Welcome to
The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation!
in the Heart of Jersey City
“Always On Duty”
Maybe it’s because of graduation season or because I
want to escape the present by retreating into the past, but lately I have been
thinking a lot about my days as a teacher.
A couple of weeks ago I shared a memory from when I
taught at St. Vincent Academy in Newark. I was young when I taught there but it
was not my first teaching position. A couple of years earlier, when I had graduated
from college I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided I
would teach for a little while until I figured things out. I don’t know why I
thought I could teach, except that I had spent most of life sitting in
classrooms, taught by teachers I judged to be effective, or not so much. Maybe
because I really didn’t know what else to do, I managed to convince myself that
I knew how to do this!
The only problem was I couldn’t convince anyone else
and so by the end of the summer I was desperate. Fortunately, someone else was
maybe almost as desperate. With the school year just about to start, the principal
of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Bayonne had a strong incentive to fill one
last teaching position and I can only assume that during my interview she
decided that I looked and sounded presentable enough to solve her problem. She
hired me on the spot and handed me the teacher’s editions of the textbooks I
would be using. And so, I began my adult life teaching Math (the less said
about this, the better) and Social Studies to seventh and eighth graders.
Much stricter and more old-fashioned than what I had
experienced in my own Catholic grammar school, Mt. Carmel was actually an
excellent place to begin to learn how to teach. Freed from worrying too much
about maintaining discipline, I could focus on teaching my lessons and gaining
confidence as an educator, and as someone who could make his own way in the
world. Although the job paid peanuts, at the start of my second year I took a
big step into adulthood by moving out of my family’s house and into a studio
apartment in Bayonne, just a couple of blocks from the school.
Back then anyway, living in Bayonne felt like living
in a small town. Sure enough, I quickly discovered that I would run into many
of my students and their parents all the time. Walking along
Broadway. Riding the bus. Eating in a restaurant. And, yes, shopping in Shop
Rite. No surprise, these encounters were
usually at least somewhat awkward. Frankly, there were times I just wanted to
be left alone. And, sometimes my students and their parents were a little
disoriented to bump into me outside of my classroom habitat, dressed more
casually than my teacher “uniform” of jacket and tie. And, then there was my
favorite moment: if we ran into each other in the supermarket, students and
parents could never resist looking down to check out the apparently interesting
items in my shopping cart! What does Mr. Murphy eat? Well, now we know!
Although, of course, everyone is entitled to a
private life and times of rest, I came to understand that, whether I liked it
or not, I was a teacher not only when I was in school but whenever and wherever
I went out in the community. In a sense, I was always “on duty.” The same is
even truer now for my life as a priest. And, I would argue, the same is true
for all of us who seek to follow Jesus. We can’t “compartmentalize” our faith,
trying to pack it into the time we spend in church (or, these days, when we
join a service on Facebook or over the phone). We are Christians when we walk
down the street, ride the bus, eat in a restaurant, and, yes, even when we make
our way up and down supermarket aisles.
No question, the past few months have been very
difficult – and, unfortunately, we are not yet out of the woods. But, since God
never misses an opportunity to create and nurture new life, there have been
abundant blessings, too. More of us have been praying and worshiping. More of
us have been reaching out to each other, especially checking on those who are
ill or lonely. And, I believe that the forced exile from our beautiful church
building can remind us that as Christians we are always “on duty.” We cannot –
must not – compartmentalize our faith.
I got to thinking about all of this because the
leaders of Jersey City Together have begun reading and reflecting on The Cross and the Lynching Tree by the
great theologian, The Rev. Dr. James Cone. In this book, Dr. Cone draws what should have been an obvious parallel
between the brutal execution of Jesus long ago and the bloody lynching of black
people in our country. He writes:
“The lynching tree – so strikingly similar to the
cross on Golgotha – should have a prominent place in American images of death.
But it does not. In fact, the lynching tree has no place in American
theological reflections about Jesus’ cross or in the proclamation of Christian
churches about his Passion.”
It is sobering indeed to remember that most, if not
all, of the people responsible for lynching, and those bystanders who were
happy to watch and cheer, were self-described Christians. How is it possible to
follow Jesus of Nazareth and his call to love our neighbors – to love our enemies,
even – and then to hate and terrorize and kill people? It seems to me that this
diabolical disconnect only becomes possible when we try to compartmentalize our
faith, when there are certain times that we think we can go “off duty.”
Those white Christians should have been able to see
and hear the face and voice of the Crucified Christ in the black people they
hated and terrorized and killed - just as we should see and hear Jesus each
Good Friday when we make our way to places in our city stained by violence - just
as we should see and hear Jesus in that horrible moment when George Floyd
gasps, “I can’t breathe…”
If we white people try to console ourselves by
saying that we would certainly never do anything so cruel and terrible,
it’s important to remember that the people gathered at the foot of the lynching
trees would have surely seen themselves – and would have been judged by their
white neighbors - as good, upstanding people. And, while what we do or don’t do
in the world is certainly important, we would be wise to remember that Jesus was
particularly concerned about what’s going on in our hearts.
And, you know, whenever I’m tempted to think that I
don’t benefit so much from my own whiteness, I’m going to think back to that
long-ago job interview and try to remember that a black person with the same
lack of qualifications (or, probably, even with more experience) would almost
certainly never have been considered for that teaching position – the
opportunity that set in motion the rest of my life. Talk about white privilege!
So, this time of forced exile from our church
building is a blessed opportunity to ask God to heal our hearts – to help us to
see Jesus in the suffering people all around us, especially our black sisters
and brothers who still, even after everything, still have to insist that
their lives matter. This
difficult time is a holy opportunity to strive to be a Christian wherever we go
- yes, even the supermarket. This would be an especially good time to finally knock
down our “compartments” and remain on duty, in faithful service to the Prince
of Peace.
Tom
P.S. You are invited to an interdenominational panel
discussion about racism, white privilege and power on Monday, June 29th,
at 7:00pm. Rev. Laurie and I will join with The Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst II of
Mt. Pisgah AME Church and The Rev. Dr. Alonzo Perry, Sr. of New Hope Missionary
Baptist Church for what I’m sure will be a thoughtful discussion, moderated by
The Rev. Shyrone Richardson of the World Outreach Christian Center. More
details are below.
Prayers:
This
Father’s Day weekend we give thanks for our fathers and all of those who have
offered us fatherly love.
Please
pray for all those on our parish prayer list, especially Jean, Andy, Angelo,
and Richard.
Please
also remember in your prayers those who have died, and those who grieve their
loss:
Maxine
Hodge, the sister of Eric Petersen
Donald
James, the uncle of Cassandra James
Sarah
Epps, the great-aunt of Elizabeth Kennedy, Cristal Stephens, Javion Kennedy,
Denzel Jeter and Cedric Williams.
All of
those who have died as a result of Covid -19.
When We
See Us:
An
Interdenominational Panel Discussion About Racism, White Privilege and Power
All Are Welcome with a
Particular Request for
Attendance by White Christians
Monday, June 29,
7pm
Virtual Meeting
Link TBA
African Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the
rate of whites, are twice as likely to live in poverty and 2.5 more likely to
be killed by police* While these statistics represent violence done to
black people, the structural racism that created this violence is the result of
the white privilege.
White privilege divides one neighborhood from another,
values the education of white children more than black children and determines
the prospective of the history they learn. There is no way for white
privilege to be dismantled without white people taking responsibility for
learning about it and actively fighting against it.
Please come for an honest, open conversation about white
privilege with other Christians who understand fighting systemic racism to be
central to their call as disciples of Jesus Christ
Panelists:
The Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst II
of Mt. Pisgah A.M.E Church
The Rev. Tom Murphy of The
Church of St. Paul & Incarnation
The Rev. Dr. Alonzo Perry Sr. of
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
The Rev. Laurie Jean Wurm of
Grace Church Van Vorst.
Moderator: The Rev. Shyrone Richardson of
World Outreach Christian Church.
All participants are strongly encouraged to prepare for the
discussion by watching the Netflix Series “When They See Us” in advance of the
discussion.
*Statistics
drawn from the NAACP, the U.S.Census Bureau and Statista
Supporting Our Church:
We are
aware that, unfortunately, some parishioners have been laid off or furloughed
and others are in danger of losing their jobs. Please know that you are in our
prayers and we are here to help any way we can. In these extremely challenging
economic times, we are especially grateful to those of you who have been able
to keep up with your pledges. You can still mail checks to the church or you
can use online giving. Visit stpaulsjc.org
and click on "Online Giving." We also have a Venmo account. Call the
office or email me for more information.
Worship Schedule:
Monday through Friday: "Church By Phone"
Morning
Prayer, 7:30
Noonday
Prayer, 12:00
Evening
Prayer, 5:30
Call: 201-433-4922 for more information.
Sunday at 10:00am
Join us
on Facebook Live for a celebration of Holy Eucharist
Congratulations to Our Graduates!
Lena
Jacobs has
graduated from kindergarten at Hudson Arts and Science Charter School and will
enter First Grade.
Glenda
Galloway has
graduated from MS4 and will be attending High Tech High School.
Isaiah
Patterson has
graduated from Academy 1 and will be attending Hudson Catholic.
Brandon
McKinney has
graduated from the Allison L. Steele Advanced Learning Center.
Giovanni
Mulero has
graduated from Lincoln High School and has enlisted in the United States Marine
Corps.
Karen
Kwaasi has
graduated from Kean University with a BA in Public Relations (with a Minor in
Marketing) and plans to start her own media company.
We
are so very proud of you all!
From the Diocese:
Read
The Voice Online for a video message from Bishop Hughes and information
about upcoming events for adults and youth:
Prayers and Reflections on Pandemic,
Racism, and Protest
Online Gatherings for high school and
college students:
Tuesday, June
23, 6:30pm: High School Students
Thursday,
June 25, 6:30pm: College Students
Zoom
Information will be sent via email.
Checking In: A Lay Conversation with
the Bishop:
Tuesday, June
30, 6:00pm
Bishop Hughes
is eager to once again spend time in conversation with members of the diocese,
to reflect and consider what we, our churches, and our communities have learned
and experienced as we have adjusted to the changes this time has demanded of
us.
This second
monthly Zoom conversation is open to all members of the diocese. Log-in
instructions will be sent out via email.
DJ’s Free Market
Subscribe to
the DJ’s Newsletter to stay informed about this exciting new ministry led by
Deacon Jill:
https://mailchi.mp/bba528aa62bb/subscribe-to-djs-newsletter
Attention Parents!
The Jersey City Together Education Team
has created a new survey that aims to capture feedback about what learning has
been like for the past three months during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey
is intended for anyone who has been helping a child with COVID-19 remote
learning. Alternatively, If you know someone who may be helping a child with
COVID-19 remote learning in Jersey City, please SHARE this survey!
The survey is here:
https://forms.gle/x1c984ZJicAH2gYU7
and it is in both English and Spanish. The purpose of the survey is to
assist Jersey City Together's listening campaign centered around the COVID-19
pandemic and the consequences of it as it relates to education including remote
learning, changes in your child’s temperament, academic flow, etc. Our hope
with listening is to identify common issues and concerns that parents and
caregivers may be experiencing, which can then inform our advocacy going
forward.
This survey is confidential and your
identity will not be shared with your child’s principal or the district. The
survey was created by parents and advocates who have professional experience in
public education, social work, youth organization and programming, and
survey/data analysis.
If you'd like to be in the loop on
updates related to this survey going forward, you can subscribe to Jersey City
Together's education advocacy email list (you can do that on the Education team
page here ... there is a
sign-up form at the bottom of that page).
Help for Renters and Homeowners:
There
is help available for renters and homeowners suffering because of the pandemic.
One is the website for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency: www.njhousing.gov. You can also call
1-800-NJ-HOUSE (1-800-654-6873).
Helpful Resources:
State
of New Jersey Covid-19 Information Hub:
The
Diocese of Newark posts Covid-19 resources here:
You can
subscribe to diocesan newsletters here:
The
Episcopal Church has collected Covid-19 resources here:
"Habits
of Grace," weekly reflections from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
The
Church of England has some wonderful prayers and other materials here:
Fr. Tom's sermons can be found here:
http://tommurphe.blogspot.com