Looking for Other Black Catholics

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ambna

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Hi,

I am a black Catholic woman looking to meet other black Catholics. It is so hard where I live to find faithful black Catholics around my age to speak to. Anyone out there?
 
We rarely specify by our race here, but I know the topic has come up.
But however this question plays out on this particular forum, welcome and my :pray:t2::pray:t2::pray:t2: For you on this spiritual journey.

(If it makes you feel any better, we get a lot of younger people here looking for kindred spirits! 🙂)
 
Well, darn! I’m sorry to see more people didn’t respond to your post. Either there aren’t many black Catholics on here, or just nobody saw it. A lot of time my posts go unseen. Anyway, have you heard of Julia Greeley? I’m just fascinated by her story. She’s got to be one of the most saintly people I’ve heard of. A cause has been opened for her sainthood. I hope she makes it. Julia Greeley, pray for us!
http://juliagreeley.org/
 
Well, thanks for your reply anyway. I have a really hard time making friends in general and it’s something that I pray about.
 
are there any activities or groups in your church? You can also check out meetup.com, good luck on your search :pray:t2:
 
I’m not a black Catholic myself, sorry. Honestly, one of the first things I think of when I think of black Catholics is the many wonderful African priests who are serving in our diocese and in a neighboring diocese, who have such a vibrant faith and such a love of life. I also think of a Catholic chapel in my town that historically has had a predominantly black congregation. Sadly, the history of why the congregation has historically been predominantly black is probably not a good one – it probably has to do with racial segregation in society many years ago. But it is a wonderful church (and today the congregation is something like 50% black / 50% white), and I enjoy going there from time to time and hearing the very lively music at Mass. Is there possibly a parish like this somewhere near you, even if it’s a bit of a drive?
 
In my experience, African American Catholics are rare in the United States (and by African American, I mean those who are of African descent, but who can trace their ancestry a few generations as born and bread in America, perhaps up to colonial times).

However, African Catholics tends to be much more common. I find that if I see another black person in a Catholic Church, that person is usually either from Africa, or was born to parents who immigrated from Africa (I, for instance, was born to Nigerian parents).

They also tend to have their own parishes and services which celebrate the Mass in their own language (and their own style, which for us, includes a bit more “moving to the left and to the right”, as Cardinal Arinze eloquently put it. in one of his interviews). Their culture is different from African Americans, and like other immigrant cultures, they tend to keep to themselves.
 
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Thank you for your response. Yes, we are a smaller population, but we exist!
 
I’m a proud black catholic too. You may be able to locate more black catholics in your area via the National Black Catholic Congress website. But we’re always a click away on CAF
 
There’s a decent number in Louisiana and Maryland. And the East Coast in general is where you’ll find pockets of black Catholics.
 
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