New circle forming Saturday, October 19

Nearly 150 people across the Diocese of Southwest Florida have completed the Sacred Ground series.

I found the readings and the documentary movie selections assigned to each session opening my eyes and giving me a much better understanding of the systemic racism in our nation occurring over hundreds of years. It is spread among the many different minority groups in America and continues today. I would encourage anyone interested to sign up and learn more about themselves, the Episcopal church as a whole, and how our nation, our church, and we as individuals together played a large role in how we arrived where we are at today and the changes we all need to be a part of moving forward to allow us to be a more inclusive, fair and just nation.
-Michael Ricciardi, Cathedral member

Sacred Ground, a program to foster racial healing and reconciliation, will return to the Cathedral on October 19. Sacred Ground is a film-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving the threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. Meeting dates and times will be determined by the participants.

The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/ Pacific American histories as they intersect with European-American histories. Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. The series is open to all, and is especially designed to help white people talk to other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of our present day — all while grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love.

For more information, contact Betsy Adams (betsygadams@icloud.com).

Sacred Ground is an attempt to respond to the profound challenges in our society around race and racism, as well as the difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue we need to have with each other about them. It invites participants to walk back through history in order to peel away the layers that brought us to today, and to do so in a personal way.

There is no charge. All are welcome, whether you are well-versed in these issues or are just beginning the journey.