Mending relationships, mending ourselves

Several members from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast attend the Jonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage in Hayneville, August 8, 2009

By Gary Moore, St. James, Fairhope
Standing Committee Member

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARY MOORE

HAYNEVILLE, AL — Ruby Sales was only sixteen when the young Episcopal seminary student quickly but intentionally placed himself between her and the murderous shotgun wielded by the angry, unemployed highway worker who had just been “deputized”.  Jonathan Myrick Daniels did not see his 27th birthday before first being held by Jesus.

The 10^th solemn observance of the event of 44 years ago was held to honor this sacrificed life of the Episcopal seminary student in Hayneville (Lowndes County), Alabama amongst a crowd of well over 100 people from around the country.

From the gathering in the town square where folks gathered to remember that hot day in August 1965, we began with the Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Alabama, The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan presiding and The Rev. Canon T. Mark Dunnam from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast assisting.  In prayer, Bishop Sloan invoked the Holy Spirit to come be with us as we commemorate such an event as one laying down his life for another.

Marching down closed streets in this sleepy town, banners held high, iconographs of other martyred people also held forth, we made our way to the old jail into which Jonathan and others had been thrown without specific charges during times of civil unrest during desegregation and the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.  Cramped spaces, clogged toilet in-cell, and when  these people were fed, they were provided tainted foods.  The superintendent of schools for this county offered the compelling reading for this station.

From there we marched and sang until we reached the front steps and door of the former, small Cash’s general store.  At what became a hallowed place, scores of us knelt to pray.  A guest soloist’s song evoked a slow, mournful feeling which crept into the fractures of each heart present.

Clearly subdued, the crowd moved back toward the town center under hot skies and above hot pavement.  Here, we stopped at the monument placed by alumni from VMI, from which Jonathan had graduated before entering seminary.  From there, we entered the same, yet aging courthouse from which the gun man had been acquitted 40 years ago.  But, this time, it was different.  The courthouse transformed into a place of worship as the usual judge’s “bench” was easily altered with fair linens and other liturgical appointments.  A choir from Birmingham was singing an upbeat, jubilant version of the requiem mass.  An all Black choir standing and singing in the same jury box from which an all white panel pronounced their innocent verdict for the shooter: what a study in contrasts.

The homily was given by Constance and Dain Perry of the Diocese of Massachusetts.  He, a descendant of the family known as the largest slave trading group in the country; and she, a descendant of slaves. The message offered was that of “forgiveness”.  Prior to this event, this couple had been traveling the country conducting 135 screenings of “Traces of the Trade”, a movie about the slave trade in our country in the not-too-distant past.  The white husband and black wife spoke of Jesus’ commandment to forgive.  Although counter-intuitive and even counter-cultural in our often snarling commentary culture today, forgiveness offers release and relief to the one forgiving and delivers him or her from the burden of loss.  “When we mend relationships, we mend ourselves” said Constance. “Our instructions from our Savior are clearly stated, yet not so easily followed at times, especially in a society that says for every harsh event, we repay two-fold with harsh response,  ”  she allowed.  “Pray for those who hurt you”, offered Dain.  “Perhaps the first prayer will be the most difficult, but see what happens as you continue to pray for those who hurt you.”

Would Jonathan Myrick Daniels forgive his assailant?  I think he did before his blood dried on the steps of Cash’s store.  May we forgive those who sting us with something as simple a single spoken barb?  Jesus says we must.  The single barb, the betrayal of trust, the pain, the injury and yes, even death: We must forgive.

Joining regular attendees Gary and Kathy Moore from St. James Fairhope were members of the St James Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Chris Baugh and banner bearer Paul Banko.  From other parishes around the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast were seen (and we may have missed some) Canon Mark and Dottie Dunnam, Lavan Martin from St. Anna’s (Poarch) Atmore, AL, Fr. Norman Bray and others from St. Luke’s Marianna, FL, Fr. John Hicks and others from St. Andrew’s Mobile, AL, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew Chapter of Christ Church Pensacola, FL, folks from St. Peter’s Jackson, AL, folks from St. Andrew’s Destin, FL, and folks from St. Michael’s Ozark, AL .

“O God of justice and compassion, who put down the proud and the Mighty from their place, and lift up the poor and afflicted:  We give you thanks for your faithful witness Jonathan Myrick Daniels, who, in the midst of injustice and violence, risked and gave his life for another; and we pray that we, following his example, may make no peace with oppression; through Jesus Christ the just one:  who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”