We have heard from our Mount Carmel community, and we respect your opinions and thank you for your input. In the words of 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it.” Racism is a sin that is embedded in our society. Our mission and vision value the dignity of each individual in our community. We believe we are the body of Christ and strive each day to become more like Christ.

We stand in solidarity with the black community and all who condemn the heinous murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other black men and women due to police brutality, injustice, and the systemic racism that caused it. Black lives matter. We must determine the changes needed to eradicate social evils in our country. We strive to do so in our school. We do not have all the answers, but we will listen, we will consider the viewpoints of others, and we will continue to support and promote diversity.

We will increase the opportunities for equity and inclusion among the students and faculty in all areas of school life.  We will begin listening sessions seeking input from our African-American parents, students, and alumnae. In our annual summer curriculum planning we will focus on ways and means to promote a deeper understanding of the prevalence of racism and better ways and means to combat it in our school and in life. We know there is more to do, but we must begin to bring about deep change.

This is our commitment to follow Jesus’ prayer, “That all may be one.” (John 17:21).  We continue our efforts to be open and listen to God’s call to conversion.  We will continue to turn our beliefs into actions to build up the Body of Christ and fight against the social evils of racism and discrimination which cause suffering among our African-American Mount Carmel family and in our world. 

As the prayer for Archbishop Oscar Romero reads,

“This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
Knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,
And there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
And to do it very well.
It may be incomplete,
But it is a beginning,
A step along the way,
An opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter
And do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
But that is the difference
Between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,
Ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.”