Black Catholics

[seekdatruth]

Welcome Malia Belen!
It is true that in US parishes, the majority are usually white, but in my parish, we are predominately Hispanic (close to the border). It doesn’t matter though, as everyone here has said, every race is welcome! God made us all flavors, and I think it’s beautiful!
Incidentally, we just got a new priest who happens to be black! Think how he must feel! He is from Nigeria, and everyone has been giving him a warm welcome. He’s such a kind man! His perspective is humbling, since we have so much material stuff here, compared to where he came from. He is very respected and welcome.
God Bless!

 

[mkim630]

Hi Malia,

You have such a pretty name! And I’m so glad that you made it inside the church. Anyway, I just had to post with one of the black bishops in my area, Bishop Martin D. Holley, who’s the Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington DC. I was able to meet him once and he was very kind.

http://www.usccb.org/images/saac/holley.gif

I noticed that you’re 26 (as am I). I just want to say you could check with your local archdiocese and see if they have any young adult ministry events going on in addition to going to your local parish.

I’ve found the Catholic faith to be so beautiful. I’m very excited for you!

God bless,
Maria

 

[ConcernedApathy]

Hi,

I’m new to the forum and I’ve found myself curious about the Catholic faith for the past few months which is the reason I signed up…hehehe although I’ve been kind of lurking and reading posts here for a while.

There are quite a few things that I’m unsure of about the Catholic Faith but I thought I’d start with the one that’s actually preventing from stepping into a Catholic Church although it technically has nothing to do with the Catholic faith itself so I hope I’m posting it in the right place.

I’m a little bit nervous about visiting a Catholic Church because I’m black. I guess my question is are there many black Catholics? Will people there think I’m weird or strange 'cause I’m there? I know these seems like silly questions but I’m human and it’s something that’s been on my mind because I don’t think I know any black Catholics.

Thanks for reading

Hey Malia,

Its funny I wondered all the same things. I even wanted to post a very similar thread but I didn’t have the nerve. I’m a 30 year old black female and I was worried about the same thing when I went to Mass for the first time earlier this year. I was nervous, I thought everyone was going to look at me and I quickly took a seat in the back. But people were really nice. It doesn’t seem like that small of a congregation but Father Mike seemed to notice that I was new and made of point of thanking me for joining them that day. The next time I went, still quite nervous, the choir director came over to me. I was in a tiny pew in the back and immediately I asked her; “Should I not be sitting here, I’m sorry.” I thought maybe it might be reserved seating or something. She just laughed and said I could sit where I wanted and they just had a new sound system installed and since she saw me sitting in the back she wanted to know if I would listen and tell her how everything sounded once the Mass ended.

I haven’t made up my mind about Catholicism yet. There’s a couple of things that honestly don’t sit all that well with this liberal. I’m also looking into the local Episcopal church as well. I’ve been to Mass maybe half a dozen times this year and I’ve always enjoyed it. I intend to keep going. I still can’t follow everything and have finally just started using the print out from a page called “Why Do Catholics Bounce On One Knee?” to help myself out. Its located here by the way. grigaitis.net/?doc=articles/guide.html

Anyways I just wanted to respond because I so recently went through the same things. I was sure I would stick out like a sore thumb but there were a few other black people there and Asian people and Latin people. I truly felt ok, so I just wanted to tell you, don’t let fear of looking strange make you not go. I think you’ll enjoy it.

 

[Matariel]

The Church Christ founded, 2,000 years ago, is truly universal, comprised of all people throughout time.

There are some wonderful black saints (like St. Martin de Porres) and there have been three black Popes in the past (like St. Melchiades).

Welcome!

 

[osohappy]

The Catholic Church is one of the few Christian churches that has not refused blacks admission into their church meetings and as members. I assume that’s the reason that you don’t have “black Catholic churches” as opposed to black Baptist churches and so forth.

Uh, sorry, but I beg to differ with you. In several Southern states during Jim Crow days, it was illegal for blacks and whites to worship together. Illegal as in, drag you out of the church and put you in jail, Catholic or Protestant.

The only only exception made was funerals; black domestics were allowed to attend the services for their deceased white employers, and the employers were allowed to attend services for their deceased domestic help.

Because of that, there HAD to be black Catholic churches. There was (and is) one in my home town, left over from Jim Crow days. I think about 48-50 families still attend there. Now, of course, anyone can go there. My father worked on the same job with one of the founding members of the church, so I know what I’m talking about here. There was a major migration of Black Catholics into Texas from Louisiana during the late 1920s/early 1930s because the death and destruction of a major flood on the Mississippi. My father’s coworker was from one of those families.

And even in the the majority-white churches that admitted Black Catholics, they (Black Catholics) were required to sit in the back pews, and/or often required to go up for Eucharist AFTER the white parishoners had received. I am not saying that this happened in every single Catholic church. From what I have heard and read, it all depended on whether or not the priest of the parish allowed the practice to go on or not. (By the way, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church exists because Absalom Jones and Richard Allen WERE literally dragged away from the altar rails when they went up for communion & prayer the same time that whites did in what is now the United Methodist Church. No one church has a monopoly on bigotry).

No, I don’t like being the bearer of bad news, but I just can’t let that slide. Thank God those days are pretty much over!

If you want more info on this I suggest reading the biography of St. Katharine Drexel, who founded an order whose original ministry was to both Native Americans and African Americans (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament); or the biography the first Black American priest, Augustus Tolton. There are also a history of Black Catholics in America that a priest wrote back in the '80s or 1990s, and one book on Sr. Henriette Dellile of New Orleans, who is in the process of being declared a saint. but the titles of the books escape me right now. If I think of them later, I will post it here.

And EWTN has run documentaries on nearly all of the above; check their schedule during February (Black History Month) or November (Black Catholic Month) to view them.

 

[JaMc]

However, if you walked into a Catholic church in rural Wyoming (for instance) you might not see any black people at all.

I just had to respond to this one - the parish my uncle, aunt, and cousins attend in rural Wyoming has a black priest (his order is SOLT, same as Fr. Corapi - I enjoy listening to his homilies when we go over to visit).

 

[osohappy]

Ooopsy!!:banghead:

November is Black Catholic History Month, not Black Catholic Month!

 

[Apryl]

Uh, sorry, but I beg to differ with you. In several Southern states during Jim Crow days, it was illegal for blacks and whites to worship together. Illegal as in, drag you out of the church and put you in jail, Catholic or Protestant.

So glad some one else brought this up.

I’m in the north: Michigan. Many people that I know tell of joining a particular parish because the parish closest to them would not allow them membership. Usually, this was because their school aged children would want to go to school, and for those people (the administrators) it was a problem.

The good news is that the problems of the Catholic church, while real and sometimes very painful, were nothing compared to many of the problems elsewhere.

Many of the improvements in society, and progress in roads of social justice, came from the Catholic Church.

 

[Apryl]

I’m a little bit nervous about visiting a Catholic Church because I’m black. I guess my question is are there many black Catholics? Will people there think I’m weird or strange 'cause I’m there? I know these seems like silly questions but I’m human and it’s something that’s been on my mind because I don’t think I know any black Catholics.

(NOW I read the first post)

Hello, Malia,

You should never be nervous about attending a mass because you are going there, not for the others around you, but for your moment with Christ, and a chance to receive him in the Eucharist.

(Turn off halo music now)

But in reality, you may be uncomfortable if you would be uncomfortable around those same people in any other situation. Being in church doesn’t change you, or your reaction to others, any more than it changes them and their reaction to you.

The good news is, hopefully, in church, they are there for the same thing you’re supposed to be there for (see above)

Now, you asked are there a lot of Black Catholic? I say ‘no’… because I don’t see the number of Catholics, Black or otherwise, as being ‘enough’… so no, there are not, imo, a LOT of Black Catholics.

Are Black Catholics new in America? Oh most definitely NOT. There are lots of Black Catholics… ever see those New Orleans Jazz bands performing in a funeral? Usually, they are Catholic.

I’ve seen the presence of Black Catholics as a problem. It amazes me that I can go into a store and reach for mass cards with the picture of St. Martin de Porres, and he’s just as pale… or St. Monica and St. Augustine… again, pale. I don’t get it.

I have been Black all of my life, and Catholic for nearly all of my life, and I’m still amazed when I meet someone that is a Black Catholic - I took a flight home this summer, and the poor woman next to me told me she was Catholic… and that’s all I would talk to her about!

But the only real way to make the presence of all the flavors and arrangements of Black Catholics is to be proud and to not take a back seat. Find other Black Catholics. You can write me, if you want (3134471498@grandcentral.com) and I will gladly tell you of my life, my experiences, and how excited I am to have a vehicle like Catholic Forums to tell the world that I’m here and proud to be.

 

[yellowbicycle]

Growing up in the suburb that I did, I’ll be honest with you, there was not one single black Catholic there.
BUT…
then I moved and I started attending a Catholic church in the inner-city of Detroit. I would say that congregation was split 50-50.
And now I live in one of the suburbs that is on the border of the city, and I would say, at the Mass I attend, there are about a dozen or so black people out of probably 150 people.
And we have several African nuns who attend our Mass.
A Catholic church would be a new experience ANY way you slice it. So, just go and see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Volodymyr_988]

I can’t imagine that anyone would have a problem with a black person coming to Mass. Catholics come in all races and nationalities. There’s a fair chance you will encounter a black priest since this country is mission territory for Nigerian priests.

I don’t know if it would make you feel better to know that there are Black bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, but there are. Two that I know of are Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta:
http://www.archatl.com/media/common/images/gregory/ABG-color.jpg

Bishop Braxton of Belleville:
http://www.diobelle.org/images/bishop05.jpg

I could also cite Cardinal Arinze, a leader in the worldwide Church (head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments) but he’s actually from Nigeria rather than from the U.S.

In any case, know that you’re welcome in the Catholic church.

Hey!

One used to be and the other is my current bishop!!!:extrahappy: :yyeess:

 

[Lisa_Lavadores]

I’m a little bit nervous about visiting a Catholic Church because I’m black. I guess my question is are there many black Catholics? Will people there think I’m weird or strange 'cause I’m there? I know these seems like silly questions but I’m human and it’s something that’s been on my mind because I don’t think I know any black Catholics.

I feel for ya. That can’t be easy. I don’t have a direct correlation, but I belonged to an atheist family when I converted. That wasn’t easy, either. Since my conversion, I’ve been a member of three parishes. All have had black parishioners, but they have been in the great minority. One of the priests in my current parish is from Nigeria, and he is one of the best priests we have (although his strong accent is frustrating). One of the most exciting bishops in Los Angeles, Bishop Carl Fisher, was black – I was lucky enough to hear one of his last sermons before he died. I have been told that one of our greatest saints, St. Augustine, may have been black. I dunno.

But really, I think you know the truth here. Even if no other black person in history had entered the doors of a Catholic church, you cannot turn away, not if the Church is true. God bless you on your path.

In Christ,
Lisa

 

[Pier]

Welcome! Yes, you will find people from all over the globe in the Catholic Church. Although our parish would most likely be considered predominantly white, one of our priests is from Sri Lanka, we had a married priest (formerly Episcopal) from England, we have a black Eucharistic minister (she’s American), & a darling woman born in China who used to sing in the choir. There are people from Haiti & Asia, & many people originally from Mexico…

We are a large parish, so everyone doesn’t always know everyone else anyway. I’m in the choir, as is my daughter, so we know the choir people. When I attend the Mass at a different time, I might not know anybody, which is okay too because the focus is on God.

I haven’t read all the posts, so I don’t know. Do you watch EWTN? They have wonderful programming that you might like. Also, I’d like to leave you a link to one of my favorite Saints(with a capital “S”)-to-be, Venerable Pierre Toussaint:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Toussaint

Again, welcome & God bless.

 

[CradleCath]

I haven’t read all of the posts in this thread, so if this has already been shared, just ignore. I did want you to know that Black Catholics have an important presence within the Church. This site, the home page of the NBCC (National Black Catholic Congress) can probably help you.

Born in 1941, I grew up with segregation. However, I’m proud to say that it didn’t extend into my life in the Church. We had black pupils in both my elementary & high school.

nbccongress.org/aboutus/default.asp

 

[ppz]

Clarence Gilyard Jr. More at IMDbPro »
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Date of Birth
24 December 1955, Moses Lake, Washington, USA

Birth Name
Clarence Darnell Gilyard Jr.

Height
5’ 9" (1.75 m)

Spouse
Kathy (? - ?) (divorced) 2 children
Elena (? - present) 1 child

Trivia

Attended Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas for some time. After his success as an actor, Clarence has given back to the college in many ways, one of which is he paid for new tennis courts for the college.

Associate Professor of Theatre, 2002

He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

Gilyard was born in Moses Lakes, Washington, but was raised in the military bases of Hawaii, Texas and Florida.

He began his acting career working in the children’s theater.

After joining the cast of the play “Bleacher Burns,” Clarence became the first black actor to play the role of the cheerleader. By coincidence, the real-life person on whom the cheerleader at Wrigley Field was based was indeed black.

Best known by the public for his roles as Conrad McMasters on “Matlock” (1986), and as James “Jimmy” Trivette on “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993).

Three of the movies he has starred in have gone on to gross well over $150 million each in world wide box office and DVD sales.

A cowboy buff.

As a little boy, like co-star Nancy Stafford, he too was a huge fan of “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960). Several years after that show went off the air, he beat out three other actors for the role of a private investigator on Andy Griffith’s, “Matlock” (1986), for the series fourth season, when he replaced Kene Holliday.

His son, Peter, was born on May 30, 2007.

Originally a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

On “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993), his character was a former Dallas Cowboy player, however, in real-life, he did not play for the Dallas Cowboys.

Serves as a consultant of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Communications.

Personal Quotes

I grew up as an Air Force brat. My family moved around a lot. I entered the U.S. Air Force Academy after high school, but left after a year. I couldn’t afford to stay at Sterling College in Kansas, where I played wide receiver for the football team, so I went to work and eventually moved back to California.

Why I got to do 13 straight years of network television and somebody else didn’t, who knows?

It took me 10 years, but I eventually graduated from college, too.

[On his character in “Left Behind”]: I am blessed to be a part of the production and get to play this character. I’m not the best actor in the world, but even better, I get to help this character evolve. I think God wants me to be playing Bruce Barnes.

[Of his journeyman career]: I had been trying to make it in show business without any real vision. I was getting some success because I was a type - I had a quality that producers were looking for. But I wasn’t controlling my destiny.

[On how he sees himself as a character outside of his faith]: As a Catholic Christian, people don’t necessarily want to see you in that way, as a person, as a father, as someone called to marriage or as an artist.

[On why he would frequently grow his beard, outside of work]: If people look at you in an elevator long enough, they’ll recognize you.

[On turning 50]: I really have to work hard to keep up with them.

[On being born Christmas Eve]: We did the best we could to make it a festive occasion, but I was always awed by what the kids in school said they got from Santa Claus. I couldn’t quite bring myself to tell them about the boring underwear and socks I got year after year.

I knew that nobody in this business would ever ask to see my diploma - I did it for myself. I believe that the only way you can really change your life is to get new information. I also wanted to learn the classic, not fake them.

[when he wanted to be an actor] I knew it was the right choice from day one, then, through actor friends working at a restaurant where I was waiting tables at night.

Where Are They Now

(September 2003) Has returned to college to get his Masters degree in Acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

(August 2006) He is an associate professor of theater at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

 

[NonCatholic]

Hello,

A black Catholic is no different than any other Catholic. There are only faithful Catholics and non-faithful Catholics; if you are not welcomed, then that Catholic needs that sin sin before the priest and apologize to you or any other person they might offend. After spending years in purgatory for the offense against you, they might be let into Heaven. So do not be afraid.

gty.org/media/pdf/Roman_Catholicism.pdf
gty.org/Resources/Positions

 

[Angels_Unaware]

Personally, I have a special admiration for Black Catholics. I understand they have to step outside of their comfort zone if the nearest parish is predominantly White, or Hispanic or whatever.

While I think Black Catholics very quickly learn that the color of one’s skin makes zero difference in the Catholic Church, I still applaud and admire those that make the leap of faith and step outside that comfort zone initially.

God Bless!

Agree. There are only two Black families in my parish, but they are very respected. They volunteer and get involved with Liturgy.

 

[ForMary]

Go where God leads you.

I attended a National Catholic Convention in Cleveland earlier this month and it was well attended by black Americans, native Spanish speaking Americans and white Americans, the only choir that sang on the main stage was composed of black catholics.

After stopping to think about it, the parish I attend has a couple handfuls of black families, and I am glad that they either didn’t have the question or were able to overcome it. We have black Catholics who participate in every aspect of the Mass.

I encourage you to pray and listen for God’s answer,
ForMary

 

[Methodi]

The Catholic Church is one of the few Christian churches that has not refused blacks admission into their church meetings and as members. I assume that’s the reason that you don’t have “black Catholic churches” as opposed to black Baptist churches and so forth.

In my part of the country, we have had a Black catholic church for 50 or 60 yrs that I know of

 

[Methodi]

Go where God leads you.

I attended a National Catholic Convention in Cleveland earlier this month and it was well attended by black Americans, native Spanish speaking Americans and white Americans, the only choir that sang on the main stage was composed of black catholics.

After stopping to think about it, the parish I attend has a couple handfuls of black families, and I am glad that they either didn’t have the question or were able to overcome it. We have black Catholics who participate in every aspect of the Mass.

I encourage you to pray and listen for God’s answer,
ForMary

It has been said that the catholic Church is a white supremacy organization