I am just reading the autobiography of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a black man of monumental influence on our country, called My Grandfather's Son. It is a delightful and thought-provoking book. Little did I know that he spent time studying for the Catholic priesthood. In light of this Strategic Planning Process underway, it is interesting to me that during his youth they were fighting against Segregation. Even some blacks made fun of Clarence Thomas for attending a white seminary (as he was one of the very first blacks - one of two to be exact - to attend that seminary school on special permission).

One of the questions that has and will continue to come up during this Strategic Planning Process is whether or not the reservation boundaries/churches should remain in place according to whether a church is considered Native or White. For example: I know a certain person from Bridger who thinks that the people at St. Joseph's in Faith are racist, and therefore, going there is not an option. The people in Red Scaffold, I believe, have a similar reaction to the idea. Now I know this is different because it is also a question of whose church should close down: "Their church or Our church". But it used to be that white folks in the deep south would not tolerate the idea that the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia would inflict a bunch of black folk upon "their" congregation and church building... nor would they tolerate the idea of going to a "Black church".

Although Clarence Thomas was educated by Franciscan Sisters who truly promoted desegregation and the equality of all peoples, he believes the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia acted out of cowardice by not fighting the issue head on (fighting wealthy white Catholics, that is, and telling them that they were going to share churches with blacks). I find it interesting that now one of the contentious themes thrown around would have us go back in the opposite direction under the banner of denouncing "Assimilation". St. Isaac Jogues and St. Therese's in Rapid City (about 10 blocks apart) cannot join together because that might be assimilation.

I know there is a long and sore history in this regard, but I would like historians to look back and say that we did not act out of cowardice, nor ride along unwittingly on a bandwagon destined for condemnation, but that we cared for the salvation of souls, the growth and unity of the Church, and the glory of God alone. I would like to offer this for your consideration: How do we fight segregation in the American Catholic Church without some appreciation for assimilation (by that I do not mean "killing the Indian" but rather finding some common ground for Indians and Whites to worship God together upon, according the Catholic Faith)? How do we avoid the future accusation of assimilationist ideology AND avoid the future accusation of segregationist ideology?