Why Wear Black?

Some parishioners of Holy Spirit have asked why an ever growing group of individuals in our parish are choosing to wear BLACK to Sunday Mass. Below is a compilation of reasons given to answer this question.

WHY WE WEAR BLACK.

1. To mourn the loss of the Moya family who have faithfully served the parish community for many years in many ministries. Apologies have been offered by the family members, but there are also apologies due to the family.


2. To mourn the loss of civility among parishioners and clergy alike;


3. To mourn the fact that power and control have become more important in our church than service to our neighbors;


4. To mourn that the Gospel words of "we are many parts, but we are all one body..." have been replaced by "it's my way or the highway";


5. To mourn the loss of a church environment where "all are welcome at this table" regardless of how much money you have, etc.;


6. To mourn the loss of a forgiving community where pastor and parishioners could agree to disagree on political and yes, even religious issues (e.g., peace and justice issues) and still be cordial to one another;


7. To mourn the loss of a parish where a neighbor in need (any neighbor, parishioner or not) would be helped quickly from the generosity of our parish family, instead of a parish where the "need" for fancy (i.e., not humble) vestments & flowers has taken center stage;


8. To mourn the Gestapo tactics being employed by a small group of loyalists seeking favor with the pastor. These individuals truly believe that they are doing the right thing, but they do not respect the rights of others to follow their own consciences.


9. To mourn the loss of our Catholic theology because some of our catechists are espousing fundamentalist ideology found in popular best-selling books instead of learning more about why the Catholic Church has a different focus;


10. To mourn the loss of our freedom to be a vibrant and diverse Vatican II parish.

Although we are in mourning, we will continue to have faith, hope and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, for that is the crux of our Catholic being. And the greatest of these is "love," for it is love that will help us forgive...for they know not what they do.
~Submitted by a parishioner who wears black





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