By Seth Bonvouloir
On Saturday, Oct. 26, the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire made a powerful statement in voting unanimously at the annual diocesan convention in favor of a reparations resolution.
For the past year, the Reparations Task Force, composed of lay people and clergy, has met to carry out prayerful work and examine what reparations work would look like for churches in the diocese. After examining reparations resolutions passed in several dioceses, such as New York, Washington, and Atlanta, the task force created the resolution presented at New Hampshire’s 2024 convention. The unique aspect that sets the resolution apart from those of other dioceses is that it includes the guarantee of non-repeat of the harms committed. This resolution laid out suggestions as to how the diocesan staff and individual parishes could begin and hence carry out meaningful dialogue and action of reparations.
The task force discerned that, for now, reparations would focus on repairing the breach of harm done to Indigenous and African American people. Throughout the task force’s work and for the continued work ahead, the focus is not only monetary. The process will involve telling and hearing stories about the harm committed by parishes on an individual level, along with the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire examining its history and telling the truth. It will also involve collaborating with accountability partners to determine meaningful actions to apologize for the harm committed.
Through all of this, the hope is to not see reparations as merely handing things to an affected group out of guilt. Instead, it is to connect with those who have been harmed, learn about the role we played in the past and present, and understand deeply how our faith calls us to not make the same mistakes in the future. Stating what was done, feeling sorrowful about what was done, repenting, asking forgiveness, and ensuring the offense is not repeated are all stages of the Rite of Penance. These are also the steps the resolution outlines as those to be taken in the work of reparations done on an intentional basis.When we take the vow of the baptismal covenant, we Episcopalians are charged with “seeking and serving Christ in all peoples and loving thy neighbor as thyself.” The resolution calls us not merely to say these words but to act upon them. Though the road ahead in reparations will be long, the true essence of following Jesus Christ our Lord is that we must right our wrongs—one of the many ways we live out our faith daily to create a beloved community.
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Seth Bonvouloir a proud Guatemalan American from the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. He aspires to be a young POC (people of color) leader in The Episcopal Church.