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There is a large lgbo community in the Diocese and the Assembly changed its name to acknowledge their presence. The Assembly persuaded Bishop Gerald Barnes to write to a bishop in Nigeria requesting a priest to service the Igbo community and other Catholics as well. Father Stanley, as he is affectionately called, now serves as pastoral advisor to the Assembly.
The Diocese has participated in the National Black Catholic Congress since 1987 when the event was resumed in Washington DC, and a delegation along with the bishop has attended every Congress since.
At the NBCC meeting in San Antonio in 1999, Ron Lanfair of the Diocese of Lansing made a presentation on the "Blood of the Martyrs" Blood Drive, which honored Dr. Martin Luther King's memory by promoting blood donations on the holiday. The Assembly replicated the program, which proved to be low cost but high impact. In 2005, 591 units of blood collected translated to 2200 lives saved. The local blood bank is delighted because African American donors were negligible before our initiative.
The Assembly immediately integrated the NBCC eight principles into its existing program of work following the 2002 Congress.
The Assembly includes every black Catholic in the Diocese and each year, it recommends 11 of its members to a Commission appointed by the Bishop. The Commission serves as the fiduciary agent for the Assembly and it meets twice yearly with the Bishop to provide status reports. A part time coordinator is located at the Pastoral Center who serves as staff to both the Assembly and the Commission. Maudry Owings works Monday-Wednesday; her number is (909) 475-5194. The officers are chairman Julie Wilson, vice-chairman Emeka Okoro, and secretary Bernadette (Bunny) Pinchback. The Assembly meets every third Sunday.
By Lois J. Carson
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