The International Catholic Liberation Workshop
This April, fifty Catholics from throughout the Caribbean and Latin America (Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad) and from South Africa, England, and the United States gathered for an International RC Catholic Liberation Workshop, led by Joanne Bray. 1 Below are a few personal highlights from an extraordinary workshop.
Joanne encouraged us to give up (in Co-Counseling sessions) blame, moral superiority, and separation. I’ve begun to notice how easy it is for me to feel like I’m better than people whose political views are different from my own and oppressive toward others, and to blame them for my country’s problems and then feel justified in keeping separate from them.
This package of blame, moral superiority, and separation also runs2 internally among Catholics of different beliefs, practices, and experiences with Catholicism.
Joanne did demonstrations with a diverse group of Catholics, some of whom had experienced Catholicism as an institution that had greatly helped them and their families, some as an institution that had nearly destroyed them and their families, and others as everything in between. With each demonstration that made the invisible visible, we got to listen deeply to one another’s stories. The closeness, respect, and compassion grew among us in the midst of all our diversity (in race, class, gender, and Catholic experiences).
I left feeling hopeful about our pioneering RC project. I want to keep figuring out how to bring the power of listening, discharge, and healing to our families and our communities and to keep building our unity and solidarity with all people.
Los Angeles, California, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail
discussion list for leaders of Catholics
1 Joanne Bray is the International Liberation Reference Person for Catholics.
2 "Runs" means is acted out.