well to answer the question “why should the church become more intentionally welcoming of the black community.” But he does not address the opposite: why should the black community become more welcoming of the CC?” Because this question is infinitely more difficult to answer. Why would a marginalized group want anything to do with an institution rooted in injustice? Is there an institution in the US that’s been more complicit in the continuation of racial injustice? What makes massingale believe there’s a chance in hell that the black community would consider joining the CC even if it progresses in this way? (Not even to mention the decline in religiosity across the board in the US).
The reality is, there’s no need for the black community to become catholic. They haven’t been historically for good reason, and to think this can change is just outright delusional. The CC will become obsolete before seeing a large increase in black participation. (Unless they make some drastic changes). I’m sorry Fr massingale, but I think you’re wasting your time. I hope I’m proven wrong!!

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a passionate plea for attention to racial justice within the Catholic Church of the United States. It is a scholarly work by a Catholic priest and doctor of theology. He starts with an interesting survey of the Church's responses to racism throughout American history (scant though they may be). His summary of racism as a cultural symbol language was beyond me, but it was clear that believes racism is much more than person A not liking or mistreating person B because he is black. Racism in America, especially the Church, is systemic as much as personal; you may not know anyone who hates Blacks, but that does not mean there is no racism. Racism in America is about white privilege and the institutions that maintain it. I would have liked more examples at this point, for while I am sure Blacks meet resistance today, I still am blind to the role I am playing in it.

At this point, I was hoping for a grand solution to racism, a plan to eradicate it from the Church, but the author turned to basic Catholic practice: Baptism and Eucharist. While I fully concur that true life in Christ as celebrated through Baptism and the Eucharist must preclude racism, this does not seem to be a step forward. One would assume racists in the Church (or people who you might not call racists but still support white privilege) are baptized and receive Eucharist. The issue is how true people are to the faith they practice, which is a solution for any evil, not specifically racism. It was also odd as this is a personal solution, whereas the author had just finished painting the issue as a systemic one. That said, I certainly cannot argue with the author's call for authentic practice and the argument that racism could not persist in such an environment.

The author finishes up with some comments on being a Black Catholic theologian. One of maybe 20 in the country? That is lonely, bearing one very large burden. He is one of only 225 Black Catholic priests! No wonder the American Church has made so little progress with regard to racism. I hope it is not that no one cares, but that few are passionate about it. That is no excuse, but as the author spends a good deal of pages discussing, it is passion for the other that is needed to solve the problem. I am not a thinker of high enough caliber to swallow this work whole, but I hope I see the world in the future as not simply color-blind but as color-ful. I do not want everyone to be the same but to share our differences.

[Amy Moritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on the recommendation of Fr. Dan Horan to extend my self-study into issues of race in American society. As I suspected, I was not disappointed with this book.

With each reading I have an opportunity to learn more about my own indoctrination into white privilege, how I unwittingly recreate it, and what it really means to listen and value another's experience.

While there is so much good about this book, it provides for me perhaps the best explanation of that elusive concept of the trinity that I've ever heard -- one that finally makes sense to me!

"Christians believe in a Trinitarian God, a community of persons who exist in a communion of life and love. In God, the Divine Persons relate to one another in neither domination or subordination. In God, there is distinction without separation, unity without uniformity, difference without division. Since we are created in the image of this God, God's own life becomes the model for human social life. The variety of languages, cultures, and colors in the human family, then, is a mirror of the Trinitarian God whose essence is a loving embrace of difference."

Wow. Just Wow.

And though I underlined a lot in this book, the final paragraph is a huge point for me as well, a type of call to action for me:

"... social life is made by human beings. The society we live in is the outcome of human choices and decisions. This means that human beings can change things. There is nothing necessary or fated about racial hierarchies or white racial privilege. They are the result of human agency; it does not have to be so. What humans break, divide, and separate, we can -- with God's help -- also heal, unite, and restore.

"What is now does not have to be. Therein lies the hope. And the challenge."

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A study group I'm involved in at my (Catholic) church read this together, discussing along the way, over a period of several months. I don't know when we've read something that affected us all as deeply. I'm grateful to Massingale for the work of his writing, particularly because, based on his sharing of personal experiences in the final chapter, it entailed both shoehorning the writing into a very busy life and surmounting emotional and philosophical obstacles. The early chapters are more academic, discussing the history of this relationship and presenting Massingale's view of the nature of racism. I appreciated the later chapter on the response of the black Catholic to the experience of being in the church, and the possible responses to this difficult relationship both on the part of black Catholics and other Catholics, including the hierarchy. And I was grateful that he was willing to record with candor his unique personal perspective on being a black Catholic theologian and priest, in the final chapter. The members of the group came to this process already on the open-minded, receptive end of the spectrum - but I think all of us moved from where we were to a position of greater compassion and greater determination to keep our eyes open for opportunities to be less and less part of the problem and more and more part of the solution.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really, really need more accessible books on racism and the Catholic Church in America.

I'd highly recommend Massingale's with two qualifiers -- 1) it is readable (not highly academic), but would be tough (subject and language wise) as a first foray into race relations books, especially if the audience is not "a reader." It took a good bit of focus from me. Massingale does a good and important job of defining his terms in the first chapter.
2) Conservative Catholics will probably raise an eyebrow at his (short) comments on the role of theologians -- do they think with the Church, or for the Church? (He sides with the latter). He raises the question of what in Catholic tradition can be picked and chosen. He doesn't distinguish here between "big T" /"little t" tradition, and yes, doctrines develop, and pastoral practices can change, but it's unclear exactly what he means, and as far as I see, he doesn't balance this with the idea of a hermeneutic of continuity. I wouldn't say he's unorthodox, just something to be aware of if you float the book to your conservative parish book club 😉

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend found this book after The director of Catholic Charities in our diocese published a YOUTube video sharing that he had come to realize his own hidden racism and the systemic racism that the Catholic Church has let go on for far too long. The director was reprimanded by our Bishop who showed no understanding much less compassion for African-Americans or insight into the ways that the Church supports a racist society. Massingale is an excellent educator and though he is passionate he is not unfair in his assessment of how the Church has responded to racism. Sometimes it is really hard to be a Catholic such as:the entire problem of sexual abuse; the response to racism; the support of unethical, racist, immoral politicians solely on the basis of their opposition to abortion. This book is well written, wonderfully thought out and a true starting place for those who truly know that change only comes from within. Massingale provides this without beating up anyone only offering a chance to look at oneself in order to grow in compassion for all.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

'But we cannot offer what we do not ourselves genuinely believe. Too often, the Catholic faith community is "catholic" in rhetoric and aspiration alone. Becoming genuinely "universal" in our welcome will entail dying to the "empty promises" of racial and social privilege. It means a willingness to sing in another language, to pray in a different idiom, to redefine our parish boundaries, to welcome darker faces into church leadership, and to imagine new configurations and possibilities of being "church" not dependent on the racialized values and idolatrous identities of our nation."

and

"Therefore, if the Catholic Church is to be viable, meaningful, and relevant in twenty-first century U.S. society, it must become a proactive force for racial justice. The Catholic Church cannot be a proactive force for racial justice unless its teaching, catechesis, and practices forthrightly address the reality of white privelege and embrace an understanding of racism beyond its personal and intentional manifestations."

[Neil Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Massingale is a Catholic priest and theologian (he describes himself as a black Catholic theologian). He is a professor of theology and Christian ethics at Fordham University in the Bronx. In 2010, when this book was published, Father Massingale was a professor at Marquette University, in Wisconsin. He wrote the book in the period following the election of Barack Obama, America’s first black president, and in light of the reaction to that historic election. In this book, Father Massingale discusses the nature of racism, the disappointing, if not scandalous, history of the Catholic Church’s response to racism, and how we might, as a faith community and a society, move with hope and courage towards a beloved community of true equality and compassion for all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This is not to be misunderstood as an optimistic take on a post-racial America. Massingale is not deluded. He writes with a prophetic voice, anchored in the tear-stained ground of the four hundred year-old African American legacy of suffering, lamentation and struggle. He speaks eloquently, and with a scholar’s quiet but unmistakable passion, of widespread and long-standing injustice, hypocrisy, and complicity among the American Catholic hierarchy, and on down through the ranks to every white Catholic parish, home and person. He dismisses as inadequate calls for personal conversion – it is not enough that I acknowledge my own privilege and biases and make sincere personal efforts to amend my own behavior and to empathize with those who suffer injustice. Massingale points to a larger and more persistent and pervasive problem embedded in our culture, below the level of our consciousness, that supports and sustains racial injustice, and has done so despite the apparent but limited progress represented by, for one example, the 2008 presidential election.

This book is one of the very best I have ever read. It deals honestly and intelligently, with hope and deeply-rooted moral concern, with a critically important issue in American society. My life spans the early days of the civil rights movement through to the present moment, living in the shameful shadow of the white supremacist presidency that followed the Obama years. I have come to a point in my life, tardily I admit, where I want to do something about it. I am grateful to Father Massingale for offering so many insights and such a compelling vision of how we might approach the problem. I agree with him that Christian people should be intrinsically opposed to racial injustice and that a person like myself who seeks to contribute in any way to fixing this problem might do well to engage other Christians in conversation, conversion, and commitment.

Let’s do it!

[Tom Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with a group of Catholics who were looking for ways to support to the Black Lives Matter movement and educate ourselves about how the church can best empower the Black community. Many in this group were also concerned about what they saw as an insufficient response by the Catholic Church so far. Fr. Bryan Massingale in this book offers a vision of how the Catholic Church can best integrate itself with the Black community and truly be a place of hospitality and common mission. He labors to show a new direction and makes an honest accounting of the church’s past failures and steps forward on issues of racial justice. It’s a must read for Catholics at this moment (and any moment).

[Paula Yerke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other reviewers have said this but I have to also voice that anyone who identifies as Catholic should read this book. It is clearly presented, insightful , scholarly and faithful. Massengale is a Black Catholic Theologian which is a rare voice in the Church. My two favorite take aways from the book are the need for the Church to find passion around racial justice just as it has passion about abortion. We must speak up about it even if society does not want to hear it or even agree with it just as we do about abortion. My second take away is in looking at the 1979 pastoral from the USCCB "Brothers and Sisters to Us" you have to laugh AND cry at the very title. Aren't our Black members part of US? There is much more I could say but I'll end with just encouragement for it to be read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all Americans . A study group I'm involved in at my (Catholic) church read this together, discussing along the way. Many of us believe this is a powerful life changing read. Father Massingale shares important facts early on, as well as personal experiences in the final chapter. There is so much we have to learn from this brilliant black Catholic theologian and priest. Although we came to this process already on the open-minded, receptive end of the spectrum, we now have the knowledge, compassion and determination we need to make better choices and offer stronger support in searching for opportunities to end racism to be a stronger part of the solution to help other see this imperative opportunity to do the same.

[Luke Eure · Rating 3 out of 5]

The “and” instead of “in” in the title is significant: Racial justice and the Catholic church in America are pretty separate concepts because of how little the church in America has said about racial justice. Mastingale makes very compelling points about how the ideas of conversion and baptism in Christianity give us a way to understand opening our eyes to the racism in the world, and finding redemption for past evils. He also writes convincingly about what the African American experience has to offer the Catholic church: A sense of hope, the power of lament, the beauty of struggle.

[Heidi Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for American Catholics, especially any working in Catholic institutions. As an educator who teaches religion in a Catholic school, I see innumerable possibilities for using the text to engage students in reflection and discussion about racism and white privilege in the Church and society, about the rich alternate visions embedded in Black culture and the tradition of the Church, and how to make the Church (and ourselves) “less imperfect.”

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Amazing" is not the right descriptor for me for the 5 stars. "Profound" would be a more appropriate adjective for me, so 4.5 stars. The ideas and insights challenge the reader. The concepts of racism and the Catholic Church's role in perpetuating and eradicating it are discussed in a clear and pastoral manner. I consider it a must-read for Catholics to have a common language and starting point for any discussion of racism in society and in the Church.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book based on a recommendation from the wife of our parish deacon and I'm grateful for the recommendation. The book educated and astonished me as much as anything I've read in the last decade. Massingale's book is scholarly without being tedious, and his exploration of the topic is thorough. Since this book was published during the presidency of Barack Obama, I'd be extremely interested in reading an updated version based on recent events under the Trump administration.

[Jeanne Cassell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening and thoughtful discussion of racial injustice in America , especially in the “white privilege”of the Catholic church. Uses his understanding of black culture, to try to challenge the church to be more inclusive, as was Jesus’ message. Tells of the diffilcuty of being a black theologian ,a small number with a great responsibility. First in his family to have a college degree, and his grandmother asks “How are your going to help people with it?”

[Greyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant short treatise on racial concerns in the Catholic church, specifically engaging with Catholic US "whiteness" and its impact on black laypersons, clergy, and leadership (or lack there-of). Massingale details the failures of the church to engage meaningfully in racial justice--and in fact demonstrates that these failures are worse than many protestant sects--and cogently explains how a more catholic (lower-case c) version of the faith is necessary to fulfill its mission. We'll see.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be very informative and interesting in the beginning where it highlights racism in the Catholic Church. It then continued to provide some ideas for confronting racism, but then kind of peters out in the end. It did provide a lot of fodder for thoughtful discussion within our church book group.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

The generational loss of Black US Catholics is tragic. I’ve noticed some reviews discount this book by claiming Massingale doesn’t have a strong conclusion or resolution. I’m not sure there is a definitive solution to this sort of loss but he gives us a detailed list of action items after a thorough analysis. I appreciated his approach to the subject and I’m only sorry I didn’t read this sooner.

[John Laliberte · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read on Racial Justice; and one of the few that addresses it from an African American Catholic Church perspective. Fr. Massingale's direct and thoughtful approach is an important contribution to our current challenges on both Racial Justice and the Catholic Church.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar addition to The Catholic theological discourse

A must read as the Church confronts it’s complicity in perpetuating white normative worship and scholarship. Especially in these times of racial awakening.