African american Catholic Church

[excaliber]

No. We are all Catholic. I agree with my friend Palmas. HMC in the USA has a long tradition of ethnic parishes and a long history of ministry to ethnic/racial groups.

And yet, I never heard anything about the Catholic church until just over a year ago.

Stop trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Leting potential black converts know that the Catholic Church is not a white church in America. And that there are black churches just like there are white churches.

Dose not all of a sudden make The Catholic Church not Catholic. Calling them ethnic is silly…its black and that’s what I call it.

You don’t want people calling you ethnic, just because whites came from britan or alaska or wherever.

A wise man once said “it is what it is”.

The African American Catholic Church’s are not just some ministry to help out black folks.

Its an African American Church.
It is what it is.

Now when you go to a church full of whites, you don’t think…oh I wounder if this church is in union with rome? Oh I wounder if its Catholic? Oh I wounder if blacks are welcomed?

So Why say that about Black Churches?

 

[ibkc]

excaliber,
I have to say that I am utterly confused at what you’re trying to say. There are plenty of historically black / predominantly African Amercian Catholic parishes in the US, especially in the bigger cities and in areas with large Catholic populations, and no one is saying that that is a bad thing. So what is it that is a problem here?

 

[excaliber]

In the final analysis we are one holy, Catholic, and apostolic church. You may have ethnic or racial parishes here in the US (history certainly proves this) but I can go to Mass at any of the predominatly or historic African American parishes here in south Louisiana and be accepted as a Catholic. There is no African American Catholic Church.

Who ever told you that you could not go to any church?

seems like you just imagined the whole argument.

You can look at the moon and call it a marbel for all I care. Saying there is no moon dose not make it true.

I am going to the African American Catholic Church this weekend. There is no white parish there.
The priest is black the people are mostly black the culture is black…its black.

If you try to separate the African American American church from the one true Church.

Then you must separate all the white churches…with white priests mostly white people and a choir singing with a guitar or whatever that thing was.

If you can make an issue of black churches, I can make an issue of white ones.
This is pointless however.

 

[brotherhrolf]

Excaliber, I invite you to come down here to either Baton Rouge or New Orleans or any of the other places in south Louisiana where there are African American parishes. They are Catholic.

What are you looking for in an African American parish? What distinguishes an African American parish from any other parish? Music? Sure. St. Augustine down in NO has a jazz Mass and Father wears vestments with African motifs. Has Our Lord changed? Is he different in the Eucharist?

Like Palmas said - there were two Vietnamese parishes in NO before Katrina. We have a Vietnamese parish here in Baton Rouge. Does it make a difference that my choir sang the responses to the litany in Vietnamese (along with a Vietnamese choir) when a Vietnamese priest was ordained?

You are making far too much out of this, IMHO.

 

[brotherhrolf]

Who ever told you that you could not go to any church?

seems like you just imagined the whole argument.

You can look at the moon and call it a marbel for all I care. Saying there is no moon dose not make it true.

I am going to the African American Catholic Church this weekend. There is no white parish there.
The priest is black the people are mostly black the culture is black…its black.

If you try to separate the African American American church from the one true Church.

Then you must separate all the white churches…with white priests mostly white people and a choir singing with a guitar or whatever that thing was.

If you can make an issue of black churches, I can make an issue of white ones.
This is pointless however.

This is probably the most racist thing I have read on these forums and is deeply distressing.

 

[excaliber]

excaliber,
I have to say that I am utterly confused at what you’re trying to say. There are plenty of historically black / predominantly African Amercian Catholic parishes in the US, especially in the bigger cities and in areas with large Catholic populations, and no one is saying that that is a bad thing. So what is it that is a problem here?

Thank you.
You took the words wright out of my mouth.

Look back at posts…it was not I with the problem.

 

[LDNCatholic]

Then you must separate all the white churches…with white priests mostly white people and a choir singing with a guitar or whatever that thing was.

If you can make an issue of black churches, I can make an issue of white ones.
This is pointless however.

Who is making an issue of black churches? You’re the only one I can see making the fact that the church you attend has a high number of African American families into something bigger than it is.

brotherhrolf was saying there is no such thing as an African American Catholic Church. Labelling it as such makes it sound separate from Holy Mother Church. It is a Catholic church (lower case intended) which has predominantly black parishoners. Nothing more, nothing less, no more special than any other church, no less holy or valid.

 

[LDNCatholic]

Incidentally I apologise for anything in the above post that seems confrontational, it wasn’t intentional I just couldn’t find a better way to express it.

 

[excaliber]

Who is making an issue of black churches? You’re the only one I can see making the fact that the church you attend has a high number of African American families into something bigger than it is.

brotherhrolf was saying there is no such thing as an African American Catholic Church. Labelling it as such makes it sound separate from Holy Mother Church. It is a Catholic church (lower case intended) which has predominantly black parishoners. Nothing more, nothing less, no more special than any other church, no less holy or valid.

ok we are up to about 4 pages of posts…surely in 4 pages you can find exactly where I said that the African American Catholic Church is separate from Rome…or special…or more holy…or more valid.

It is An Affican American Church because there are mostly African Americans in it, and there are supposed to be mostly African Americans in it. But Anyone is welcome to visit.

But I want to see you quote me saying what you accused me of saying…lets see it.

 

[excaliber]

Incidentally I apologise for anything in the above post that seems confrontational, it wasn’t intentional I just couldn’t find a better way to express it.

No appology is needed.
Im not offended in the smallest bit.
I would like to see the answer to my question though.

 

[LDNCatholic]

ok we are up to about 4 pages of posts…surely in 4 pages you can find exactly where I said that the African American Catholic Church is separate from Rome…or special…or more holy…or more valid.

It is An Affican American Church because there are mostly African Americans in it, and there are supposed to be mostly African Americans in it. But Anyone is welcome to visit.

But I want to see you quote me saying what you accused me of saying…lets see it.

I didn’t accuse you of a thing. I said that labelling it as an/the African American Catholic Church makes it sound like a separate community. Please point out where I accused you of anything? I said what it sounds like.

Oh, and I understand why you’re calling it that, but I’m telling you theres no need for the distinction. You say it is ‘‘supposed’’ to be mostly African American, that is only temporary, if the parish suddenly had a majority of Chinese or Lithuanian Catholics then it would be incredibly racist to expect it to stay African American just because its ‘‘supposed’’ to.

 

[ibkc]

It is An Affican American Church because there are mostly African Americans in it, and there are supposed to be mostly African Americans in it. But Anyone is welcome to visit.

Our Lady of Lourdes
Most Blessed Sacrament
Saints Peter and Paul

These are three parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta which fit that description.

But I want to see you quote me saying what you accused me of saying…lets see it.

I don’t think he was accusing you of saying that; I think he was just trying to clarify.

There’s been lots of misunderstanding in this thread, I think.

 

[LDNCatholic]

There’s been lots of misunderstanding in this thread, I think.

Agreed.

 

[excaliber]

I didn’t accuse you of a thing. I said that labelling it as an/the African American Catholic Church makes it sound like a separate community. Please point out where I accused you of anything? I said what it sounds like.

Oh, and I understand why you’re calling it that, but I’m telling you theres no need for the distinction. You say it is ‘‘supposed’’ to be mostly African American, that is only temporary, if the parish suddenly had a majority of Chinese or Lithuanian Catholics then it would be incredibly racist to expect it to stay African American just because its ‘‘supposed’’ to.

Its not temporary…unless your talking about heaven.

Again don’t make problems where there are no problems…if chinees or arabian…or mongolian people like the African American style…then they can come…but Im guessing they won’t.

So it probably will stay the way it is. I don’t have a racist bone…hair…or cell in my body.
LOL

 

[LDNCatholic]

Its not temporary…unless your talking about heaven.

Again don’t make problems where there are no problems…if chinees or arabian…or mongolian people like the African American style…then they can come…but Im guessing they won’t.

So you’re telling me that if in say 100 years, this parish has 5 black families, the priest is Indian, and most of the parishoners are French, then the Parish should still stay ‘‘African American Catholic’’?

 

[Rolltide]

Excaliber,
I think the thing that people are reacting to has to do with the fact that “Catholic”, by definition, means “universal”, and in this case, there is a subtle difference in saying “African American Catholic Church” vs. a “Catholic Church that serves the African-American Community”. Change the terms to their synonyms and it’s like your saying the “Black Universal Church”, which is an oxymoron, versus “The Universal Church - serving the local black community”, which sounds better.

Am I making any sense?

In any case, it is great that this parish seems to be serving the local black community so well. I personally have no problem with it.

When I was growing up, one of the things that impressed me about Catholicism most occurred in church every Sunday. I lived in Minnesota, and keep in mind, it’s not a very ethnically diverse state, so we didn’t have many minorities. And yet, whenever I would sit in my pew, every weekend I would see blacks, asians, and hispanics at church with me (and often more than a few). It reminded me that the church was truly universal, that it was truly worldwide, and that it was inclusive of all.

 

[excaliber]

So you’re telling me that if in say 100 years, this parish has 5 black families, the priest is Indian, and most of the parishoners are French, then the Parish should still stay ‘‘African American Catholic’’?

OH COME ON NOW!!!
That’s crazy talk.

If you want to talk crazy talk…
I will study to become a priest and
drink vitamin fountain of youth water so that after a hundred years Im still the Black priest.

 

[palmas85]

Its not temporary…unless your talking about heaven.

Again don’t make problems where there are no problems…if chinees or arabian…or mongolian people like the African American style…then they can come…but Im guessing they won’t.

So it probably will stay the way it is. I don’t have a racist bone…hair…or cell in my body.
LOL

The African American Style? What exactly is that? I grew up to a great part in New Orleans, and although racially I am neither white nor black, I have served Masses at Churches that were both predominately white and predominately black in my youth. None however were exclusively one or the other. I never really noticed any real difference in style at any of them that could be attributed to race. Nor have I seen much since then in my travels over the years.

That being said, the Traditional Mass in New Orleans has quite a few African Americans that regularly attend as did the Traditional Mass in San Diego, where one of the Priests is African American:thumbsup: .He celebrates the daily Traditional Mass there.

In addition to that several of the steadfast attendees at the First Friday observances and accompanying Traditional Mass in New Orleans are African Americans. Would these highly orthodox and traditionally minded people not represent **African American style **in your opinion?

I really fail to see any relevence to the discussion at hand in bringing up the totally nebulous and subjective term African American style. It actually sounds just a tad paternalistic and more than a little condescending to tell the truth.

 

[LDNCatholic]

OH COME ON NOW!!!
That’s crazy talk.

If you want to talk crazy talk…
I will study to become a priest and
drink vitamin fountain of youth water so that after a hundred years Im still the Black priest.

But that ‘‘crazy talk’’ comment just proves my point

I’ve got to say I didn’t expect this thread to continue this long. I’m going to Atlanta next year on business. I might check out a couple of those churches ibkc.

 

[excaliber]

Excaliber,
I think the thing that people are reacting to has to do with the fact that “Catholic”, by definition, means “universal”, and in this case, there is a subtle difference in saying “African American Catholic Church” vs. a “Catholic Church that serves the African-American Community”. Change the terms to their synonyms and it’s like your saying the “Black Universal Church”, which is an oxymoron, versus “The Universal Church - serving the local black community”, which sounds better.

Am I making any sense?

In any case, it is great that this parish seems to be serving the local black community so well. I personally have no problem with it.

When I was growing up, one of the things that impressed me about Catholicism most occurred in church every Sunday. I lived in Minnesota, and keep in mind, it’s not a very ethnically diverse state, so we didn’t have many minorities. And yet, whenever I would sit in my pew, every weekend I would see blacks, asians, and hispanics at church with me (and often more than a few). It reminded me that the church was truly universal, that it was truly worldwide, and that it was inclusive of all.

The Catholic Church serving the African American community.

GREAT GOOGELY MOOGELY THAT’S LONG!!!

I don’t have that much air in my lungs to say all that.

Is it not the same problem when you say the ROMAN Catholic Church?

The Roman Universal Church dosent sound like it makes sense eather. If its universal its universal.

But people know very well that your not saying the Universal Church is just for people that live in rome.

I first heard the term African American Catholic Church from someone in another state…I knew exactly what they ment.

I think we are arguing over tomatoes or tomotoes.