Black Catholic Round-up (3/4/2021)
The latest entry in our #BlackCatholicRoundup series, which amplifies Black Catholic news coming from other outlets. (Note: inclusion here does not necessarily indicate the BCM team's full endorsement of the story's material.)
Clergy & religious
As nation marks 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, Cardinal Gregory offers prayer during CNN’s National Memorial Service
During a Feb. 22 interview with CNN, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory offered a prayer for those who have died from COVID-19 related causes, asking God to “grant enteral peace to all our sisters...
History
Marking the Medical History of East Austin at Holy Cross Hospital
A new historical marker for East Austin recently approved by the Undertold Markers program of the Texas Historical Commission will soon commemorate the final site of the former Holy Cross Hospital,…
Hazel Johnson, the mother of environmental justice, was Catholic
She was a community activist. She was an ambassador of Altgeld Gardens. She was an early mentor to Barack Obama. She was a “thorn in the side” of the Chicago waste industry. She was a wife and mot...
Father Albert McKnight: the Catholic combination of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X
He was a priest who argued that the Catholic Church was fundamentally racist, all the while remaining a faithful member of it.
Black Catholics deserved recognition in PBS doc on Black churches | Opinion
One writer asked: How many hours long does a Black Church documentary need to be before Catholicism gets airtime and a fair shake?
They killed her husband. Her mercy saved their lives. - Jesuits.org
By Christopher Smith, SJ On March 6, 1940, three men sat in North Carolina’s Central Prison awaiting their imminent executions. North Carolina’s state of the art gas chamber led the nation in executions by lethal gas at the time. The week before, two men were gassed for rape at the same time, and a …
Legend of a man changes Holmes County forever: The Perry Reese story (@WillUjek reports) https://t.co/pBGLvWcLGx
— WKYC 3News (@wkyc) February 26, 2021
Young people
Young Mother Lange honoree keeps busy helping others - Catholic Review
Whether it’s at school, church or in his spare time, Kyle Alexander wears a number of metaphorical hats. A parishioner of St. Bernardine in West Baltimore and a senior at Mount St. Joseph High School, Alexander volunteers on various projects, groups and committees.
New NBA player credits making it to the pros to his faith, family, school
INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- On the day his dream came true, Desmond Bane stood in front of the modest home where he grew up, wanting to pay tribute to all the people who supported him along the way.
Mickens selected as inaugural recipient of Cyprian Davis, O.S.B., Prize | Cushwa Center | University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism brings together scholars from history, theology, women’s studies, sociology, religious studies, American studies, and English to interpret the American Catholic experience.
Racism
Black History Month: The Diocese’s only black deacon reflects on past and present episodes of racism
Racism and the Catholic Church in Acadiana - My Experiences
One of the latest displays of systemic racism (institutional racism) in Acadiana was not only overt but was shameless and loud. It was a stark reminder that not only does racism exist, but it also persists even after death. Not only could this man not be buried in the cemetery, but it was also writt…
Segregation of parish churches and their activities was a practice that went back to the beginnings of Catholicism in America. Even before the Civil War and the rise of Jim Crow in the late 19th century, Catholic parishes were divided by race. https://t.co/60B5Oy5fmL
— Catholic Standard (@CathStandard) February 25, 2021
Liturgy
Ward family infuses soul into Detroit’s Black Catholic worship scene (VIDEO)
Keir Ward is a “heart and soul” kind of guy. The father and music minister at Detroit’s Sacred Heart Parish has long believed music can lift one’s spirit to God in powerful ways. Ward...
Fr Pfleger
Saint Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger accused by third man of sexual abuse
St. Sabina’s Fathe Michael Pfleger has been accused of sexual abuse by a third man, according to a spokesperson for the man’s attorney
Column: Blind loyalty to the Rev. Michael Pfleger could harm the Black community
Regardless of Pfleger’s achievements, the sex abuse claims must be investigated, Dahleen Glanton writes.
St. Sabina to Withhold Monthly Assessments from Archdiocese Until Pfleger Investigation is Complete
Leaders at Saint Sabina Church have announced that they plan to withhold monthly assessments normally paid to the Archdiocese of Chicago until the investigation…
Knights of Peter Claver
The Knights of Peter Claver: Black and Open to All
Friends who are not Black Catholics have asked me if they’re eligible to join the Knights of Peter Claver. My enthusiastic answer is: ¡Si se puede! You can even do it now, online. For those interested or who have never
Education
College Scholarship Organization Announces New Exec. Dir. With Ambitious Vision to Increase Access to Higher Education for African-Americans – Sister Thea Bowman Foundation
Parishes
Black Catholics saving their own history in Louisiana
From education and housing to the military, the fight for equality also extends to religion.
Catholic parishioners call on the Archdiocese of Chicago to not sell shuttered churches to developers
The self-proclaimed “God Squad” represents 25 parishes and churches that have shuttered or are on the cusp of closure and have filed canonical appeals to save the buildings.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, in priesthood formation with the Josephites, and a ThM student with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).