Diocesan-Wide Sacred Ground Circles in 2023

Katharine Burnett & E. Jahn Hart, Beloved Community Commission

The Diocese of Western Massachusetts, through the Beloved Community Commission, will be offering diocesan-wide Sacred Ground circles this year in the fall of 2023. Interested participants from any Western Massachusetts parish will be invited to register, as will friends and family who wish to join. While the series is part of the Episcopal Church’s Becoming Beloved Community, anyone is welcome to enlist in the program which will be conducted via Zoom.

A brief information session will be offered via Zoom for those who would like to know more about the program before making the commitment to participate. Registrants will indicate their preferences for meeting days and times. Since circles should not be larger than 10 or 12 people, multiple groups may be offered at different times, depending on the number of registrants.

There will be 3 options offered:

1. Registration for the complete, updated 11-part Sacred Ground series. Sessions will occur every 2 weeks to allow preparation time for reading and viewing of video resources; therefore, the circles will likely be scheduled bi-weekly from early September until mid-February, with a break for Christmas.

2. Registration for a 4-session series that includes new materials for parishioners who previously completed the full Sacred Ground curriculum. The 4 sessions will offer a “Deeper Dive” into Sacred Ground and an expanded opportunity to explore the work of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice.

3. Registration for facilitation coaching and support for individuals who wish to convene circles within their own congregation.

Sacred Ground is a film- and readingsbased dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.

The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. While originally designed to help white people talk with other white people about racism, the series is now recognized as a program to help all become more aware of the impact of their histories, feelings, and prejudices. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is an enthusiastic supporter of Sacred Ground: “Everywhere I travel, people are bursting to tell me about the transformational impact Sacred Ground has had in their lives.” After the curriculum was evaluated and revised in 2022, the presiding bishop noted “The Lord is building Beloved Community through this movement, and in its updated and expanded form, Sacred Ground will help many thousands more take the next steps in the lifelong work of racial healing.” ♦

Previous participants of Sacred Ground in Western Massachusetts offered their endorsements of the series in response to the following question: What should people who are thinking of taking the Sacred Ground course know about it and how it has affected you personally?

Anyone who is interested in knowing more about Sacred Ground and the opportunities to participate can contact either Katharine Burnett at katharine.burnett@gmail.com or Jahn Hart at jahnhart@sbcglobal.net.