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The Pastoral Plan of Action adopted by the
National Black Catholic Congress in September 2002 targets eight principles.
Among them are Spirituality, Parish Life, Youth and Young Adults, Social
Justice, and Racism. The seeds to implement these principles have been
planted and progress is being actualized through a ministerial center in
Mid-America.
The St. Charles Lwanga Center, a house of
spiritual formation and leadership development for the African American
Catholic Community of St. Louis, Missouri was founded in 1978. The Center
fulfills the mandate of the Black Bishops' Pastoral on Evangelization, "What
We Have Seen and Heard," through sharing the gifts of our culture in the
Catholic Church. The St. Charles Lwanga Center is an organization leading
the way in helping people to cope with life's difficult struggles. Named
after St. Charles Lwanga, noted leader of the Ugandan Martyrs of the 19th
Century, the Center has successfully provided programs and services to the
community for more than 25 years, the Center is currently affiliated with 13
sponsoring parishes serving North St. Louis City and Northeast St. Louis
County.
A critical component of the Center's mission is
the ministry of evangelization that serves to deepen faith internally and
enable the ministry of outreach to individuals and communities. The Center
is the site of weekly Mass and offers cyclical evangelization workshops,
retreats, and on-site pastoral care for individuals as spiritual support on
their journey of faith. These efforts are coordinated by Reverend Arthur
Cavitt, O.P., the minister of evangelization and spiritual advisor for the
Center. "Fr. Art" is a member of the Dominican Order and a popularly known
priest in the region. He is one of the Center's more widely recognized
representatives as he maintains a schedule of liturgies and speaking
engagements within the archdiocese of St. Louis and in various parts of the
country. Most recently, having participated in Long Island, New York at an
annual Youth Day, he was also the principal celebrant and homilist this year
for the Diocesan Mass commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday in
Buffalo, New York (site of the 2007 National Black Catholic Congress).
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