Part Three of a “You Are There” experience at the Summit on Pluralism by reviewing these notes submitted by Paulist Father John Geaney and consolidated in bullet points by Yours Truly. Find links to presenters and panelists for your own edification.
DAY ONE CONTINUED: Thursday 23 June 2023
BREAK OUT SEGMENT # 3 Overcoming Racism: The Role of Religion and the Faith Community.
To me, PJ Andrews seemed almost overwhelmed engaging in the Baha’i commitment to bring all faiths to confront racism. Trying to bring interfaith religions together, particularly around difficult issues is an unsettling journey at least.
BREAK OUT SEGMENT # 4 PANEL DISCUSSION: Pope Francis, Pluralism and Polarization: Opportunities and Challenges in the Catholic Community
Presenters:
John Carr, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life Georgetown University, John Carr (georgetown.edu)
The leader of the session was John Carr, formerly the Director of the USCCB Office of Social Justice. He offered an expert overview of the Second Vatican Council, highlighting its successes and failures in living up to its vision thus far. (A transcript of his talk may be made available in the future.)
Father Aaron Wessman, Glenmary Home Missioners Vicar General Robert Aaron Wessman, G.H.M. | America Magazine Father Aaron Wessman, the Vicar General of Glenmary, gave an educated and thoughtful prognostication of the Synodality endeavor and future Church
See the links provided for each of the above speakers for examples of their presentation’s content.
DAY ONE Evening Dinner Presentation
Leader: Church of God Bishop Dwayne Royster of Philadelphia
Fr. Geaney’s Personal Note:
Bishop Royster carried his bible to the podium and delivered a powerful sermon urging us to be more loving of each other and lead our people into a less difficult world.
The audience was attentive and appropriately captivated.
This concludes Part Three of the Report on the Pluralism Summit. Scroll back to the top of the page and click “NEXT” for Part Four.
Give Yourself a “You Are There” experience at the Summit on Pluralism by reviewing these notes submitted by Paulist Father John Geaney and consolidated in bullet points by Yours Truly. Find links to presenters and panelists for your own edification.
DAY ONE: Thursday 23 June 2023
Plenary Session: Whose Story Do we tell?
The Challenges and Importance of Accurate Religion Reporting and Story Telling. As per the published Agenda cited above, Summit organizers offered participants several choices for each Breakout segment. Fr. Geaney attended the following: Leveling the Public Square: Reporting on Religion in a Multifaith Society
43% of people surveyed feel coverage of religion causes anxiety for readers.
56% of people believe coverage of religion makes reality more complex, rather than less so.
But 84% of people feel that religion should provide spokespeople when media chooses to cover religion.
Fr. Geaney’s Personal Notes:
The opening session was of great interest to me because I believe Churches do not, in general, do a good job of reporting the story of religion to the media or across the various platforms available to people.)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) closed Catholic News Service in the past year. This decision of the Bishops is clearly in opposition to the surveys.)
While there were many religions represented among the speakers, there was less description of what needs to be done than I expected.
Give Yourself a “You Are There” experience at the Summit on Pluralism by reviewing these notes submitted by Paulist Father John Geaney and consolidated in bullet points by Yours Truly. Find links to presenters and panelists for your own edification.
Sponsoring Organization The Aspen Institute convened at the International Hotel Washington DC “the Wharf.”
“I was surprised at the depth of the reflections and enjoyed the different ways that each faith person expressed the importance of contemplation to them and their various techniques in pursuing contemplation.
“Each person at the dinner table then was asked to reflect on their own contemplation techniques, and I thought it interesting that all the people at our table responded with reflections about their own method of contemplation. A few did admit that they did not always think ‘contemplation’ when they used a walk to get in touch with God.”
Here’s the SHORT TAKE of a local community meeting I attended.
Date: 13 June 2023 Place: Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 55 West 15th Street, New York NY 10011
Saint Francis Xavier is a Laudato Si Parish inviting representatives from other parishes and congregations to join in the Laudato Si movement, and/or share initiatives in which they are engaged that address global warming. See: Who we are – Laudato Si’ Movement (laudatosimovement.org)
Presenters:
Dr. Lorna Gold, a member of the Laudato Si Board of Directors, and Board Members of FaithInvest – an international, not-for-profit network of religious groups and faith-based institutional investors, with particular attention to organizations in a healthy relationship to the environment. Network of values-driven, faith-consistent investors | www.faithinvest.org
Dr. Martin G. Palmer, co-founder and C.E.O, of FaithInvest, an outgrowth of Great Britain’s now-defunct Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Palmer is a theologian, Sinologist, author, and international specialist on all major faiths and religious traditions and cultures.
The Short Take:
85 % of the World’s Population is faith-based. Faith organizations are primed for Environmental Action.
2023: 1,000 Catholic organizations have adopted Laudato Si initiatives in their education work
Religious Organizations are the 5th Largest Group in the World – investing in Eco-Friendly businesses will make a tremendous impact.
Divesting in Fossil Fuel Companies is essential. However, selling off stock that others purchase continues to perpetuate the problem. Religious Leaders must work with Government Agencies to create Non-proliferation Treaties.
Invite your congregations to read and discuss “Points of Progress” series featured in the Christian Science Monitor which has an excellent record in Climate Change coverage
Title: Resilience and Resolve: A Climate Justice Training for New York City Faith Communities Sponsored by The Union Theological Seminary Center for Earth Ethics, NYC 10027 https://centerforearthethics.org/resilience-and-resolve/
Identify and significantly reduce Greenhouse Gases
A Good Model for Creating Human Industrial Contributions to Climate Change Initiatives: 1980’s World Response to Ozone Layer Deterioration – Pros & Cons
Jewish Call to Climate Action continues to raise climate extreme’s impact on refugees and on racial and ethnic justice issues. Jewish Call for Climate Action | Hazon
Topic 2: FAITH COMMUNITIES CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS
Presentations and Discussions among participants elicited the following:
Faith communities offer a significant Prophetic Voice to inspire social initiatives to combat global warming by emphasizing the Judaic-Christian outlook of hopeful, forward-looking, transformational world views for peace and collaboration, and citing similar goals in other faith traditions. Emphasize
The Values of Resilience, Fortitude.Courage in Calamity. What is now is definitely NOT what we can be.
The Bible and many faith traditions’ histories evidence a very Healthy Criticism of Power Structures. Thank you, prophets! Similarly, this generation must offer a public voice to the consequences of laws and procedures that prevent or inhibit local communities’ access to clean air and fresh water.
Humbly acknowledge and RECTIFY the results of the history of religious institutions becoming co-opted by power structures. Provide evidence of these events and offer prescriptions to remedy the patterns of this dubious alignment. Inspire your congregation to show visible signs of concern for Future Generations
Assure congregations that Conflicts are Opportunities, and these challenges are prophetic calls for change. Remember this: It often takes THREE repetitions in a public statement, homily, or sermon for people to remember it.
Address the psychological and social dynamics of fear and denial contributing to apathy, lack of compassion, isolation, and social collapse evident in faith traditions’ scriptures and religious history.
In Islam, adherents are reminded of what is called “The Providential Consequence of Corruption in the Land” as the impetus for the people’s return to righteousness.
Observant Muslims are required to donate 2.5% of their income to charity. Question: How does this compare to your congregations’ charitable giving? Can you promote a healthy spirit of competition? The time for Charity toward the Earth is now!
Concerns about Pollution factor need more attention:
PromoteINTERSECTIONALITY Inquire and learn from the people most impacted by events of natural and industrial disasters and experience the burdens of local, state, and federal legislation.
Undocumented workers, refugees, and marginalized neighborhoods are often ignored by health and safety regulators; they often suffer the most from working in the heat.
“No one left behind” is not today’s reality but it can be!
Create “Communities of Care”
Conduct town meetings for people to work through emotions associated with climate change denial or apathy, ideally facilitated by a psychologist. The goal is to help people relate their grief and disappointment and fears that their current life patterns and relationship to nature need to change.
Investigate and share everyone’s “Zone of Resilience.”
Follow up with Mental Wellness Techniques and offer sessions that affirm “we bear the stress together.” We need to “heal past the ‘Us’ that we are, and “collaborate forward” to a better future.
Emphasize that we already HAVE the Science and Technology to address the human contribution to Climate Change.
Highlight HUMILITY, JUSTICE, and STEWARDSHIP passages in faith traditions – all that contributes to “Our common humanity,” and “Reverence and care for Creation.”
EMULATE AND MODIFY AS NEEDED
Study other institutions’ ACTION PLANS and adapt them to your congregation’s and community’s needs.
Follow the example of the VATICAN’s recent disavowal of the Medieval “Doctrine of Discovery” and encourage conversation as to how contemporary institutions can reverse the curses of history.
Abandon all Colonial Imperialistic Responses to Crises.
Study and promote accurate history and report on positive movements in relation to indigenous peoples, e.g. the Taíno movement. “This movement challenges the prevalent belief that Native peoples became extinct shortly after European colonization in the Greater Antilles. It is spurring a regeneration of Indigenous identity within the racially mixed and culturally blended societies of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, as well as other areas of the Caribbean.” Taíno: Native Heritage and Identity in the Caribbean | Taíno: herencia e identidad indígena en el Caribe | National Museum of the American Indian (si.edu)
Australia is currently an excellent prototype for Positive Climate Legislation (Input from Al Gore.)
DO SOME RESEARCH:
Research African, Methodist, and Episcopal Church (AME)’s Resolutions on GREEN THEOLOGY and Practice.
Elicit congregants’ participation in Earth-themed Music and Art Presentations
Study and emulate in consciousness and action Native and Indigenous peoples’ intimate relationship with Nature – past and present.
Research Available Local and Federal Government Grants for Institutions (including Religious Institutions) adopting GREEN INITIATIVES.
Topic 3: CLIMATE COMMUNICATION
Presenter: Al Gore
The goal is to move from perplexity to simplicity in language, visuals, and concepts, and to remain Positive and Hopeful about change for the better.
90% of Coal and Gas can be converted to solar and wind power readily.Solar Power is now the cheapest alternative worldwide.
HOPEFUL REALITY: World Temperature Rise can be halted within three years’ time and if policies and procedures change immediately to non-pollutant energy sources and industrial waste is prevented to reach a NET ZERO factor in human / industrial (including Automobile and transportation) contributions to climate change
To stay at Net Zero: 50% of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) will fall out of the atmosphere in as little as 20 to 30 years.
Religious Institutions are already primed to promote the message: “What we take, we give back.” Address the ways USA government historically has promoted the commodification of peoples and of nature – the dark side of “Discovery.”
Re-examine government policies such as the injustices of “The Jones Act” forcing people of Puerto Rico to import 85% of their foodstuffs whereas the island is capable of producing its own food.
o The Climate Reality Project Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.
National Preparedness Report (fema.gov) See pages 8 through 10 for information directly related to Climate Change: FEMA Region 2 National Preparedness Division: Climate Adaptation for Houses of Worship NOTE: FEMA does not give “Disaster Designation” to Heat Waves at this time
Description: While much has been made of the intimate connection between inattention to place and the ecological crisis, very little attention has been given to the troublingly intimate relation between racial reasoning and the denial and destruction of place-centered identity. Dr. Willie James Jennings has been a pioneer in thinking through this neglected topic. Join Dr. Jennings in conversation with John J. Thatamanil, Director of Union’s Insight Project, as they take up this urgent topic.
Notes by Rev. James M. DiLuzio CSP (unless otherwise noted).
Venue: ISKCON Temple, Potomac, MD 20854
Dates: Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, 2023
Topic: “Spirituality, Interreligious Accompaniment, and Dialogue for Everyday Life” — from both theological and lived experiences perspectives
NOTES:
ON MERCY: The Movement toward “Complete Empathy” is a high value in both Hindu and Christian Traditions, acknowledging a The lineage of Mercy / Compassion.
“Discrimination, knowledge, non-delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, control over the mind and senses, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness.”
“One who does not hate any creature, who is friendly and compassionate, free from (the notion of) I” and my”, even-minded in pain and pleasure, forgiving and the yogi who is ever content, who has subdued the mind, whose resolve is firm, whose mind and intellect are engaged in dwelling upon Me such a devotee is dear to Me.”
“That one I love who is incapable of ill will and returns love for hatred. Living beyond the reach of I and mind, and of pain and pleasure, full of mercy, contented, self-controlled, with all his heart and all his mind given to Me with such a one I am in love.”
“Among the feminine nouns I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intellect, resolve, and forgiveness.”
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12: 28
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 28
CHILDLIKE WONDER PARALLELS
Jesus’ teaching on childlike wonder in Luke 18: 15-16, Luke 20: 26; Mark 10: 13-15; Matthew 5: 9, 45, and Matthew 18:3 and the Nativity Luke 2
Participants created a 4-step List of the best ways to begin Interreligious Dialogue. Interlocuters must observe each step in the proper order:
Step 1: Contemplate Divinity.
Step 2: Contemplate My Relationship with Divinity.
Step 3: Meet with Religious Leaders from each respective Faith; Education is essential.
Step 4: Personal Connections are a NECESSITY: Meet with Peers in respective religions (Hindu doctors meet Christian doctors; Christian Neighbors meet Hindu neighbors; Teachers meet Teachers, etc.) i.e., begin with people with whom you have considerable commonality outside of your respective religion.
Vaishnava – Christian PARALLELS identified:
Vaishnava strives to achieve Union with Divinity, especially in yoga and meditation practices.
Christianity strives to experience“Christ in Me,” – an experience of Christ’s presence in mind, heart, spirit, and body, especially in communal gatherings for prayer, worship, Scripture engagement, and for many denominations, engagement in Sacraments.
Common Ground: Attendees concurred on the following concepts:
“God is active in and through all religions of goodwill and in all people.”
“God accompanies us all the time. We need to develop a constant awareness of that truth.”
The necessity of Ongoing Inward Transformation acknowledging three universal faith dynamics:
We Love God for our own sake, i.e., we are most often concerned for our own well-being and salvation as we understand it (We all begin with self-absorption).
We Love of God for God’s Own Sake – we recognize God is a Love greater than any individual can obtain. We gain transformation and enlightenment by standing in awe of God.
Love of oneself for the sake of God as we are all children of God. This is the path to self-acceptance and the assurance of human dignity and the great worth of all creation of which we are a part.
Achieving Mutuality is dialogue’s goal. Mutuality begins with an attitude of reverence toward “the other” that includes:
1. Recognizing the DIVINE may never be fully known in human terms.
2. Appreciation of diversity.
3. An agreement that all involved are SEEKERS – seeking Wisdom, Peace, Harmony, within and beyond one’s beliefs and traditions.
4. A commitment to Understanding one another,
5. An agreement to withhold all judgments and avoid occasions for debate.
6. A longing for articulating commonly held beliefs while respecting unique approaches to those common beliefs.
Mutuality requires RISK-TAKING. A willingness to be:
a. Vulnerable.
b. Honest.
c. Open.
d. Humble – a recognition that each person is a work- in-progress.
e. Engaged in Scrutiny of Self and of one’s tradition –
f. A True Love and Acceptance of SELF -unique, flawed, beautiful.
g. Cultivate KENOSIS (Late Greek kenōsis, from Greek, action of emptying) as applied to transcending ego to union with God and a liberating experience of interconnectedness of all peoples and all creation.
h. Infused with a Commitment to JUSTICE
Eastern Religions influence Western / European religions.
§Bandi Venkatramana is the district coordinator for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist paramilitary organization and the ideological forebear of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He said he wanted to send out a clear warning to non-Hindus entering this village: “There will be consequences!”
The Embodied Philosophy Movement About – Embodied Philosophy – Embodied PhilosophyThe Wisdom SchoolEmbodied PhilosophyThe Wisdom School includes over 1000 hours of in-depth courses, workshops and mini-trainings in contemplative studies, wisdom traditions, yoga philosophy, and mind-body integration for lifetime learners, seekers, yoga teachers, therapists & scholar-practitioners.
AN INVITATION: Christians interested in participating in next year’s Vaishnava – Christian Dialogue may contact me with a note including your denomination, degrees, multifaith organization(s) or involvement, and I will forward your information to Iskon. Blessings to all!
Host: Anuttama Dasa, Minister of Communications for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Websites: iskconnews.org and iskconenvironment.org
I finally got to watch “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret? the film based on the best-selling Judy Blume mini-novel. I am glad I did. In its honest and humbling depiction of giggling girlhood angst (When will I develop breasts and begin menstruation? Does this make me fully a woman? Will I ever be kissed?), “Are You There, God?” offers an authentic sampling of a faith journey rooted in a secular context. No matter your age, faith, or cultural background, you’ll enjoy this slice of 1970 America, joining Margaret’s quest for friends, family, hope, and love at your local movie theater, or, if you prefer, on your streaming service to rent or purchase.
Here’s the set-up: Barbara and Herb Simon have reared twelve-year-old Margaret in an anti-religion household. Nevertheless, Margaret starts a natural, open, intimate conversation with God onscreen. She asks all the essential questions:
God, if you exist, who are you? Where are you?
Are you only in my mind?
What does a relationship with You mean?
Do I have to have a religion to keep this relationship going?”
I find it refreshing that the producers decided to translate Bloom’s book into film because “God inquiries” are perennial, engaging every human in various stages of life. And, as with all human endeavors, faith’s progression often engages us in familial, social, and emotional altercations. So, too, Margaret’s search comes into conflict with family members’ religious identities (or lack thereof) and contrasting beliefs. Viewers may wince when Margaret’s parents and grandparents – a paternal Jewish grandmother, and a maternal Christian couple – engage in an angry dispute over Margaret’s soul and identity. The scene offers a sad but realistic depiction of a major flaw in religiosity.
The conflict emerges with the sudden appearance of Barbara’s parents – a Christian couple in an unidentified denomination, who disowned their daughter for marrying a Jewish man. Eschewing their daughter’s wedding, they arrived after a fifteen-year absence indulging their fears that Margaret will not enter heaven if she is not baptized. A screaming match ensues when Herb’s mother Margaret insists that her granddaughter already embraces her Jewish heritage. Herb and Barbara disagree: “This is why we have no religion in this house!” In response to the uproar, Margaret storms out of the room and declares “I hate you all. I do not even believe in God!” The scene presents religious affiliation in the negative, and people of faith may feel despondent, but thankfully, the film does not end here. Evidence of a deeper response to faith, although succinct in its presentation, will be forthcoming in Act Three.
In terms of Movie-Making, the acting is fine throughout, especially the young Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, the ever-luminous Rachel McAdams as her mother, Barbara Simon, and Kathy Bates whose convictions, manipulations, and pizzaz as grandma Sylvia Simon are irresistible. What’s more, the young actors portraying Margaret’s 12-year-old friends come across as natural and engaging — perhaps Director and Screenwriter Kelly Fremon Craig’s finest achievement. But Craig works well with the entire ensemble. She sustains a breezy pace, and appropriately keeps the focus on Margaret and the kids, while not ignoring the formidable relationships Margaret has with her mom and grandmother Sylvia.
Overall, the script is solid and faithful to the book’s spirit, but Craig could have expanded the supporting roles to bring more subtext and weight to the proceedings. As is, Margaret’s dad played by Benny Safdie isn’t given much to do, and Barbara’s parents as written and portrayed couldn’t be blander! With no balance in the grandparent drama, feisty Jewish Grandma shines in contrast to the dull Christian relations making the contest of wills less effective than it should have been. Now, on to Act Three! Spoiler Alert!Now, on to Act Three! Spoiler Alert!
In the weeks that follow, Margaret navigates her troubled existence by using her hurt to become more sensitive to an ostracized classmate. What is more, she befriends the girl without her other girlfriends’ approval. Soon afterward, she propitiously enjoys some longed-for attention from the boy-next-store, and suddenly, in answer to her prayers, experiences her first menstruation. She has matured! With that, Margaret acknowledges she is loved and can offer love. Interestingly how that realization arrives when people implicitly accept the fact that the human body is “good.” Happily, ARE YOU THERE, GOD, IT’S ME, MARGARET concludes with our hero offering these words: “Thank you, God.”
This conclusion offers good theology, indeed. However we may understand God, whatever stories, doctrines, and commandments nurture our relationship with God and others, gratitude is at the heart of a healthy faith life — the unresolved, unreconcilable issues among grandparents (and others) notwithstanding. Self-acceptance, belonging, peace, and goodwill toward others is every faith’s goal – both as an empirical experience in the here and now, and, as in many faith traditions, a promise of fulfillment “beyond the grave.”
I trust that viewers will see that while ARE YOU THERE, God? IT’S ME MARGARET invites us to guard against the shadow of religion (i.e., “My faith empowers me to lord it over you, to make you more like me, to diminish your human dignity, deny our common humanity“), it encourages us to embrace the true aspirations of all major religions: Love as one for all, and all for one. In religious language: “The God in whom we live, and move, and have our being is Love Itself — Live in Love’s Embrace!”
PARADE – a musical theater piece by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry.
Review and Mediation by Father James DiLuzio CSP
This past weekend I began my observance of what we Christians call Holy Week by attending PARADE. This musical theatre piece dramatizes the travesty of a historical 1912 trial convicting an innocent man of murder. The man was Leo Frank, one of the few Jewish members of an Atlanta community, sentenced to death by hanging. For two years, Lucille, his wife, and many legal and justice-oriented organizations from the north submitted appeals for Leo, until, finally, Georgia Governor John Slaton commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. Angered by the governor’s decree, a mob abducted Frank from his jail cell. Hanging from a tree, Leo reiterated his innocence and prayed the Kaddish – a prayer recited daily by devout Jews and commonly offered at burials and subsequent days of mourning. Here is one of many English translations:
“Exalted and sanctified be God’s Great Name,
in the world which God created according to His Will,
May He establish His Kingdom,
and may His salvation blossom,
and His anointed be near.”
The tragedy of Leo Frank’s trial, the ultimate sentence, and lynching provide heartrending evidence of Antisemitism and other forms of scapegoating in the United States right down to today. As a Catholic priest, I could not stop making connections between Leo’s story and Jesus’ trial and execution. Does not the Kaddish echo themes in many of the Psalms, especially Psalm 22 that Jesus prays while suffering on the cross? It begins with “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” but concludes with these words of praise:
“You who fear the Lord, give praise! All descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants of Israel! 25 For he has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch, Did not turn away[g] from me, but heard me when I cried out. 26 I will offer praise in the great assembly; my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.”
I began wondering if Jesus’ crucifixion could be scrutinized in such a way as to conceive Jesus’ death as an example of Antisemitism along with Leo Frank’s. The Roman empires’ disdain (albeit with tolerance) for the Jews is well documented.[1] The Gospels portray Pilate as making no effort to reconcile the opposing factions within the Jewish religious authorities – abandoning his magisterial duty. Was this in part due to his contempt for the Jews? (In fact, the Gospels try to show Pilate as sympathetic to Jesus because of early Christianity’s hope to gain acceptance and recognition from Rome. But Pilate’s historical reputation does not present him as a man of integrity and compassion.) [2] As with Leo Frank’s trial, many witnesses lied and/ or were coerced in preparation for their testimonies against Jesus. In both cases, the antisemitism may be perceived as ingrained in the culture, rather than overt – i.e., no one in either crowd (if the play is accurate in this regard) cries “Kill the Jew.” More importantly, however, in both cases, the government, the state alone, has the power to execute, while hatred for a person who was “not like others”[3] reveals the failings of humanity as a whole, above and beyond any particular prejudice. That, at least, is the emphasis in the Gospel and an essential lesson of Jesus’ Passion. Still, had our very Jewish Jesus been a Roman citizen, would there have been a trial at all, let alone an execution? Banishment, maybe. I welcome further conversation on these ideas.
As for PARADE, the production is solid, the performances top caliber, and the plot appropriately disturbing. The title itself is filled with irony – echoing the popular public marches of John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) that engaged 19th-century Americans in displays of national pride. Exemplifying the nation’s hubris, these marches along with Stephen Foster’s wistful parlor songs, often disguised the many prejudices of the age: slavery, racism, and the abuses of the industrial revolution. Fittingly, Jason Robert Brown’s score evokes Sousa in most of the coral scenes – the Chorus representing the Atlanta public – proud, boastful, and blindly egocentric. The opening ensemble piece is so over-the-top- nationalistic, I cringed throughout, anticipating at the onset, as most of us do, that this crowd will soon be transformed into a violent mob.
To his credit, Brown uses a variety of 19th-century musical styles in addition to the musical fanfares as the plot unfolds. I found his ballads the best part of the score, especially those highlighting intimate moments between Leo Frank and his wife Lucille. The excellent Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as the Franks shine in these scenes. In addition, Brown inserts typical Broadway show-stopping tunes to several supporting players, but I think he was misguided to feature these in a play of such importance. For example, while playing Jim Conley, a more likely murder suspect, Alex Joseph Grayson gives a bravura performance in a spirit-filled, toe-tapping song that screams for applause. But the music is set to the lyrics of his testimony against Mr. Frank that incriminate Leo so completely that the irony of the musical setting is lost. The mendacity in evidence in the number is just too painful and we are left confused as to how to respond. Only a third of the audience at the performance I attended attempted to clap.
The book by playwright Alfred Uhry could have been a bit tighter, too. Indeed, some plot points and character traits need more clarification – especially in regard to Leo’s defense attorney. Was he truly so inept? Furthermore, I would have liked more insight into Leo Frank himself as the script presents him as both an intellectual snob, a workaholic, and, at times, an utter nebbish. Uhry only allows Platt to realize Leo’s deeper humanity as he faces death. That may be true for many of us, but the play’s overall impact offers more insights into the angry crowd’s dynamics, the governor’s cowardice, and the prosecutor’s craftiness than into Leo’s “Everyman” dimensions. To be sure, the show offers empathy for Leo, but more in conceptual terms than profoundly personal ones. Interestingly, because there is much in the script akin to Arthur Miller’s THE CRUCIBLE, Uhry and Parade’s producers could have paid more attention to Miller’s protagonist John Proctor, the man scapegoated by Salem’s witch-hunting magistrates. All the same, the tragic events and elements of this story are important ones to scrutinize and evaluate, and the talents of all involved are quantitatively more in evidence than their failings. PARADE is an essential work of theater for our time.
[1] Writing around 90 CE, the Jewish author Josephus cited decrees by Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Augustus and Claudius, endowing Jewish communities with a number of rights.[9] Central privileges included the right to be exempted from polis religious rituals and the permission “to follow their ancestral laws, customs and religion”. Jews were also exempted from military service and the provision of Roman troops.[10] Contrary to what Josephus wants his readers to believe, the Jews did not have the status of religio licita (permitted religion) as this status did not exist in the Roman empire, nor were all Roman decrees concerning the Jews positive. Instead, the regulations were made as a response to individual requests to the emperor. The decrees were deployed by Josephus “as instruments in an ongoing political struggle for status”.[11]
Because of their one-sided viewpoint, the authenticity of the decrees has been questioned many times, but they are now thought to be largely authentic.[12][13][11][14] Still, Josephus gave only one side of the story by leaving out negative decisions and pretending that the rulings were universal.[15] This way, he carried out an ideological message showing that the Romans allowed the Jews to carry out their own customs and rituals; the Jews were protected in the past and were still protected by these decisions in his own time. Source: History of the Jews in the Roman Empire – Wikipedia which also cites entries from The Jewish Encyclopedia: ROME – JewishEncyclopedia.com Interestingly, however, because there was considerable “tolerance” of Judaism in Rome, the “disdain” I reference is evidenced in the ways Pilate treated the Jews of Jerusalem following precedent from other rulers.
[2] “Josephus also recounts that Pilate raided the temple treasury for funds to construct an aqueduct; when the population again protested, Pilate arranged for his soldiers to mingle among the crowds and then, at an appointed signal, massacre them (Ant. 18:60-62). According to Philo . . . Pilate was ‘a man of a very inflexible disposition, and very merciless as well as very obstinate . . . in respect of his corruption, and his acts of insolence, and his rapine, and his habit of insulting people, and his cruelty, and his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never-ending, and gratuitous, and most grievous inhumanity.” Source: The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Amy-Jill Levine, and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors. New York: Oxford University Press. The Jewish Annotated New Testament by Amy-Jill Levine, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
[3] Book of Wisdom 2: “14 To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, 15 Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways.”
Have you ever thought how good it would be if our public schools offered age-appropriated lessons on Religious Diversity to help students understand the religious dimension of American Plurality and cultivate mutual respect? Just this month, two members of New York City’s Council submitted a Referendum for that purpose. As a former high school English teacher, I had thought about a similar program for years. In case you, too, may wish to explore sponsoring a similar program in your community, I offer you the following.
On Thursday, 2 February 2023, I took part in a coalition of members of many faiths to support two NYC Council representatives in proposing Religious Diversity Education in the New York Public School System. I made many new contacts, particularly among the Muslim, Sufi, and Sikh community, and hope to participate in future steps toward making this goal a reality. Many of us gave two- minute statements for a press release on the steps of City Hall, accompanied by Council Members Shahana Hanif (Main sponsor of the resolution) and Oswald Felix (Education Committee member). Here’s my statement followed by a couple of photos and links to learn more about this initiative:
“I am Fr. James DiLuzio, a member of the Paulist Fathers, a Roman Catholic order of priests committed to the open dialogue of Faith with American Culture. Today, in the “Land of the Free,” many people are afraid to display their religious symbols, to discuss their faiths, values, and ethics in public. Suspicion of people of faiths, especially practitioners of faiths present in minority populations in our country, contributes to misunderstandings and racial profiling that leads to bullying, intimidation, and violence that American democracy cannot allow. I join with the others here present to insist that the public Education of new generations of Americans provide ways to foster understanding and cooperation among peoples of different faiths, backgrounds and cultures. A positive future for these United States depends on it. We, and other representatives of religious institutions are here to assist New York’s Education System in creating a fair, open-minded, and respectful Religious Diversity Education.”
Do you live in New York City? If you are in favor of this resolution and would like to see it enacted, write or phone:
Council Member Rita Jacobs (Chair of Education Committee)
Note that this topic could give us an opportunity for another CONTROVERSIES IN CONVERSATION. Write to me at jamesdiluzio@gmail.com and we will start a new discussion.
On Tuesday January 24, 2023, the Greek Orthodox Church in America offered a beautiful Ecumenical Prayer Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at Saint Nicolas Shrine on Ground Zero. [1] The event, entitled “Do Good, Seek Justice,” (Theme of the International Observance, Isaiah 1:17) brought speakers / Scripture readers, and prayer leaders together representing a variety of churches, including:
Presider: His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, a most humble and inspirational leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. The archbishop spoke of FRIENDSHIP as the most essential element in advancing Ecumenical dialogue and service. [2]
Gospel Homilist: His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Catholic Archdiocese of New York His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan – New York, NY Cardinal Dolan spoke of the importance of his friendship with Archbishop Elpidophoros, and official representatives from the Episcopal, Lutheran, Baptist, non-denominational Christian, and National Council of Churches present there. His homily focused on words of Pope Francis insisting the Church give priority to an outward focus with friendship, collaboration, and charity, and less on the politics of each respective denomination’s internal struggles.
A. Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, World Council of Churches President from North America, who pleaded for more efforts to break down cultural and political barriers that separate African American Churches from the White Christian Churches. She urged greater, focused solidarity on economic reforms and related social justice issues while maintaining collaboration on the more visible mutual works of charity.
Recommended Website to find Collaborators: THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE – Homepage | The HistoryMakers
B. Rev. Samuel Davis, St. Simon of Cyrene Orthodox Mission, New Brunswick, NJ, Orthodox Church in America.Rev. Davis, an African American convert to Orthodoxy, proved an imposing presence with a sonorous voice making unequivocal statements on the hypocrisies of those who claim to be “color blind.” He urged more humility in inter-racial relations and the importance of the Church cultivating greater listening skills.
C. FYI: Scheduled Speaker (Unable to Attend) Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie (vashtimckenzie.com)
Other Readers and individuals present:
Fr. Nicolas Kazarian, an appointed Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Archdiocese of America. Fr. Nicolas helped coordinate the event and its invitations and served as Master of Ceremonies. He is also pastor at New York City’s Saint Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church, and a fellow Board Member for Religions for Peace USA (RFPUSA) among other organizations.
Rev. Dr. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian | St.Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church www.goarch.org
The Rt. Rev. Andrew M.L. Dietsche
Bishop Dietsche was installed as the 16th Bishop of New York on February 2, 2013 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. Bishop Dietsche – Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org) In anticipation of his preparatory year that will begin his retirement, Bishop Dietsche was cited for his extensive Ecumenical service, and awarded an Icon of St. Nicolas by the Greek Patriarch Elpidophoros.
The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer (Episcopal)
Rev, Breyer is the Director of The Interfaith Center of New York, ICNY Staff | ICNY Harvard grad, and author of The Close: A Young Woman’s First Year at Seminary https://interfaithcenter.org/
Chemin-Neuf is establishing a New York City initiative for Ecumenical Relations among Young Adults in their 20’s in Autumn 2023 based at Saint John the Devine, New York. For information:
[2] Personal note: I first heard His Eminence speak and preside at the National Workshop on Christian Unity (NWCU) in Anaheim, CA last spring. I was inspired by his wisdom and eloquence then as now.
frjamesdiluzio 