Kwanzaa Celebration

CALL TO WORSHIP

Arise O Beautiful and Black Sons and Daughters of Mother Africa.

Arise O Beautiful and Black Sons and Daughters of the Diaspora.

Arise O Beautiful and Black Sons and Daughters of Hagar and Zipporah, Victor and Gelasius, Harriet and Sojourner, Martin de Porres and Augustine, Mother Lange, Mother DeLille and Mother Williams, Moses the Ethiopian, Simon of Cyrene, and Mitiades, Sr. Thea Bowman and Fr. Bede Abrom.

Arise O Beautiful and Black Sons and Daughters of the Light.

Arise O Beautiful and Black Sons and Daughters of a new day and a new hope.

Arise you noble, elegant creatures of God… Whose past, present and future is rooted in the faith of our ancestors and in the God of our salvation.

Scripture Reading (Hebrews 12:1-2)

With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage.

(Please note that libation will go along with each petition)

The First Candle is lit for “Umoja”

Umoja (Unity). We pray for solidarity. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that “loving our neighbor” has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

Leader: Lord, we come before you committing our hearts in unity and solidarity to each other through you. May you grant us loving hearts, forgiving spirits, and open minds to accept and treasure those you have places around us. In memory of our ancestors, … we pour libation.

All: May your peace keep us always together as we dwell in your love. Amen.

The Second Candle is lit for “Kujichagulia.”

Kujichagulia (Self-determination). Call to family, community and participation.

The person is not only sacred by also social. How we organize our society, in economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. The family is the central social institution that fosters self-determination, and must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Leader: We pray all peoples will enjoy the freedom to define themselves, name themselves and speak for themselves instead of being defined and spoken for by others. In memory of our ancestors, …we pour libation.

All: May we find within our families, communities and ourselves the devotion to remain dedicated to our development and growth. May your love give us the courage and power to define who we are as black Catholic people in the 21 st century… proud to be black and Catholic. Amen

The Third Candle is lit for “Ujima”

Ujima (Collective work and responsibility). Rights and responsibilities. The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities, to one another, to our families and to the larger society.

Leader: We pray that the spirit of the Lord will help us always care for one another, continue the work of sharing the Good News, and through our good deeds, become the light for our sisters and brothers who haven’t accepted Christ in their lives. In memory of our ancestors, …we pour libation.

All: May we be conscious of the joys and struggles of those in our community and celebrate and weep as though they are our own. We pledge to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and take in the stranger. Amen.

The Fourth Candle is lit for “Ujamaa”

Ujamaa (Cooperative economics). The dignity of work and the rights of workers. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living: it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected then, the basic rights of workers must be respected, the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

Leader: We pray that our business will strive to serve the human needs, especially the need for love of one another, and the love of God. In memory of our ancestors, … we pour libation.

All: May we grow in the spirit of generosity using our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build up the body of Christ and to transform despair into hope as we work to rejuvenate our communities. Amen.

The Fifth Candle is lit for “Nia”

Nia (Purpose). Option for the poor and vulnerable. A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

Leader: We pray that we will make as our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. In memory of our ancestors, …we pour libation.

All: May we be ever mindful of the glories and tragedies of our past; and may they inspire us to strive that much harder to reclaim our destiny as a people. Amen.

The Sixth Candle is lit for “Kuumba”

Kuumba (Creativity). Care for God’s creation. We show our respect of the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is no just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

Leader: We pray that we will always do as much as we can in the way we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial that we inherited it. In memory of our ancestors, …we pour libation.

All: May we share our discoveries and abilities with others that we may give life and not destroy it, plant rather than tear down. Inspire us through your Holy Spirit to claim this season as our own. Amen.

The Seventh and last candle is lit for “Imani”

Imani (Faith). Life and dignity of the human person. The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is being threatened by increasing use of the death penalty. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

Leader: We pray that we believe with our hearts in our people, parents, teachers, leaders, and our God and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. In memory of our ancestors, … we pour libation.

All: May we run this race with courage and hope all the days of our lives. Amen.

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