by Mr. TeeJay Nash II '12

On November 5, Brother Martin students joined students from ten archdiocesan high schools for a special dialogue with His Eminence Wilton Cardinal Gregory, the first African American cardinal, at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church.

The gathering brought together students from across the Archdiocese of New Orleans for conversations centered on faith, culture, human dignity, and the Church's call to truth, healing, and hope.

Each school shared a question with Cardinal Gregory. Students from Brother Martin asked a question regarding the relationship between the unity of the Catholic Church and the importance of ministries and parishes that serve Black Catholics:

"If we are all one Body in Christ, why does the Church have ministries and parishes centered on Black Catholics? How do these communities fit within the unity of the whole Church?"

In his response, Cardinal Gregory drew upon the events of Pentecost, when people from different nations heard the Apostles proclaim the Gospel in their own languages. He emphasized how the Church has made room for different cultures to hear, encounter, and experience the Gospel in ways that speak to their own traditions and experiences since the very beginning of the Church.

For MOSAIC, Student Ministers, and Crusaders for Life and Justice, this exchange reinforced an essential part of our mission: the unity of the Church does not require the disappearance of cultural differences. Rather, those differences can enrich the life of the entire Body of Christ.

The experience offered our students an opportunity to engage directly with a Prince of the Universal Church while reflecting on their own responsibility to help build a community where every culture's gifts are recognized and valued.