Subcommittee on African American Affairs
Writing The Vision for Black Catholic Ministry Today
The 13th National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC XIII) was more than five years in the making. The event drew more than 3,000 participants. The event was very successful in many ways. While participants are still sorting out their impressions, dioceses are now determining their next steps. The Subcommittee on African American Affairs offered three evangelization workshops at Congress XIII. Below, three subcommittee consultants share their personal reflections of the experience.
Ashley Morris, Director of Black Catholic Affairs in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He organized a panel on Catholic Campus Ministry at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and led the Atlanta delegation to Congress.
My National Black Catholic Congress XIII experience in July 2023 was one filled with an incredible amount of joy and encouragement. Perhaps the most profound moment of my overall experience came prior to the actual gathering, where I assumed the responsibility of preparing archdiocesan delegates for the Congress experience.
We hosted six large group gatherings and twelve small faith community gatherings to prepare for Congress. Each focused on an aspect of prayer and preparation for full participation. The six large group gatherings included a virtual and in-person Congress Day of Reflection, an opening Mass with delegates, two virtual pre-Congress meetings and an in-person gathering that featured a commissioning Mass with our delegates and attendees.
What made those gatherings profound to me was the energy and engagement of the thirty-seven delegates and attendees, each one actively and intentionally offered their insight, wisdom, and prayers towards building a strong community to not only go to Congress but to also return to the archdiocese prepared to share their experiences with their parish communities. I believe these pre-Congress touchstone gatherings were necessary and vital for our personal and communal faith journeys, as each moment we spent with one another gave opportunities for us to connect, heal, strategize, and focus our efforts as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Valerie Jennings, Vicariate VI Parish Vitality Coordinator in the Archdiocese of Chicago, who presented a breakout session on lessons learned from parish mergers.
As our attention moves toward building the new reality of parish renewal, the question becomes, how do we cultivate parishes with mission vitality and a vision for the future? While preparing for Congress, three areas of concern surfaced: (1) the role of Evangelization, (2) attracting and engaging Youth and Young Adults, and (3) how to come together as a united body of Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Black Catholics around the country raised similar questions. We all desire thriving parishes. In a healthy and spirited parish people want to celebrate the Mass and the Sacraments, to feel welcome and to welcome newcomers. These parishioners are proud of their diversity and know how to draw from the gifts of the community.
A parish that is known for its mission of vitality is intentional about its evangelization efforts to bring families to a new or renewed relationship with Jesus Christ. The resounding message of hope and a convincing witness to the living Christ is evident in a vital parish. A strong parish will provide liturgies that are culturally inclusive and celebrate the gifts of the worshipping community through word, song, dance and even blessed quietness. Well catechized parishioners will witness the Church's desire to make the liturgy the "source and summit" of their lives.
Parishes known for mission vitality have no walls that keep them from reaching out to the poor, the marginalized, the immigrant, the elderly, the millennials, the Gen-Z, the divorced, the unchurched, and those that don’t know Christ. A parish that strives to live in a spirit of mission vitality is not self-absorbed with internal issues, like maintenance problems, which are important to address, but takes seriously Jesus’ command to make disciples and build the community of God through witnessing of his goodness.
Sr. Odessa Stanford SFCC, a Catholic educator and administrator at Cristo Rey High School in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and a first time Congress participant.
My interest to attend the National Black Catholic Congress XIII was charted through multiple channels - as an African American religious consecrated woman, Subcommittee on African American Affairs consultant, and my passion as a Catholic school educator. My heart and spirit were excited to have this opportunity to attend my first NBCC because I converted to faith in 1995. The most meaningful message for me was from Cardinal Gregory’s homily that “visionaries are important people for every culture.”
American Black Catholics are no longer a mission assignment. We are full members of the Catholic Church. An important factor that influenced growth in the Catholicism for African Americans and other marginalized people is the parochial schools provided for our families in our communities. Today there are several reasons for a decline in these schools. But this is why I was glad to support the Subcommittee’s Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Initiative that was presented in several different ways during Congress. This initiative is a means of sustaining the Black Catholic community. It will enhance the presence of Newman Centers so that Black Catholic students can continue to learn, to live and to grow in their faith.
At Congress, I gained knowledge from breakout sessions that could help us to be more visionary concerning our faith. For example, most Black Catholic parishes are pastored by priests who are not of our culture which often influences the important dimension of praise and worship during the liturgy. I really enjoyed the excellent examples of Catholic liturgy that the extraordinarily talented ValLimar Jansen presented.