Before I begin, I want to acknowledge Brother Peter Stanfield’s presence this morning.
When I met a staff member of Park Place Nursing and Rehabilitation, she told me Brother Peter was “adorable.” I’ve used many words to describe him over the years, but “adorable” was not one of them.
I also want to acknowledge Karen Horton, the archivist of the Archdiocese of Mobile, who was very helpful in supplying many historical documents. For example, she secured from the Jesuit archives journals that describe the early history of the parish. The many historic documents enabled Gabe Norton to create a historical timeline. It allowed me to produce an online video.
The timeline and video present a more complete history of the parish. I revised my talk several times. I have tried to focus on an appropriate message for this time in our nation, Alabama, and Selma. I’m conscious that we are unduly concerned for our “rights” but not sufficiently concerned with our “responsibilities.” So, I hope what I offer helps to unite us on this special occasion.
We celebrate two anniversaries: (1) the consecration and dedication of the Catholic church in Selma 150 years ago and (2) the joining of two parishes to create Queen of Peace parish 50 years ago.
Charles Dickens described life 150 years ago in his “A Tale of Two Cities.” His words also seem apropos to describe the Tale of Two Parishes.
St. Elizabeth Parish Church, now the Edmundite Mission Building.“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Devout Catholics served in both the Union and Confederate armies. Construction of the Selma church began on St. Patrick's Day in 1869. After the Civil War, many former Union soldiers like Captain Henry Cochran, Selma's postmaster, settled in Dallas County. Cochran and other former Union soldiers joined with former Confederate soldiers like Captain Richard English, who became the Selma Times Journal editor. They put aside their differences and built upon what they shared in common – “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith.”
Working together, they used stones from the Confederate Arsenal to erect the church. The stones of a war, which deeply divided people, became the stones that “turned the swords of war into plowshares of peace.” The church, which cost $13,084.43, was initially named to honor the Assumption of Mary. I think the new carpet in the church probably cost that amount.
Bishop John Quinlan consecrated the church on Sunday, June 19, 1870. Other significant events occurred on June 19. In 325, the Nicene Creed was formally adopted. That ancient creed states that we believe that we are “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.”
On June 19, 1854, the founder of the Edmundite Fathers and Brothers died. He wanted the four marks of the church to be the attributes of his community. Slavery ended on June 19, 1862, and the Civil Rights Act was adopted on June 19, 1964.
Among the historic items possessed by the parish is a Civil War rendering of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart had a prominent place in the history of the parish. Moreover, a statue of the Sacred Heart originally stood over the main altar. The statue, which is in deplorable condition, is stored on the top floor of St. Andrew's Hall.
For a time, the statue was near a window. Lawrence Lister thought the shadow cast by the statue was Paul Robitaille’s spirit, who had died recently. For many years the women's society was known as the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. Some annual reports mention how beholding the parish was for their many labors of love.
The actual anniversary date (June 19, 2020) coincided with the feast of the Sacred Heart. The scriptures underscored the foundations on which generations of faith were built. Hosea reminded us God will never give us up or give up on us; God's heart is overwhelmed, and God's pity for us is constantly stirred. In Ephesians, Paul told us that knowing Christ's love is better than all knowledge. John's gospel invited us to “look on him whom they pierced” so that we might know the love and life that flows from Jesus.
I’m reminded of Father Maurice Ouellet’s homily after “Bloody Sunday” when he described the “Uncomfortable Body of Christ.”
Today, the anniversary Mass proclaims St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that declares we are no longer strangers and aliens. The Edmundite Constitutions quotes that passage to capture the Society of St. Edmund’s charism – gift to the church. Paul's words resonate with what Black journalist Daniel Rudd said. Rudd recognized that only the Catholic Church could break the color line. Rudd argued, “Our people should help Her do it.”
Why did Rudd believe that? Because the word “catholic” is synonymous with “universal.” Queen of Peace parish witnesses what Rudd said could be done. Solidarity and friendships exist among many members of the parish in general. And the Women's Society, Knights of Columbus, and Parish Council in particular.
After George Floyd’s death, congregants of area churches gathered at Selma's Bloch Park. A non-violence prayer service was held on June 7, 2020. Various pastors offered prayers and remarks. I offered words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. that included these words,
“People fail to get along because they fear each other.
They fear each other because they don't know each other.
They don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”
There are over 200 Christian churches in Dallas County -- 28 in the City of Selma alone. But few have diverse congregations like Queen of Peace.
I had a conversation with some who attended the Bloch Park Prayer Service. Some participants were eager to hear how Queen of Peace became so well integrated. I said, “Ending racism and violence costs dearly.” While more and more new churches are created, the answer doesn’t lie in further division. Churches need to merge. There needs to be less competition and more cooperation – more joining hands and hearts in friendship.
When Bishop John May merged the Selma parishes, he also merged two parishes in Mobile. Bishop May hoped that the Selma parish might be a “sign of reconciliation” for the city.
The Selma parish became Queen of Peace; the Mobile parish became Prince of Peace. Some referred to the new parishes as “Price of Peace.” Indeed, merging the parishes came at a price.
Some Blacks and some Whites decided the price was too great. Doing the right thing is not always the popular or easy thing to do. It is far easier to talk the walk than to walk the talk.
Love is more than a feeling. Love often requires us to decide to love even when we don't feel like loving.
What a difficult time the merger must have been for everyone, but look at the parish now. How did Queen of Peace become a united, thriving parish?
When Gabe Norton researched the merger of the parishes, four virtues stood out. They are the virtues of courage, humility, charity, and obedience.
St. Elizabeth parishioners showed “courage and humility when they left their church and walked into Assumption church where not everyone was welcoming.” While some Assumption parishioners did not want the change, they obeyed the bishop and tried to be kind and welcoming. While some St. Elizabeth parishioners did not want the change, they courageously and humbly cooperated with decisions. The obedience and charity of everyone involved were apparent.
Obedience and charity are needed today! We are too preoccupied with our personal rights and not sufficiently concerned with our responsibilities.
Gabe discovered, “Parishioners put their Catholic faith before personal desires.” And wasn’t that what Union and Confederate soldiers did in 1870? Courage, humility, charity, and obedience provide a strong foundation for the parish.
“It” wasn't easy initially for Black Catholics and White Catholics to worship, work, and socialize together. With God's grace and human determination, strangers and aliens became friends. The marks of the church became the attributes of the parish. Queen of Peace parishioners are more clearly becoming the Body of Christ.
The 1971 joining of the parishes was the beginning of an ongoing evangelizing experience.
Parishioners incorporated each other’s heritage and culture in liturgies and celebrations.
“Strangers and aliens” have become true brothers and sisters in the Lord. We better understand and appreciate one another as members of the Body of Christ.
Queen of Peace parishioners demonstrate Bishop Anderson's motto, “Unity in Diversity.”
Before Covid-19, the best attended annual event was the parish's Pentecost celebration. Each year we had a bilingual Mass, followed by an ethnic heritage covered dish luncheon. But there is something more telling than the once-a-year event of Pentecost event. It occurred at nearly every funeral celebrated in the Selma church. A truly integrated congregation attended each funeral.
Whites attended the funerals of Black parishioners. And Blacks attended the funerals of White parishioners.
Those examples illustrate the opening paragraph Vatican II’s document, the Church in the Modern World. I’ll close with those words:
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community... United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father, and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every person. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.”
May God continue to bless you with an abiding faith, an enduring hope, and an untiring love. And may you continue to witness being one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church in many ways.