In July 2021, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles declared a “Jubilee Year” that sought to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the San Gabriel Mission without any commitment to repenting or making repairs for the harms of the Mission system. The Reckoning with Our Mission Histories community came together to take responsibility for holding our faith communities accountable for the legacies of our spiritual ancestors, and thus to fill in some of the holes left in this “Jubilee” effort.

Believing too many people of faith have had little to no exposure to the painful fullness of the Mission system, we have taken time to explore our culpability in settler colonialism, to undermine the romantic myths and fantasy heritage of this period, and to consider how a commitment to reckoning will liberate all of us. Not only do we work to increase peoples’ understanding of the Mission legacies, but we also work to hone their skills in being able to both engage others and show up in effective, accountable, and responsible ways.

Website: https://www.lacatholicworker.org/wp/mission/