I grew up in a very strict, fundamentalist Christian home, the kind where the man’s word was law, and women, not just children, were not allowed a voice. My...
Black Catholics
On April 4, 1968—the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated—Norman Francis was in Philadelphia meeting with leaders of the Sisters of the Blessed...
Black Catholics must challenge their fellow believers to live up to the church’s moral teachings on issues of race. Every February we celebrate the heritage of...
As pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Washington, Msgr. Ray East knows what it takes to create a welcoming, enthusiastic parish. And, as the parish has a...
This dynamic pastor has a few tips on how to welcome parishioners and rekindle the fire among the faithful. Many priests can become bogged down with everything...
On the evening of Sunday, May 10, 1891, Father Augustus Tolton, the nation’s first self-identified Black priest, traveled to a home in Chicago’s “Negro...
I had never heard of Father Augustus Tolton until I took a course in black Catholic history at Xavier University in New Orleans. I did not know that he had...
The history of African American Catholicism began with the arrival of the Spanish settlers in the 16th century in Florida. In fact, on the first page of the...
I have been a Christian for 35 years, first as a Baptist and now as a Roman Catholic convert. I grew up in the Baptist church and loved its preaching, gospel...
Two decades ago a remarkable woman died. The New York Times carried her obituary; the Jackson, Mississippi NBC affiliate televised her funeral; Mike Wallace...
