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Office
for Black Catholic Ministries
Masses
• Workshops • Newsletters • Black
History Month Celebrations • Venerable
Pierre Toussaint Dinner • Days
of Reflection in the Afro Tradition • Evangelization •
Social Outreach • Youth Ministry • Prison Ministry
 Message
on Human Rights from Director, Deacon Miller
On
Saturday April 26, 2008 there was a human rights rally
in New Haven, CT. The gathering centered primarily
on the human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese
government. I was honored to be a speaker because of
the concerns the Catholic Church has for all Human
Rights as articulated in Catholic Social teachings.
The Rally took the name "Human Rights Torch Rally".
The name gives emphasis on the Olympic games which
is being held this year in Beijing. The violations
against basic human rights by the government of China
demeans not only the Olympics but human life and dignity
as well.
Some of those violations are not limited to but include:
1. Financial and weapons Support for the government of Sudan. This support
equips the Sudanese government to continue the carnage that has already
taken the lives of 400,000 of the Darfur people and has forced over 2,500,000
of the people to flee the violence. They now live in exile in camps that
provide little shelter or protection. The U.N. has done little to alleviate
the horror. The Chinese government refuses to excerpt enough pressure
on the government in Khartoum to cease the genocide. The violence continues
today unabated.
2. The people of Tibet have been violated in their attempt to embrace
freedom as a country. They have been continuously suppressed by the government
of China that colonized this tiny nation in the late 1950's. Thousands
have been arrested and killed, because of their desire to embrace freedom.
3. There has been a crackdown on practitioners of Falun Gong which is
a spiritual practice introduced to the public in China in 1992. It has
five sets of meditation exercises and seeks to develop practitioners'
hearts and character according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion,
and Forbearance. For some inexplicable reason the Chinese government
sees this as dangerous. As a consequence thousands of those who practice
Falun Gong have been persecuted and jailed.
4. In Burma the Chinese government has exploited the natural resources
and has again supported the government in Burma. This government has
a historic reputation of violence against its people who continue to
flee this suppressive government.
It is vitally important we all stand up and speak out for those who cannot.
Deacon Arthur L. Miller
Director, Office for Black Catholic Ministries
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Upcoming
Events
Day
of Reflection
Introspective
Prayer: The Journey Out of Addictive Behavior
May 24, 2008
Click
for information
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Caribbean
Mass
Sunday,
June 15, 2008
St. Justin Church
Hartford
Archbishop Mansell,
Presider
ALL ARE INVITED
Picnic after Mass
Click
for information
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Mass
for Black History Month, February 3, 2008
Mission
The Office for Black Catholic Ministries seeks to carry out
advocacy for the current concerns and needs of people of African
descent in the Archdiocese of Hartford. The Office provides
the Church's witness that the Catholic Church is home to all
people and welcomes all peoples with the Gospel message of
Jesus Christ. |
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African
American Bishops as they processed during the closing
Mass at The National Black Catholic Congress in July
2007 in Buffalo, NY. |
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What
the Office Does
Working
in conjunction with the National Conference of Catholic Bishops
/ USCC, the National Black Catholic Congress and in collaboration
with several agencies within the Archdiocese of Hartford, the
Office provides consultative ministry in the following areas:
racial understanding, guidelines for receiving pastoral ministers,
pastoral care of immigrants and refugees and understanding African
culture.
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The
Office provides informative workshops in the following
areas:
- Undoing
Racism
- Racial
Harmony
- Evangelization
- Leadership
Training
- Teen
and Youth Retreats
- Conflict
Resolution in Racial Matters
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Masses:
Even though Black Catholics are scattered throughout the Archdiocese
of Hartford, the following churches provide Masses that reflect
the diverse cultures of some of the African American Catholics
living in the Archdiocese:
St. Martin de Porres Church, 136 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven,
CT 06511, 203-624-9944
Sunday Masses: 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
Weekday Masses: 7:30 a.m. except Wednesday
St. Michael Church, 7 Clark Street, Hartford, CT 06120, 860-522-6184
Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.
Weekday Masses: Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.
Spanish Mass: Sunday, 12:15 p.m.
St. Justin Church, 230 Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, CT 06112,
860-246-6897
Sunday Masses: 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m.
Weekday Mass: 8:00 a.m.
St. Mary Church, 15 Maplewood Avenue, East Hartford, CT 06108,
860-290-1880
Sunday Mass: Sunday, 4:00 p.m. (Ghanian language)
St. Justin Church, 230 Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, CT 06112,
860-246-6897
Sunday only: 4:00 p.m. (Creole)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 109 Goodwill Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451,
203-235-6381
Mass: Third Sunday of Every Month, 1:30 p.m. (Ebo)
To contact
the Office for Black Catholics:
Deacon
Arthur Miller,
Director
Office for Black Catholic Ministries
467 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Telephone: 860-243-0648
Fax: 860-243-0649
Email: obcm@sbcglobal.net
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