Province VII Anti-Racism Network

Vatican repudiates the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' which underpinned colonialism -

The Vatican repudiates 'Doctrine of Discovery,' which was used to justify colonialism The doctrine, with origins in the 15th century, was invoked as a legal and religious standing by Europeans who "discovered" new lands and violently seized it from people who had been living there.

'Weathering' makes the case that the stress of poverty and racism damage health : Shots - Health News -

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering.

Saint Brigid
Saint Brigid, “the Mary of the Gael,” was born around 450 in Faughart, about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth. According to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves.

Even as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. She would give away food, clothing, and even her father’s possessions to the poor. One day he took Brigid to the king’s court, leaving her outside to wait for him. He asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. The king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. They were just in time to see her give away her father’s sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, who said, “I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap.”

Saint Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of Saint Mael of Ardagh (February 6). Soon after this, she established a monastery on land given to her by the King of Leinster. The land was called Cill Dara (Kildare), or “the church of the oak.” This was the beginning of women’s cenobitic monasticism in Ireland.

Artwork by Lynn Garlick Retablos

A House of Prayer for All People

International Holocaust Remembrance Day The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Find out how to observe this important day.

From "A Collect for the Presence of Christ" on BCP page 124. (Image from Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center in the Diocese of East Tennessee)