Racial  Justice

Mission and Purpose
Formed in 2020, Lumen Christi’s Racial and Indigenous Justice Ministry builds solidarity and allyship for justice with our neighbors who are Black, Indigenous and people of color.  Our work is grounded in relationships among members of our ministry and with our neighbors. We partner with other faith communities and organizations that share our values and commitments to justice. We grow our relationships, our understanding, and our skills through education and encounter. 

Spiritual Foundation
“We cannot be a church that is true to the demands of the Gospel if we do not act justly, if we do not act to root out racism in the structures of our society and our church. And we cannot achieve personal holiness if we do not love tenderly, if we do not love and respect all human beings, regardless of their race, language, or ethnic heritage.”

Those words from Archbishop Harry J. Flynn are as true today as they were when he published them in 2023 in his pastoral letter, “In God’s Image,”.  As Christians, we are called to enter into prayer and dialogue with our sisters and brothers of all races to listen to each other’s experiences and together work for understanding, peace and justice. The spiritual foundation of our ministry adheres to Archbishop Flynn’s pastoral letter. 

Our Work and Community
Since this ministry was established at Lumen Christi Catholic Community, two JustFaith Programs have deepened the understanding of the group and expanded its membership:

• In 2022, Faith and Racial Healing: Embracing Truth, Justice, and Restoration: https://justfaith.org/courses/faith-and-racial-healing-embracing-truth-justice-and-restoration/ 

• In 2025, The Land Is Not Our Own: Seeking Repair Alongside Indigenous Communities: https://justfaith.org/courses/the-land-is-not-our-own-seeking-repair-alongside-indigenous-communities/

Over time, the ministry has maintained a primary focus on relationships with our indigenous and our Black neighbors, however our focus has adapted during key times in our community:

• During Operation Metro Surge, the ministry adopted a primary focus on collaborating with Lumen Christi’s Immigration Ministry. 

• In the summer of 2026, the ministry adopted a primary focus on strengthening and supporting our elections and our democracy.

Our relationship with Gichitwaa Kateri Catholic Church (www.katerimpls.org), an indigenous Catholic Church in South Minneapolis, is a primary focus of the ministry’s work at this time. This includes:

• Time with Kateri leadership to deepen understanding of indigenous culture and history for Lumen Christi parishioners.

• Joining in worship at Kateri Church periodically. Kateri’s Sunday mass is at 11 am, followed by hospitality. Lumen Christi ministry members occasionally provide or support hospitality for Kateri parishioners. 

• Maintaining a call list of Lumen Christi parishioners available for short-term response to needs of the Kateri Community. 

• Dialogue with Kateri leadership and members around the needs of the urban indigenous community, and development of joint efforts to meet those needs.

Goals
We aim to increase engagement of parishioners in the racial and indigenous justice work of Lumen Christi, with a primary focus on:

• Involvement of parishioners, school families and existing partnerships with organizations that work on racial equity or that are made up predominantly of Black, Indigenous and people of color.

• Relationships with Black and Indigenous communities, individuals and families.

 We continue to do the work of our group’s own deepening engagement, understanding and action for racial and indigenous justice.

At present, our primary focuses are:

• Deepening our relationship and support of Gichitwaa Kateri Catholic Church, 

• Engaging our parishioners in the development of public Christian discipleship and witness, especially in support of our elections and our democracy.

Contact Information
The committee is led by Mike Harley, Ofelia Lopez, Manny Lopez, and Anne Krisnik. To join our email list or learn more, please contact:
Mike Harley, [email protected] 651-208-7090
or 
Steve Regnier (Director of Care, Support and Justice): [email protected] | (651) 370-1611