LINCOLN (SNR) – After protests erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd and other racial incidents, Dr. Maria Benes found herself asking questions like: “What can the Church do in this time of national division and crisis? What can Catholics do to address and heal racial tension?”
Maria realized she had a unique background to help Catholics address the racial and political divide in the Church and the country. Her education and training is in political science, conflict resolution and human rights, and she had experience as a college teacher, a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) campus missionary, and a director of youth ministry at Pius X High School in Lincoln.
Maria reached out to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other Catholics around the country like Father Josh Johnson – a well-known Black priest known for his podcasts and now vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge – not wanting to duplicate what others might already be doing, and they all immediately and unanimously encouraged her that there was a need.
“We needed an authentically Catholic response in line with Church teaching,” she realized, “one that is faithful to the magisterium.”
This led her to co-found the Before Gethsemane Initiative (BGI) with Chenele Shaw, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Orlando, providing tools to have civil and respectful conversations around these controversial racial topics. The initiative strives to bridge the divide with the Lord at the center.
“This has really been a project driven and led by the Holy Spirit,” Dr. Benes said. “It is a work of prayer and fasting.”
October 1, 2022 marked the one-year anniversary of this Catholic initiative responding to racism and xenophobia. The Before Gethsemane Initiative name comes from Jesus’ prayer before his crucifixion: “That they all may be one” (John 17:21).
The two pillars of the initiative are to provide opportunities for healing and a call to conversion.
First, they strive to help Catholics of color find healing from wounds and the trauma of experiencing racism, including providing access to Catholic psychological services.
Second, it is an invitation and a challenge for all Catholics, who are called to personal, ongoing conversion, to have humility and ask the question, “how I can do better?”
“Unlike the cancel culture, we are calling everyone to conversion, including ourselves, not cancelling them.”
Dr. Benes spoke Sept. 24 at the Bishops’ Pro-Life Conference in Lincoln about the situation and what Catholics can do about it.
Despite progress, racism and xenophobia still exist in our country, she said, especially subtle racism. There are still poorer neighborhoods without access to the same food, healthcare, education, and infrastructure that enhances the poverty divide. Xenophobia is a fear of foreigners, which often comes out when people talk about migrants and make assumptions and generalizations.
“What can we do?” she asked. She said we need to have greater awareness of these issues, and a willingness to be creative and flexible in how we welcome minorities and Catholics of color. Take the time to talk to them, ask questions, get to know them, listen to their story, adjust meeting times, and when possible, integrate their music and customs into the liturgy.
Maria suggested that parishes study the richness of church documents, such as the USCCB document, Open Wide our Hearts.
“A big part of what we do comes from Catholic social teaching, especially solidarity and a consistent life ethic,” she said.
In fact, those who represent the initiative sign a document acknowledging Catholic teaching. The document reads, “As someone publicly associated with the Before Gethsemane Initiative (BGI), I realize the importance of complete fidelity to the Church’s teachings, both in my professional and personal life. I fully affirm all of the Church’s teachings, including (but not limited to) the below....”
The document then summarizes precepts of the Church and details some specific subjects, like the sacraments - including the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; Church teaching on life issues such as abortion, the use of artificial contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF), euthanasia and assisted sucide, the death penalty; and Church teaching on marriage and gender.
The initiative promotes learning about the six Black Americans on the road to sainthood, realizing the diversity that exists in the U.S. Catholic Church.
Finally, she again asks and invites Catholics to “engage in prayer, fasting and conversion so that we can work towards racial reconciliation.”
“The road to conversion is challenging, but in Christ we can make that journey.”
Dr. Benes and her husband Mitch have three children, two who attend Cathedral of Risen Christ School in Lincoln, and a baby in heaven.
Learn more about the Before Gethsemane Initiative at beforegethsemane.org.
