St. Ludmila Catholic Church remembrance to mark anniversary of George Floyd’s death

CEDAR RAPIDS — St. Ludmila Catholic Church invites the public to a special event in remembrance of George Floyd on the anniversary of his death.

“Be the Light: A service of remembrance and call to action,” will remember the lives of all people of color who have been lost to violence and racial injustice. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church, 211 21st Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids.

The evening will include a ritual of remembrance, a personal witness, prayer and time for fellowship afterward.

The witness for the event, a person of color and native daughter of the parish, will share her life experience and reflections as a member of the parish, along with her experience with racism, her thoughts on George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, and her hopes for how society can move forward.

The event, organized by St. Ludmila’s social justice committee, will read names and play a slideshow during the prayer service to remember those who were lost to violence and racism.

Bob Gardner, pastoral coordinator, said the church is committed to embracing and lifting up people of color, following church and gospel teachings to treat all with respect, love and dignity.

“The time is now to do something,” he said. “I think there’s more people after George Floyd’s death that are aware of racism and how we’re colluding with that, just because of our white privilege.”

While much of that collusion may be unintentional, he said some white congregants have discovered that white privilege is used subconsciously to their advantage, perpetuating systemic racism.

The event was planned in tandem with a book study on “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo.

“We have to seek out opportunities to connect with people of color, really get to know them,” Gardner said. “That’s the goal in doing this.”

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