On July 4, 2026, our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a moment that invites both celebration and reflection. Here in Philadelphia, where the words “all men are created equal” were first written into America’s founding promise, that reflection carries special meaning.
For Catholics, the dignity of every human person is not simply an American ideal. It is a Gospel truth.
That conviction is at the heart of New Encounters: Catholics Confronting Racism, a Philadelphia-based Catholic organization helping the faithful approach the work of racial healing through encounter, formation, and action.
Founded in 2020 by Dr. Mary S. Laver, Father Stephen Thorne, Stacy Williams, and Marcelle McGuirk, New Encounters was created to help Catholics confront racism through the lens of faith. The organization works closely with the Archbishop’s Commission on Racial Healing, other offices in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and in 2025 formed a partnership with Cranaleith Spiritual Center, an apostolic work of the Sisters of Mercy.
For Dr. Laver, Director of New Encounters and a longtime member of The Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia’s Grants Committee, this work is deeply personal.
Growing up as the oldest of ten children, she remembers learning early that “Everybody matters,” a lesson reinforced by her Catholic education. “But as I came of age, I often saw a disconnect between that message and the way the world works, especially around race,” Dr. Laver said.
Today, New Encounters helps Catholics address that disconnect through prayerful online and in-person programs, seasonal formation series, and interparish conversations inspired by Archbishop Nelson Pérez’ 2023 pastoral letter on racism, We Are One Body.
Now, as the nation celebrates its Semiquincentennial, New Encounters is bringing their work to educators in Catholic schools.
On November 14, 2026, New Encounters will host “America at 250: Catholic Schools, Racial Justice and the Courage to Teach ‘All Are Created Equal” at Saint Joseph’s University. The symposium will invite local Catholic elementary and secondary educators from across the Archdiocese to a day of prayer, learning, dialogue, and engagement with classroom-ready resources rooted in Catholic Social Teaching.
The goal is to help teachers bring difficult but important conversations about human dignity, race, and history, rooted in faith, into the classroom with confidence and care.
“At the 30,000-foot level, the content and timing of this symposium is a response to the signs of our times,” said Dr. Laver. But we want to do this in a way that meets educators where they are— in real-time encounters and instruction with students in the classroom and in co-curricular activities.”
Educators who attend will receive faith-rooted, classroom-ready materials designed for multiple grade levels, as well as the opportunity for continued support through peer mentors. That long-term approach is central to New Encounter’s vision: helping teachers carry the work of racial healing beyond a single day of formation and into the daily life of their schools.
The symposium has already received basic funding through a generous grant from the Sisters of St. Joseph. Additional support is still needed, however, for the peer mentoring component and creation of an online suite of resources that will continue to serve educators after the symposium concludes.
New Encounter’s work reflects The Catholic Foundation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthen the life of the Church through thoughtful stewardship, sustained formation, and faithful service.
Dr. Laver has served on The Catholic Foundation’s Grants Committee since 2015 and has expressed gratitude for the support that New Encounters has received through a donor-advised fund of The Catholic Foundation. She also noted that the organization’s vision is growing faster than its current resources.
“Imagine this scene in 2076, the Tricentennial of the U.S,” saif Dr. Laver. “Wouldn’t it be inspiring if Catholic schools could look back at 2026 as a time when their predecessors set the standard for upholding the dignity of everyone who lives in this great country of ours, regardless of race or ethnicity?”
That hope is what New Encounters is working to nurture, in collaboration with others across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
To learn more or support this work, contact Dr. Mary Laver at newencounterscatholics@gmail.com or visit https://www.newencounters.org/.