​Racial Reconciliation Academy

The three Episcopal Churches of the Napa Valley, St. Luke’s Calistoga, Grace St. Helena, and St. Mary’s Napa, came together to answer locally the Presiding Bishop’s call to Learn, Pray and Act for Racial Justice following George Floyd’s death, and the rise of the largest Civil Rights movement in our nation’s history, in 2020.

The racial history of the Napa Valley is a painful story of oppression, displacement, violence, and genocide. Our churches share the same context, and a commitment to learn the painful truth of our past. We have also discovered inspiring stories, like a former rector from Napa who went to Selma to march with MLK. The photo above shows the service book from March 1965, with “Off to Selma” written in the margin for the services he would miss.

Our three churches participated in an interfaith march for peace and racial justice in Napa, May of 2020. We have engaged in courses via Zoom together, including book studies, Sacred Ground Circles, workshops, and speakers. Resources, classes, and events from other organizations are also published weekly in our church newsletter.