Recognizing the Importance of Juneteenth

Today our community celebrates Juneteenth, to commemorate the day in history when more than 250,000 enslaved people were finally freed by executive decree in the State of Texas in 1865. Freedom was delayed for these Americans, living under confederate rule, for more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was the law of the land in 1863. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is not fulfilled by proclamation alone. It must be protected, practiced, and made real in the lives of people and communities. Pius XI Catholic High School honors the Black Americans whose courage, faith, creativity, and perseverance helped carry freedom forward, even when justice was delayed. Juneteenth carries celebration, but it also carries truth. It asks us to remember the generations who endured slavery, built community, preserved culture, and continued the work of liberation.

As Catholics, this day of remembrance also asks something of our faith.

This year, we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s recent message in Magnifica Humanitas, where he named the Church’s delayed response to slavery as a wound in Christian memory and asked pardon in the name of the Church. "It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord...For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon." His words call us to face history honestly, reject every form of dehumanization, and affirm the sacred dignity of every person.

Juneteenth is not only a date in history. It is a call to formation.

It calls us to listen with humility.

To teach truthfully.

To honor Black history, Black freedom, and Black joy.

To help form students who recognize injustice and choose courage, compassion, and love.

We give thanks for freedom, remember the cost of delayed justice, and recommit ourselves to the dignity God gives to every person.