Catholic Charities Commitment to Anti-Racism

The mission of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud is to serve and enhance human dignity for people of all faiths and beliefs.

Our mission is guided by Catholic social teaching, which calls us to recognize the dignity of all life and the priority for the poor and vulnerable in our community. These principles have guided our work since our beginning, and we are proud to continue walking with and serving our diverse community. Still, we recognize that not all members of our community are treated with the dignity they deserve, and that many of our neighbors are particularly vulnerable due to racial prejudice and injustice.

Racism is present in all the communities we serve. And while overcoming centuries of racial inequality and systems built out of a perception of white superiority and the realities of white privilege will not be an easy task, Catholic Charities is committed to standing with our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community members, and to doing the hard work of examining our biases as individuals and as an organization, in order to build more just and welcoming communities for all.

We wish to make it clear that while we stand with all our community members, we do not stand for all of their actions, particularly actions that diminish the dignity of others. We stand against all forms of prejudice—including but not limited to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and other forms of bigotry and hate. We do not tolerate racism, nor do we tolerate indifference towards those who do. We will continue to stand with those who are targeted and oppressed, and will advocate for change to systems on local and national levels that perpetuate disparities and racial injustice. We will continue to educate around conscious and unconscious biases, and will hold accountable those individuals and institutions whose actions further diminish and discriminate.

Catholic Charities stands with our community members, parishioners, partners, employees and clients of all races, ethnicities and religions. And we invite others to join us in being a voice of love and inclusion by standing with our marginalized neighbors and speaking out against intolerance and injustice when it is seen in our communities.

Together we can make a different tomorrow for all our neighbors!

Statement developed by Catholic Charities Social Concerns, December 2020.