June 19, 2025 - Archbishop's Statement on Juneteenth

A Message from Archbishop Henning for Juneteenth
Across his letters, St. Paul called for a conversion of heart to the Lord and a conversion
of family and societal relationships. He asked husbands and wives, children and
servants to relate to one another in imitation of the Lord’s own unselfish love. He asked
Christian communities to look beyond the typical divisions of the day and find
communion with one another, no longer Jew nor Greek, no longer slave nor free, male
nor female, but one in the Lord. Paul appealed for a new vision of human dignity
founded upon God’s love and the grace poured out in the gift of God’s Son.

In his Letter to Philemon, he applies this new truth to the question of slavery. Philemon
was a wealthy man and leader of a local Chistian community. Paul wrote to him about
Onesimus, a slave of Philemon who had escaped and who came to know Paul and find
his faith. In the letter, Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon “no longer a slave,” as “a
brother.” This brief and simple letter calls for a revolution of the heart. Philemon must
abandon his exploitation of others and find the richness of a brother and fellow disciple.
It is a scandal that later generations of Christians did not always live this invitation.
Some practiced slavery and even attempted to justify it as a natural part of the order of
society and the world. That sin was intensified by the African slave trade which
introduced racism to an already toxic mix.

On June 19 th , we celebrate a beginning of an end to that terrible injustice in the United
States. Almost one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence declared that
“all men are created equal,” President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation. Of course, that beginning has seen generations more of struggle to
recognize the dignity and freedom of all. Even as we celebrate, our history and the
vision of our nation’s founding summon us to take up the task in our own generation.
And above all, our Catholic faith impels us to live in solidarity and compassion for all of
our brothers and sisters. The law must defend rights, the faithful must also cherish
persons.

So I give thanks for all my brothers and sisters and wish all a very meaningful and joyful
commemoration of Juneteenth.