Parishioners gathered at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Landover Hills, Maryland, for a Mass to celebrate and reflect on Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and the parable of the mustard seed with Cardinal Wilton Gregory.
The Mass, titled “Mass to Commemorate Juneteenth Freedom Day,” took place on Sunday, June 16, three days before the holiday. This holiday commemorates how the enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom on June 19, 1865, more than two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Cardinal Gregory celebrated the Mass with Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell Jr.; St. Mary’s pastor, Father Mario Majano; and St. Mary’s parochial vicar, Father Ebuka Mbanude. Deacon Stephen Robinson assisted at the Mass.
The cardinal referenced the day’s reading from the Gospel of Mark during his homily.
In the reading, Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed, a tiny seed that grows into a large plant when nurtured. Jesus compares this to the kingdom of God.
“God’s kingdom is a place destined for people with hopeful, trusting hearts,” Cardinal Gregory said, adding that the smaller the seed, the greater the transformation.
Cardinal Gregory shared how the seed is relevant to Juneteenth. The seeds of freedom “produced a harvest for everyone,” he said.
“Too often, we logically and rightfully concentrate our attention on the abolition of slavery for peoples of color, but in a deeper truth, the dismantling of slavery freed our entire nation of the scourge of human bondage, for those who were held as slaves as well as those who enslaved people,” the cardinal said.
Cardinal Gregory said since small seeds are not visible once they are planted in the ground, there needs to be trust and hope that they will grow.
“Just like a garden that begins with just our modest initiative, God’s kingdom will advance and develop because it is God who always provides abundant growth. So on this Juneteenth day, which will occur later this week…we thank God for the seed of freedom that he has planted in the hearts of us all, and we beg and ask him to make that tiny seed of freedom come to full growth in our world,” Cardinal Gregory said.
Following Communion, Wendi Williams, the executive director of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, addressed the congregation and thanked Cardinal Gregory and the concelebrants, as well as everyone involved in organizing the event, including the Our Lady Queen of Peace Gospel Choir and the Knights of Columbus, and the Knights of Peter Claver and their Ladies Auxiliary. Williams then presented a commemorative Juneteenth quilt that was raffled off. The quilt was donated by the Knights of Peter Claver Auxiliary #53, named after Cardinal Gregory and based in Virginia.
Anita Coleman, the area deputy of the Northern States District for the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, told the Catholic Standard why it is important to celebrate Juneteenth with the Church.
“This is where we come, and we meet with the Lord. He is here. Yes, he is present wherever we go, but it’s just so, so special when we can receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was there for us over 2,000 years ago, and He remains with us. In all honesty, the Lord Jesus Christ was there when slavery ended, and I believe it was His work and the work of our Father that made this happen,” Coleman said.
