Black Catholic History in Black History Month

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Beau_Ouiville

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Only positive notations for this thread! On the history of black Americans and Catholicism did folks here remember that:

There were established at least three separate orders of black nuns, but most of those orders are dying out. Similarly, the Knights of Peter Claver is a black counterpart to the Knights of Columbus.

The order of priests called “Josephites” had a specific ministry of evangelization to black slaves and freedmen in Iberia parish LA.
As with the name ‘Roosevelt’ with the popularity of a particular president, there became many black youths in Louiisiana who had the first name ‘Joseph’.

Prominent black Catholics (without political baggage) include Camille Cosby, Olympian Ralph Metcalfe (Jesse Owens beat him) and the former president of the IL senate, Emil Jones. Blacks *baptized *Catholic include Chicago mayor Harold Washington, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

The fact that there are far fewer black Catholics in the US is probably testimony that there were far fewer Catholics in the US involved in the use of African slaves than people of other religions.
 
Beau_Ouiville said:
The fact that there are far fewer black Catholics in the US is probably testimony that there were far fewer Catholics in the US involved in the use of African slaves than people of other religions.
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Most Catholics were not in a position to be prominent during the time of slavery in the US. Many Southern states outlawed Catholicism in their state constitutions until after the civil war. Most Catholics at that time were either Polish, Irish, or Italian. None of these groups are prominent in the South. In many cases, Irish and Italian immigrants were treated just as poorly as freed blacks. Especially Irish.
 
The website for the National Black Catholic Conference can give you a wealth of information on Black Catholics in America. It’s well worth checking out.
 
There is an interesting article in February 2009 Catholic Digest, “The Parish that Made Me Whole” by Marc Adams. It is reprinted from the website, www.BustedHalo.com where Adams is a contributing editor. It deals with the first black parish in Washington, DC, St. Augustine’s, and the Oblate Sisters of Providence, from Baltimore, “the oldest existing religious order of black women.” (The foundress, Mother Lange, is a candidate for canonization.)
 
St. Peter Claver, S.J. (1581-1654) was unable to abolish the slave trade, but he did what he could to mitigate its horrors, once the slaves arrived in the New World, by bringing them the consolations of religion and ministering to their bodily wants. He landed in Cartagena in 1610 and for forty years strove to alleviate their lot, with true apostolic fervor, declaring himself “the slave of the Negroes forever.”
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ewtn.com/library/MARY/SLAVETRA.HTM
 
CapIV said:
Most Catholics were not in a position to be prominent during the time of slavery in the US. Many Southern states outlawed Catholicism in their state constitutions until after the civil war…
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Absolutely false. Catholics were treated by far better in the South in the 19th century - this is in the days before the spread of Baptism when many Southerners were Anglican. Southern Frenchmen were one of the larger demographics in Louisiana, and most of them were Catholic (my family included). Know-Nothingism was strongest in the historically puritan New England and large northern cities.

Not to mention that Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States had a practicing Catholic in his cabinet (Secretary of the Navy, Stephen Mallory of Florida)
 
Beau_Ouiville said:
I’m glad he’s no longer “Benedict the Moor”, but this is a positive thread.
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:confused:

I thought that the above link was a very positive account of St Benedict’s life. Did I miss something obvious?
Code: 
His parents, Christopher and Diana, were slaves who had been taken from Africa to Sicily. Benedict was granted his freedom at age 18, but remained as an employee of his former master. Scorned and mocked by others as poor as himself, due to his origin and skin, he retained a natural cheerfulness.

He met with, and became enamored of a group of Franciscan hermits near Palermo. Benedict sold what little he had, gave away the money to the poor, and joined this group. Novice master and reluctant superior of the friars in Palermo. When his term ended, he happily returned to working in the friary kitchen. Benedict never referred to possessions as “mine” but always “ours.” He had gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls. His humility and cheerfulness set an example that helped reform his order. On his death, King Philip III of Spain paid for a special tomb for the simple friar.

Benedict was not a Moor, but the Italian “il Moro” for “the Black” has been misinterpreted as referring to a Moorish heritage.
He sounds like a kind and generous man, prayerful and charitable in the extreme. 👍
 
Venerable Pierre Touissant was a Catholic slave from Haiti whose mater taught him how to read and write and brought him to New York where he became apprentice to one of the leading hairdressers. When his master died, he gained freedom and purchased another slave, Juliette Noel, whom he married. He became wealthy, moved to New York City, opened his home as a shleter for orphans, a credit bureau, an employment agency, and a refuge for priests and travelers. He has been declared Venerable by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, which is the second step before sainthood. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Toussaint

St. Josehpine Bakhita was a Sudanese slave captured into slavery as a young girl, bought by kind Catholics at a young age and released in Italy so that she became a nun. She really suffered throughout life as she never actually full recovered from the mutilation that she experienced as a slave, forgot her own name as a result of that pain, and would sometimes have painful flashbacks. I strongly suspect that her extreme sufferings may be one of the reasons why our current His Holiness Benedict XVI has written only two encyclicals since become Pope, and one of them focuses greatly on her as an example of Christian Hope.
Bakhita means Blessed
vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20001001_giuseppina-bakhita_en.html

St. Martin de Porres is the son of a former black slave woman and a Spanish nobleman and the patron saint of social justice in the Catholic Church. He established an orphanage and a children’s hospital and had a heart full of love. americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1188

St. Augustine of Hippo was from Algeria. Scripture is infalliable because it was listed at the Synod of Hippo chaired by St. Augustine in the 300A.D.s and then later listed and disputed at the Synod of Rome and Synod of Carthage. However, during the Council of Trent during the Protestant Reformation it was first declared and made infalliable. Here is a link to the Council of Trent declaration that makes it infalliable. ewtn.com/library/councils/trent4.htm

Cardinal Francis Arinze, (born 1 November 1932) is an Igbo Nigerian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is currently Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, having served as prefect from 2002 to 2008. He is also Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni (succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI) since 2005. Arinze was one of the principal advisors to Pope John Paul II, and was considered papabile before the 2005 papal conclave, which elected Benedict XVI.

Notable Cardinal Francis Arinze Quotes
"To the person who says, ‘Personally, I am against abortion, but then if people really want to do it I leave them free’ you can say 'You are a member of the senate or the congress.
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"Personally I am not in favor of shooting the whole lot of you, but is somebody else wants to shoot all of you in the senate or all of you in the congress, it’s just pro-choice for that.
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"But personally I’m not in favor.’
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“That is what they are saying,” the cardinal argued.
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“They are saying that personally, he is not in favor of killing these millions of children in the womb, but if others wnat to do it, he is pro-choice.”
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Cardinal Arinze made a joking aside, saying, “And then you ask me ‘What does the Holy See do, why doesn’t the Pope send a dozen Swiss Guards to arrest them all’.”
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The cardinal noted that he is often asked if a politican who votes for abortion should receive Holy Communion.
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He said his reply was, “Do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to answer that?”
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“Get the children for first communion and say to them, somebody votes for the killing of unborn babies, and says, I voted for that, I will vote for that every time and these babies are killed, not one or two, but in millions, and that person says I am a practicing Catholic, should that person receive communion next Sunday?”
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**Youtube Video of Cardinal Francis Arinze: **youtube.com/watch?v=MPhnGV6Thz4

St. Katharine Drexel is one of only eight American saints. She established 63 schools for Native Americans and blacks, a religious order on behalf of Native Americans and blacks, and also founded Xavier University in Louisiana (a HBCU). She donated $20 million of her own personal funds to the endeavor.
 
First African-american Priest

IgnatiusInsight.com: What stood out the most to you when you read the story of Father Augustine Tolton?

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers: What struck me most was the fact that Father Tolton, despite enduring a lifetime of racial animosity and prejudice, remained a Catholic. He was taunted by harsh insults and derogatory racial remarks from Catholic school classmates. Many parents, who did not accept a black child in the school, threatened to withdraw their children and withhold financial support from the parish. When a local pastor welcomed young Augustine with open arms, some parishioners, appalled by the presence of the Tolton family, went so far as to petition the bishop asking for the pastor’s removal and even threatened to leave the Catholic faith entirely.

ignatiusinsight.com/features2007/hburkesivers_blackcatholic_jan07.asp
 
Martin de Porres? In the sixties, you could not go into a black Catholic’s house without seeing a copy of Ebony and a picture of St. Martin de Porres!
 
Beau_Ouiville said:
Martin de Porres? In the sixties, you could not go into a black Catholic’s house without seeing a copy of Ebony and a picture of St. Martin de Porres!
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I’m glad you mentioned St. Martin. I’m from a white Catholic family from Louisiana, but from my earliest childhood ( a child of the 60’s) my mother always had a small statue of St. Martin de Porres in her kitchen and one of my brothers received Martin as his middle name in honor of this much beloved saint. That small statue still sits in my mother’s kitchen.
 
Tsuwano said:
I’m glad you mentioned St. Martin. I’m from a white Catholic family from Louisiana, but from my earliest childhood ( a child of the 60’s) my mother always had a small statue of St. Martin de Porres in her kitchen and one of my brothers received Martin as his middle name in honor of this much beloved saint. That small statue still sits in my mother’s kitchen.
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Puerto Rican folks had a special fondness for St. Martin, too.
 
Beau_Ouiville said:
Referring to Africans as ‘moors’ is very dated.
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Well, Beau, I am 100% confident that readers of this thread can easily put one ‘dated’ word (of which the etymology and historical context were given) aside, and instead focus on the story of St Benedict’s life, while admiring him for his Saintly virtues, which he certainly had in abundance. 🙂

And here is another wonderful Saint to add to the thread, Saint Josephine Bakhita! 🙂

vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20001001_giuseppina-bakhita_en.html

JOSEPHINE BAKHITA (1869-1947)

Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947.

This African flower, who knew the anguish of kidnapping and slavery, bloomed marvelously in Italy, in response to God’s grace, with the Daughters of Charity.

In Schio (Vicenza), where she spent many years of her life, everyone still calls her “our Black Mother”. The process for the cause of Canonization began 12 years after her death and on December 1st, 1978 the Church proclaimed the Decree of the heroic practice of all virtues.

…

Bakhita was not the name she received from her parents at birth. The fright and the terrible experiences she went through made her forget the name she was given by her parents. Bakhita, which means “fortunate”, was the name given to her by her kidnappers.

Sold and resold in the markets of El Obeid and of Khartoum, she experienced the humiliations and sufferings of slavery, both physical and moral.

…

Mimmina and Bakhita were entrusted to the Canossian Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice. It was there that Bakhita came to know about God whom “she had experienced in her heart without knowing who He was” ever since she was a child. “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: Who could be the Master of these beautiful things? And I felt a great desire to see him, to know Him and to pay Him homage…”

After several months in the catechumenate, Bakhita received the sacraments of Christian initiation and was given the new name, Josephine. It was January 9, 1890. She did not know how to express her joy that day. Her big and expressive eyes sparkled, revealing deep emotions. From then on, she was often seen kissing the baptismal font and saying: “Here, I became a daughter of God!”

With each new day, she became more aware of who this God was, whom she now knew and loved, who had led her to Him through mysterious ways, holding her by the hand.

When Mrs. Michieli returned from Africa to take back her daughter and Bakhita, the latter, with unusual firmness and courage, expressed her desire to remain with the Canossian Sisters and to serve that God who had shown her so many proofs of His love.

The young African, who by then had come of age, enjoyed the freedom of choice which the Italian law ensured.

Bakhita remained in the catechumenate where she experienced the call to be a religious, and to give herself to the Lord in the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa.

On December 8, 1896 Josephine Bakhita was consecrated forever to God whom she called with the sweet expression “the Master!”

For another 50 years, this humble Daughter of Charity, a true witness of the love of God, lived in the community in Schio, engaged in various services: cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door.

When she was on duty at the door, she would gently lay her hands on the heads of the children who daily attended the Canossian schools and caress them. Her amiable voice, which had the inflection and rhythm of the music of her country, was pleasing to the little ones, comforting to the poor and suffering and encouraging for those who knocked at the door of the Institute.

Her humility, her simplicity and her constant smile won the hearts of all the citizens. Her sisters in the community esteemed her for her inalterable sweet nature, her exquisite goodness and her deep desire to make the Lord known.

“Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!”

As she grew older she experienced long, painful years of sickness. Mother Bakhita continued to witness to faith, goodness and Christian hope. To those who visited her and asked how she was, she would respond with a smile: “As the Master desires.”

During her agony, she re-lived the terrible days of her slavery and more then once she begged the nurse who assisted her: “Please, loosen the chains… they are heavy!”

It was Mary Most Holy who freed her from all pain. Her last words were: “Our Lady! Our Lady!”, and her final smile testified to her encounter with the Mother of the Lord.

Mother Bakhita breathed her last on February 8, 1947 at the Canossian Convent, Schio, surrounded by the Sisters. A crowd quickly gathered at the Convent to have a last look at their «Mother Moretta» and to ask for her protection from heaven. The fame of her sanctity has spread to all the continents and many are those who receive graces through her intercession.

Due to length I had to snip a few paragraphs (indicated by ellipses), so please visit the link above for the full story. Enjoy! 🙂
 
AveSantaMaria, I see that you already posted something on St Josephine earlier, so you’re several steps ahead of me! 👍

Here is another Saint who I first encountered in Lives of the Saints. Rather than trying to type out parts of the entry from the book, I found this version by the Norbertine Fathers online, and actually their account is much more detailed and interesting than the one in my book. Please enjoy. 🙂

Life of St. Moses the Black

One of the more exciting of the early monks in the period of desert Christian monasticism was a Black African (Nubian) now honored as St. Moses the Black. The Lausiac History of Palladius is the main historical source for his life. There is also an account found in the “Bibliotheca Sanctorum” by J. W. Sauget, and approximately 49 apophthegmata found in “The Desert Christian” by Sr. Benedicta Ward. The life of Moses is well documented.

He had been a slave of a government official in Egypt who discharged him for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits who roamed the Nile Valley and had the reputation for being associated with terror and violence.

Moses was a large and imposing figure; he became rather notorious for his escapades. On one occasion, a barking sheep dog prevented Moses from executing a planned robbery, so he swore vengeance on the owner. Carrying out his threat, he approached the hut of his victim from the opposite side of the Nile and, placing his weapons between his teeth, swam the river. The owner of the dog heard the approach, so he hid along the river bank, thus escaping disaster, Moses, not finding the shepherd, took four rams from the flock, towed them back across the river, flayed them, sold the skins for wine, cooked the best parts, and feasted before walking back 50 miles to his camp.

On one occasion, when he sought to hide from local authorities, he took shelter with some monks in a monastic colony in Skete in the western desert near Alexandria. The dedication of their lives and their peace and contentment seem to have influenced him deeply. Eventually, he gave up his old way of life and became a monk himself.

The conversion of Moses was not instantaneous, he had a rather difficult time adjusting to regular monastic discipline. His flair for adventure remained with him. Once, while living in a small cell, he was attacked by four robbers. Much to their surprise, Moses fought and overpowered them, tied them together and dragged them to the chapel where the other monks were praying. He dumped the crew in front of the other monks and exclaimed that he did not think it “Christian” to hurt the intruders. He asked what he should do with them. According to tradition, the overwhelmed robbers repented, were converted, and themselves became monks under the influence of Moses.

He was zealous of everything he undertook, but became discouraged when he concluded he was not becoming a perfect monk advanced in all the degrees of spiritual perfection. Early one morning before dawn, St. Isadore, abbot of the monastery, took Brother Moses to the roof and together they watched the first rays of the dawn come over the horizon. They stayed there until the new day had begun. Then Isidore said, “Only slowly do the rays of the sun drive away the night and usher in a new day and, thus, only slowly does one become a perfect contemplative.”

The humble Moses also proved to be effective as a prophetic spiritual leader. One day the abbot ordered everyone to fast during a particular week. During that time, some brothers came to visit Moses, and he cooked a meal for them. Seeing the smoke, the neighboring monks told the abbot that Moses had broken the command. But knowing his remarkable way of life, these same monks, when they came to confront Moses, observed, “You did not keep the commandment of men, but it was so that you might keep the commandment of God.” Some see in this account, by the way, one of the earliest allusions to the Paschal fast which developed in the fourth century and later became the Lenten fast.

In another incident related in the sources, one of the brothers committed a fault. A council met and Moses was invited, but refused to attend. Someone came to him to let him know the others were waiting, at which Moses went to the meeting. He took a leaking jug filled with water and carried it on his shoulder (another version has him carrying a basket of sand with a hole in it). When he arrived, the others came out to meet him asking, “What is this?” Moses replied, “My sins run out behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another.” Hearing that, they said no more to the erring brother, but forgave him.

A favorite incident of many is the story of the hospitality of a certain Arsenius toward a visiting monk. Arsenius received the monk in absolute silence. Moses, however, greeted the visitor with joy. When someone asked for an explanation, the answer was in the form of two visions. One has Arsenius in a boat with Angels in silence, another saw Moses in the boat with the Angels eating sweetmeats.

Moses became the spiritual leader of a colony of hermits in the desert near Skete. At some time, he had been ordained a priest – an uncommon phenomenon at that period for desert monks. When he was 75 years old, about the year 407, word came that a group of renegades planned to attack the colony. The brothers wished to defend themselves, but Moses forbade such action. He told them to retreat rather than take up the sword. He and seven others stayed on to greet the invaders with open arms, but all were martyred by the bandits. A modern interpretation honors St. Moses the Black as an apostle of nonviolence.

premontre.org/subpages/loci/zzzlocalsites/lsjackson/stmosesbio.htm
 
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