ALL MAY BE ONE 

Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the California Catholic Conference (CCC) of Bishops took up the issue of racism and formed a Task Force for listening to testimony from bishops and laity alike. After a year's time, the bishops determined each diocese should form its own task force and Archbishop Gomez's directive led to the first meeting of 14 men and women on September 27, 2021 here in this Archdiocese. Following the pattern modeled by the CCC, this Task Force began with the story of African American Catholics. Theirs is a story which serves as a "gateway" into the racism which has numerous variants. African American Catholics, our smallest racial group in the Archdiocese Uust 6% of ADLA) have produced wise, faith-filled teachers who offer powerful witness to the sin of racism suffered by all groups who have known racial discrimination in our Church. Early on, the Task Force agreed that if the Archbishop's call for a "Plan of Action" was to be realized, it would depend on the priests who pastor our parishes, schools and families. From January to June 2022, presentations and listening sessions were held in all 20 Deaneries. Perhaps the most significant "learning" brought to the attention of the Task Force from those hearings was the diversity of races, nationalities and histories of the current ADLA Presbyterate.