“We are a celebration people … no one is free until we all are free,” said Sister Jane Nesmith, SBS as she welcomed those attending the third annual Diocese of Cleveland Juneteenth celebration on June 19. Sister Nesmith is director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries, which coordinated the event. It was hosted by St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Cleveland.
Freedom and truth were the key messages of the celebration, which marks the day (June 19, 1865) that enslaved people in Texas learned they were free – more than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863).
“Don’t be sad because of what happened,” Sister Nesmith said. “Be glad that he (the Lord) saw us through it.”
(See above for a photo gallery of images from the event.)
Erin Whatley-Baker, a member of the OBCM Advisory Committee, shared a reflection on Juneteenth before the liturgy began.
Bishop Martin Amos, retired bishop of Davenport, Iowa, and a son of the diocese, celebrated Mass. Father James Watson, OFM Cap, St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima pastor; Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization; Father Dave Domanski, OFM Cap, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Cleveland; Father Tom Fanta, pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Shaker Heights; and Father John Judie of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky concelebrated. Father Judie stepped in as homilist after the recent death of SAOLF Deacon Hardin Martin, who had been scheduled to preach. Deacon Mike Hayes, director of young adult ministry and the interfaith delegate for the diocese, assisted with the liturgy.
The Diocesan Gospel Choir and the SAOLF music ministry provided music for the liturgy and the Youth Praise Dancers performed a liturgical dance after the homily. The universal prayer was presented by Carole Grant, SAOLF parishioner and a member of the Knights of St. Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary. The knights and auxiliary attended the Mass. The knights were founded Nov. 7, 1909 in Mobile, Alabama to spread “faith, hope and love through friendship, unity and Christian Charity.” The Ladies Auxiliary was established in August 1922.
In his homily, which was based on Scripture, Father Judie emphasized truth and freedom. He said the Apostles learned what truth was through the Gospel “and truth set them free.”
He told the congregation that we will not know freedom until we are willing to embrace a relationship with Jesus Christ and to accept and follow his will. “Then you will know the truth that will set you free,” he added.
Father Judie said Martin Luther King Jr. saw how to love God, ourselves and one another, setting an example for others. “He preached about a world where all could walk together and the truth will set us free.”
He questioned why it took so long for the slaves in Texas to learn that they were free, connecting it to the sin of racism, which still exists.
“People treat others differently and wrongly because of their appearance,” Father Judie said, adding, “Where do we find the truth that sets us free?”
He said the world “will begin to act right when we do,” once we free ourselves and others from the bonds that restrict our relationship with God and others.
“With this truth that sets us free, we know we have nothing to fear because Jesus is with us. We will know Jesus because he gave us his love … He is not my Father, but our Father. We will all be together in God’s kingdom, nobody else’s kingdom,” Father Judie said. He reminded the congregation that we need to be free from things that polarize us, tear us apart and keep us from God.
“With this truth, this freedom, I will stand up and shout, ‘Jesus is my king. I am free. I know the truth and it sets me free … I am free. That’s the truth and it sets us free.”
Kaiden Daniels, a sixth grader at St. Adalbert School in Cleveland, sang a reflection song after Communion.
Shortly before the liturgy ended, heavy rainfall moved in, forcing OBCM planning team to pivot from plans for an outdoor social with games and activities for children to an indoor meal and social time.
Volunteers braved the downpour and prepared hot dogs and burgers on the grills. Another group of volunteers, including several from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, served food to the hundreds of guests who were in the parish hall.
Sister Nesmith said she was pleased to see the diversity in the crowd, noting the celebration was not just for the Black community, but for everyone. Among the attendees was a busload of people from the Hispanic Senior Center at St. Michael the Archangel Parish on Cleveland’s West Side. Sister Nesmith said delegates from that group and the OBCM shared a bus last summer when they traveled to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the delegates remarked that it was like a reunion to gather with members of the OBCM for the Juneteenth event.
Regarding Father Judie’s homily message, Sister Nesmith said it hit all the right notes, stressing that we find the truth in the Gospel.
“Regardless of race, creed or social status, he is God for all of us and he wants us to realize that at some point before we leave this earth. He’s called us to be one, too,” she added.
Bishop Edward Malesic and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost were unable to attend the Juneteenth celebration because they are at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spring plenary meeting. However, Bishop Malesic released a statement that can be read here.