Inspired by our brothers and sisters at Santa Clara University, LMU Campus Ministry humbly offers this prayer of witness and commitment. Compiled from our individual voices, we come together now to denounce racism in all forms and collectively profess the dignity of each and every person.
If you would like to contribute a witness statement for our LMU community, please feel free to submit them here. Please kindly be aware that we may not be able to include all submissions.
Rev. Fr. Marc Reeves, S.J. | Interim Director of Campus Ministry
We witness, affirm and acknowledge that Black Lives Matter, that racism in all of its forms is an evil and a sin, and that all people share a fundamental human dignity bestowed upon them at their creation. Our Catholic, Jesuit, Marymount and Ignatian traditions demand that we promote the full humanity and dignity of all people, especially our black sisters and brothers.
We pray and work for a nation that values inclusion, justice and human dignity for all people without exception. May our Christian faith and fervent prayer bind us together as one and unite us in the pursuit of God’s justice and peace in the world: “let justice roll on like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5: 24).
John Flaherty | Associate Director of Campus Ministry
We witness a sleeping giant now “woke” in the children of privilege and wealth and race who are joining the throngs of voices that proclaim that all lives cannot matter until black lives matter. We witness my own adult children who have joined the protests. We witness people who have lived in privilege and comfort who are now finally willing to surrender the entitlements they’ve enjoyed to stand shoulder to shoulder with friend and stranger alike to say, no more and not while we live and breathe. We witness people ablaze now who may forget when life’s distractions take them to other news that unfolds.
We vow to work and pray for change. We pray for a true reconciliation rooted in a justice of the God who led slaves through the water to freedom’s passage. We pray to end the fear that reigns in hearts that cannot and refuse to see the humanity in others. We will pray and work so that when all the cameras have gone away in a few months that this time will not be forgotten. We will work to ensure that those who draw breath now will not let George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubery, and countless others be forgotten in the coming months as were Rodney King and Medgar Evans of past times.
Jonas Bognar | Campus Minister for Liturgy, Sacramental Preparation and Weddings
We witness, that to bring about justice and peace, we must listen, act and stand firmly for and with others. We witness that all lives and all of God’s creation is valuable and precious. We witness that Black Lives Matter.
We pray and work for justice, peace, the realization of the Kingdom of God in this world, to end racism in all of its ugly forms.
Chris De Silva | Campus Minister for Music and Liturgy
We witness that the structural dismantling of centuries of systemic oppression and racism requires clear voice and resolute action that breaks apart circles of comfort and privilege.
We pray for an unwavering solidarity with the African American community and the Black Lives Matter movement, for an unapologetic marching forward together toward a new day, for an unequivocal tearing down of walls of inequality and division.
Josh Mayfield | Campus Minister for Faith and Justice
We witness the need for uncomfortable conversations and for spaces of healing. We witness the pain and on-going injustice the Black community continues to face across systems in our country and world. We witness our call as ministers to live like Jesus, loving our neighbors, especially our Black neighbors in this time of need. We witness the need to continually fight for racial justice.
We pray for the softening hearts and the encouragement of spirits. We pray for revelation in the ways we are complicit in systems of injustices and the will to fight against it. We pray for a time when saying Black Lives Matter is not controversial because complete human dignity is seen in the eyes of our Black brothers and sisters.
Sr. Maria Lai, C.S.J. | Campus Minister for Graduate Students
We witness the Asian American doctors and nurses who are fighting racism and the Coronavirus pandemic. We pray that God may free them from racial hostility and allow them to exercise the gifts God has given to them to heal.
We pray and work for a change of heart among government leaders who choose to place blame on Asians for the Coronavirus pandemic and for inciting discrimination and hatred toward them for political gain in an effort to retaliate against Beijing while ignoring the threats to democracy in Hong Kong.
Flor Ordoñez | Coordinator of Liturgy and Worship
We witness the need to stand in solidarity and to unite our voices to defend one another. To value human life through the lessons we have learned from the past.
We pray and work for the strength to withstand what may come, for the fortitude to steel our nerves and be uncomfortable in the pursuit of defeating oppression.
Victoria Zobrist | Campus Minister for Christian Life Community (CLC)
We witness the pain and suffering of our black brothers and sisters who face racial injustice on a daily basis at the hands of a broken social system that is desperate for reform.
We pray and work for an end to the sins of racism, injustice, and violence. May our ears be open, our hearts be softened, and our hands be active in reshaping the world.