Celebrating Black Catholics

A celebration underscoring the legacy of Black Catholics, specifically six African Americans on the path to sainthood, was held Nov. 3 at the Catholic Life Center. The Office of Black Catholics of the Diocese of Baton Rouge sponsored the event to commemorate National Black Catholic History Month.

The event began with a Mass commemorating the feast day of St. Martin de Porres at St. Joseph Chapel in Baton Rouge.

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima Peru and was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave from Panama.

In his homily, Bishop Michael G. Duca noted that St. Martin, who became a Dominican lay brother, took on a loving ministry of living among and serving slaves in Peru.

“We call to mind his ministry today and recalling his example of truly loving our neighbors,” said the bishop.

He noted that in America there is a rich Black Catholic heritage and highlighted the six African Americans up for sainthood: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley and Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman.

The bishop referred to the Gospel reading for the day in which Jesus gave the two greatest commandments: you shall love God with all your heart, mind and soul and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The two are inseparable, or two sides of the same coin, according to Bishop Duca. 

He pointed out that St. John wrote whoever loves God but hates his neighbor is a liar, therefore, loving one’s neighbor is not passive. It is a positive action in which one wills the good of their neighbor above themselves. Bishop Duca talked about how Jesus became a victim for our sins in willing that we would become one with him in new life.

The bishop urged people to pray for the advancement in causes of sainthood for the six African Americans because of their commitment to living this Gospel message.

Following the Mass, a processional was held from the chapel to the Catholic Life Center for a ceremony when Bishop Duca blessed the portraits of the six sainthood candidates on a lobby wall. The blessing had been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deacon Alfred Adams, director of the Office of Black Catholics, and Cassandra Will, consultant for the Office of Black Catholics, noted that African Americans bring a vibrancy to worship. They use their bodies to praise God with their gifts of song, dance, spiritual movement, call and response and oral storytelling.

Yet Catholics of African heritage also bring much theological knowledge, according to Will.

“The genesis of our Catholicism began with people of African heritage in sacred Scripture, such as St. Simon of Cyrene who we read about every Lent during the Stations of the Cross,” she said. “The Acts of the Apostles cites Simon of Niger and the Ethiopian eunuch.” 

Later in church history there are the early North African martyrs St. Felicity and St. Perpetua whose names are called in the eucharistic prayer. 

“(We also have) St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, who prayed for him ‘to get his life right,’ ” said Will. “She’s the patron saint of mothers with troubled children. St. Augustine of Hippo contributed one of the earliest Christian conversions after St. Paul. 

“One cannot examine the Catechism of the Catholic Church without seeing teachings from St. Augustine of Hippo.”

Most Catholics, according to Will, most likely don’t know there were three popes from the continent of Africa: St. Victor I, St. Miltuades and St. Gelasius. 

“Our Catholic history many times records that Black Catholics in the Americas are converts to the faith that occurred during the institution of African enslavement. Blacks were Catholic centuries before becoming human cargo,” said Will. “The first Black saint of the Americas, St. Martin de Porres, contributed to the church the gifts of humility, faithful service, care of marginalized people and repentance for sin.”

Deacon Adams said each of the African American sainthood candidates served in his or her own unique way on “the battlefield against evil,” sharing the faith despite opposition.

But ultimately, it should be everyone together on the battlefield against evil, stressed Deacon Adams. And this means not being segregated, a human tendency, but unified.

“This is the way it should be,” said Deacon Adams. “God doesn’t make a mistake. We make a mistake when we try to make other people like ourselves.”

The deacon further stated, “These six African American (sainthood candidates) say, ‘This is God’s church. The church of many colors, of many faces.’ ”

Will agreed.

“Our gifts have been overlooked, not wanted, unappreciated, under-valued, disrespected, unsuitable and dismissed,” she said. “Sometimes when we attempt to share our God-given talent with the larger church, they’re seen as entertainment and not praise and worship of God. If we truly want to be authentic followers of Christ, we need to learn how to accept and appreciate each other’s unique qualities. 

“God has made every creation of his, human, animal, plant and so forth to praise him with their unique design.” 

Will stated the Catholic Church in the United States is the most diverse ethnically and culturally in the world. 

“We are a ‘gumbo of cultures’ not a melting pot. Our unique gifts are designed to enhance the church not divide it,” Will said.