Focus Questions: Is our experience of diversity, as we come to know it at Holy Cross, a goal in itself, or is it a tool we can use to achieve some greater goal? If it is a tool, to what purpose or use can we put it?

Main Ideas from the gathering

5 PM Mass

• Understanding needs to grow
• inclusion: racial, ethnic, disabled, etc.
• “crossing boundary” is important – increases knowledge
• helps one grow more than a symbol
• get to know others, Sunday Social works
• Suggestion: dinners with various cultures
• helps to learn and adjust
• elephant in the room: Gay Community “Are we excluding people.”
• Stop when you see someone you don’t know and introduce yourself
• Forgiveness may be needed. Pray for person who hurts you.

9 AM Mass

• Gift: listening can help foster understanding
• celebrate differences – tell the story of our diversity.
• “All are Welcome” Use the (Mission) statement as an example of diversity
• “Come as you are”. Quirkiness works.
• we see diversity in our parish. Goal: to appreciate diversity in our every day
• need to educate people that we are open. Reaching out is essential
• immigrants are here – do we listen?
• people who used to come – where are they?
• not a goal; it’s a blessing. Openness to differences can be a goal

11 AM Mass

• Diversity: differences between true and false diversity. True diversity is authentic because it is practiced, involved.
• Further the mission: “to love one another” – God loves everyone.
• Philosopher said, “We are becoming all the time…” Discernment is needed to weave together diversity.
• I came because of diversity. Maybe Holy Cross could be a hub for diversity. We need young people
• Gift. Diversity is a gift we have been given. How do we use this gift?
• Commonweal and America magazines. Speaker: Jean Luc Marion (You Tube) Sources of modern thought – Christian and Catholic 
• Diverse persons: How is it possible to express in real terms the Welcome?
• Welcome the person. Stay Catholic and compassionate. Diversity of experience includes separated and divorced Catholics
• LGBT face real obstacles. How is it possible to express in real terms the welcome, incorporation of people. Get to know the person. Gay or Trans – see the person
• How do we show people what it means to be Catholic? Mission: to extend compassion
• Invite others to Social Sunday. There is power in the invitation.
• Awareness, education, and advocacy is needed in areas of diversity.
• Catholic Social Teaching – begins with Human Dignity.
• Dialog vs. Discussion. Get to know the person – leads to an understanding
• Focus: Jesus who is “The Way”. Goal: Look around and get to know people. Don’t get bogged down.

6 PM Mass

• Diversity is a goal. We need to reach out to all of God’s people. Also a tool. We not only gather – we need to be open to others and use diversity to understand and improve the world around us.
• Diversity is a continuous process
• It is a way of welcoming those around us as Jesus would.
• I wonder if the word “tool” is the right word. It is a directional posture. Not so much a way of being but a mindset. It points us toward a way of understanding ourselves.
• It is an orientation of our mind. An attitude by which we do everything we do.
• If we live as Jesus wants us to, or goal is to be one. If we love that way, diversity happens.
• Our mindset leads us.
• If we live as all may be one, diversity happens.
• Unity is different from uniformity. If diversity is the goal, what are the objectives (actions to get there)?
• Social Sunday happens because we are looking for a way to be inclusive. Happily, we find ourselves in a diverse community.
• Holy Cross is mostly older people. Young people think the Catholic church is too boring. But then often they come back.
• Race is an obvious difference but not a deep difference. I grew up in an integrated area but I never thought about race.
• I think we could do a better job reaching out to youth.
• I was disappointed in the Synod process that we did not have the input of those who are no longer here.
• Why can’t we meet in church?
• I like the idea of a meeting area within the church.

Additional Comment: via phone call

• Diversity is a part of Holy Cross. Don’t go back to the history in the 60s. If person want to know the history of the parish “integration” or “merger”, let them have a discussion separate from the meeting. Stay with the present!

Quotes:

• “That All May Be One”;
• “Come as you are”;
• “Let all the nations praise the Lord.”;
• “All are Welcome”;
• “Liberty and Justice for all”;
• “Diversity: ask to the party. Inclusion: ask to dance”

Possible Events (TBD):

Multi-cultural Mass; Permanent Committee (Diversity); Various Programs on Diversity; Gatherings in church

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