Being a Black Father in the United States of America
Tony Porter | June 8, 2020
I’m in pain. My community — my people — are hurting. And I’m hurting. I find myself calling my 21-year-old son — over and over — just to hear his voice. Just to tell him I love him. I’m struggling to explain what’s happening to my 8-year-old grandson. It’s too hard to look into his big, innocent, brown eyes and tell him the world doesn’t value him the same way it does his White friends. Yet, I have to educate him. I have to because knowing how the world sees him — and how he needs to respond — is what can help keep him safe. Read more...
Tony Porter is an author, educator, and activist working to advance social justice issues and the Chief Executive Officer of A Call to Men. Porter is internationally recognized for his efforts to prevent violence against women while promoting a healthy, respectful manhood.
Porter’s 2010 TED Talk has been named by GQ Magazine as one of the “Top 10 TED Talks Every Man Should See.” (View video below)
NEW From Our Sunday Visitor
Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood
Edited by Michael R. Heinlein; forward by Archbishop
Jose H. Gomez
Memory Project by Videographer, Ashé Friday, reveals history of Richmond parishes
Now Available to Purchase -- Bishop Edward K. Braxton's New Book:
The Church and the Racial Divide: Reflections of an African American Catholic Bishop
Portraits of the Black Catholic Men and Women
Rising to Sainthood
Download images by clicking on the portraits below
Click here to read biographies of the Holy Men and Women Rising to Sainthood. Click button under portraits to learn more about each Cause for Canonization.
Black pro-life leader on the crisis of abortion: ‘If you can’t get out of the womb, nothing matters’
By Bettina di Fiore | LIVEAction
[T]here is a very real part of the Black history narrative that most people — including people in the Black community — do not know: the Civil Rights Movement was pro-life, and the battle for so-called “abortion rights” has always been a red herring for racism. Read more...
Why does Lent last 40 days?
By Philip Kosloski | Aleteia Magazine
The number 40 has deep biblical roots.
Each year the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church celebrates Lent with 40 days of prayer and fasting before the great celebration of Easter. This number is very symbolic and has deep ties to multiple biblical events. Read more...
William King knew he wanted to be a priest since he was 4 years old.
He traces the decision to one of his childhood priests, Father Greg Chisholm, a Jesuit who once served as pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church in Jefferson Park. Read more...
BISHOP BARRON ON LOVING AN ENEMY THIS LENT
by Bishop Robert Barron
The Church recommends three great spiritual practices for Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But the readings during Lent suggest a fourth great practice: the forgiveness of one’s enemy.
Take a moment and look around. Did you know that many of the products we use every day were created by black people? Here’s a list of 15 Untold Black History Inventors Wasn't Taught At School until now, you probably didn’t know about.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is taking applications for the position of Chaplain for the Women's Correctional Facility.
Duties:
The Chaplain shall provide the following services to the Catholic population in a fashion consistent with the beliefs and practices of the faith (addt'l duties);
- Develop monitor and deliver worship services, including Mass
- Provide instructional and personal growth opportunities,
- Addressing spiritual and emotional needs through pastoral counseling,
To apply or for more information, contact: Dcn. Seigfried Presberry,
Director, Office of Prison Ministry
E-mail: SPresberry@archbalt.org
Phone: 410-547-5575
or
Steve Anderson, Manager, Human Resources
E-mail: Sanderson@archbalt.org
Phone: 410-547-5513
To you, O blessed Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
DR BILLIE TERRELL is an active Catholic and
licensed and practicing clinical therapist. She recently
retired from the University of St. Francis as a Professor
Emeritus after 25 years as a full-time faculty member, Director of the BSW/ MSW programs, Chair of the Social Work Department, and 10 years as Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity. She has maintained private practice for many years, providing individual and family therapy, consultation to employee assistance agencies and county-based trauma therapists. Dr. Terrell is a wife, mother, grandmother...and great-grandmother to Grey Josephine.
The Season of Lent
"Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly."
- Pope Francis, 2018 Lenten Message
As the season of Lent approaches on Ash Wednesday (February 17), the Catholic Apostolate Center invites you to begin your preparation. It is important to start thinking about how we can use this opportunity to grow in holiness and say “yes” more fully to our call to missionary discipleship.
Our Lenten Resource page offers you e-books, podcasts, webinars, videos, blogs, and more that cover all aspects of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We encourage you to use and share our resources.
We are also pleased to share with you our e-book entitled Lent and Easter. As Center Director, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C., mentions in the foreword, "When our first e-book was published in 2014, I wrote that it was our hope that all those who read it would 'reflect on and strengthen their relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, the Infinite Love.' Now it is with much happiness that we release our next e-book, Lent & Easter."
This e-book features reflections from the Catholic Apostolate Center's Ad Infinitum Blog that coincide with both Lent and Easter. We hope that this resource will aid you on your spiritual journey throughout Lent.
Use of NBCC Copyrighted Material
When using NBCC photos, videos, or staff-written articles, you acknowledge and agree that the NBCC is not responsible for any action taken or activity that occurs as a result of the information provided on this website. All proprietary items of the NBCC are subject to copyright, and may be used solely in a not-for-profit manner, and attribution must be made to the NBCC by including the following disclaimer: Used with permission of the NBCC– ® NBCC 2021.
Content Available through the website is provided as-is: You acknowledge that the NBCC does not make any representations or warranties about the material, data, and information, such as data files, text, computer software, code, music, audio files or other sounds, photographs, videos, or other images (collectively, the “Content”) which you may have access to. Under no circumstances is the NBCC liable in any way for any Content, including, but not limited to: any infringing Content, any errors or omissions in Content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted, transmitted, linked from, or otherwise accessible through or made available via the website. You agree that you are solely responsible for your reuse of Content made available through the website, including providing proper attribution.
Despite black Catholicism’s rich history, African American priests are hard to find
By Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil | Angelus News
Reflecting on legacy of her historic parish, St. Augustine, Dena Grant says ‘they kept the faith’
By Catholic Standard Staff
Dena Grant, who was baptized at St. Augustine Parish in Washington, D.C., graduated from St. Augustine School and has been an active parishioner there all her life, was interviewed recently for the Catholic Standard's Black Catholic Voices series. Read more...
How to Prepare for Lent
By Vinita Hampton Wright | Ignatian Spirituality
We have the traditional Catholic practices of praying, fasting, and almsgiving. So, we pray more than usual, or we pray with different emphases.
Sorrowful Mysteries:
Agony in the Garden: trust in God;
Scourging at the Pillar: purity;
Crowning with Thorns: fortitude;
Carrying of the Cross: perseverance in trials;
Crucifixion: forgiveness
for others.
Glorious Mysteries:
Resurrection: faith;
Ascension: hope;
Descent of the Holy Spirit: gifts of
the Holy Spirit;
Assumption: To Jesus
through Mary;
Coronation: final perseverance.
Lenten Resources
In this upcoming season of Lent, we turn our focus to six weeks of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The Church provides us with many beautiful practices in this Lenten season and we encourage you to learn more about them through our Lenten Resource page.
This resource includes many different Lenten reflections, guides to the Sacrament of Penance, the Stations of the Cross, and more, making it a helpful tool for the Lenten season.
Visit our Lenten Resource page by clicking here and be sure to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues.
This young Nigerian woman has been held captive for 1,096 days by Boko Haram!
By Maria Lozano - ACN – Aleteia Magazine
Kidnapped as a schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu is reportedly still alive. Her family and supporters are asking the world to call for her release. Read more...
Holy Hour of Adoration - LIVE from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
How to allow Lent to be a time of healing and renewal
By Edifa | Aleteia Magazine
Why not take advantage of this Lenten season to sort out the problems in your life?
For Yves Boulvin, a Christian and a psychotherapist, Lent is a great opportunity to rediscover God, and transform our attitude toward ourselves, our life, and all those we love. He offers some advice on the subject. Read more...
Daily Mass Readings, Order of Mass, Liturgy of Hours, and More!
At Lent, the Friday fish fry continues, with some changes
By Jenn Ladd | Philadelphia Inquirer
North Philly’s St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church will only hold two fish fries this year, on March 12 and 26, and only as to-go platters. Read more... MONICA HERNDON/File Photograph
EWTN Presents the Litany of St. Joseph
Help the NBCC keep helping others.
Your donation makes it possible for us to give to programs that
benefit Black Catholics across the United States.
Dynamic Catholic
BEST LENT EVER
Feed Your Soul with Prayer this Lent!
Nothing will transform your life so completely, absolutely, and forever like really learning how to pray. That’s why this year’s BEST LENT EVER journeys through Matthew Kelly’s latest book, I Heard God Laugh: A Practical Guide to Life’s Essential Daily Habit. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing through all forty days of Lent, you will receive a daily email with a short video to help you reconnect with yourself and your God. If you choose to throw yourself into this experience, we promise you that you will be surprised by what God can do in your life with just an email, a short video and an open heart. So this year, don’t just sign up for BEST LENT EVER, have your best lent ever!
Join our mailing list:
Bishop Roy Campbell, NBCC President, says the following about the book: "It is my profound honor to add my voice in support of Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood...The book introduces readers to six Black Americans who dealt in their lifetimes with the human denigration and suffering that is manifested by American's original sin of racism. Yet they not only persevered, but truly lived as Christian people..."
Copies can be ordered by clicking this link: https://www.orderosv.com/product/black-catholics-on-the-road-to-sainthood
Catch the new issue of the
Josephite
Harvest
for news, interviews & commentary.
Click on the image at right for adownloadable pdf file.
DEEPEN YOUR FAITH THIS LENT!
Holy Land: Franciscans offer virtual Way of the Cross during Lent
The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land present a virtual Way of the Cross alternative for the faithful during Lent because for the second successive year, pilgrimages are not possible due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
By Vatican News staff writer
Lent this year unfolds as the world continues to battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, which brings with it unprecedented difficulties, including disruptions to travel for pilgrims to the Holy Land during this period. Read more...
6 Black Therapists on the Best Ways to Practice Self-Care Right Now
BY CORTNE BONILLA | Allure Magazine
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests against systemic racism, it can be easy to forget to take a moment for yourself. Therapists explain how to harness your anger for good, and how to set strong emotional boundaries. Read more...
TOTAL PRAISE (Smallwood) -- Choir members from the parishes of St. Martin de Porres (dir. Tonya Dorsey), St. Thomas of Villanova (dir. Ted Latham), St. Katharine of Siena (dir. Youngjin Joo), and St. Genevieve (dir. Guna Pantele), sing Richard Smallwood's "Total Praise," with Youngjin Joo at the piano. Happy Black History Month!
Bishop John Ricard, SSJ is interviewed about his call to a vocation and the need for more young Black people to answer their call.
Interviews with other bishops and priests can be found here: https://www.nbccongress.org/video-archives.html
from the Knights of Columbus
Click image to download a pdf
The National Black Catholic Congress | 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 | 410-547-8496
® 2021 The National Black Catholic Congress, All Rights Reserved
The National Black Catholic Congress®
Year of St. Joseph Prayer
DId you miss the last session? Watch the video recording now.
LAUDATE
Comprehensive
Catholic App
Statement of Cardinal Wilton Gregory on the Appointment of Monsignor Jerome Feudjio as Bishop of Saint Thomas
ADW Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pope Francis today named Monsignor Jerome Feudjio the new Bishop of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Read more...
In 2019, the National Black Catholic Congress awarded St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia a grant from the Daniel Rudd Fund. This grant partially funded the "Memory Project 1969" video above. The NBCC congratulates videographer Ashé Friday on this great film!
Memory Project 1969 from Ashé Friday on Vimeo.
To be clear, there are formally recognized African Saints and American Saints, but no formally recognized African-American Saints. But that could soon change.
INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR:
IBCS MASTERS OF THEOLOGY PROGRAM
The IBCS, in conjunction with Xavier University's Office of Graduate Programs, presented an Information Webinar on its Masters of Theology Program, Monday, March 1, 5-7pm Central Time. This one-hour session gives all the relevant information on this unique program established in 1980 - the only one of its kind in the nation. Learn about its mission and curriculum. Meet faculty and staff, learn about the admissions process.
Click here to view the recorded webinar. Questions? We're here to help! Contact us: email ogp@xula.edu or call 504-520-7487.
Click the image below to download the course listings.
There are six incredible men and women who are on the path to Canonization. It's time to hear their stories. Read more...
Black Catholic Vocations Prayer
God our Liberator,
We thank you and praise you
For you are a God who walks with us,
Who knows our struggles,
And who gives us strength to answer your call.
You have created us in your likeness
…I hear you calling us to keep on keeping on.
You have anointed us to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to set captives free
…I hear you calling us to go and tell the Good News about Jesus Christ.
You have blessed us with family and faith, spirit and soul
…I hear you calling us to live and leave a legacy of your love.
“O my Lord, what shall I do?”
Free us, Faithful God, to hear your voice.
Help us, Loving God, to answer your call.
Empower us, Lord Jesus, to be your witness.
Place our lives at your service as holy men and holy women,
wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, priests and religious,
generously and compassionately serving our sisters and brothers.
With faith and unfailing confidence,
We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen
Prayer by Jesse Cox, O.P. and Mary Therese Johnson, O.P., with edits by Father J.D. Jaffe. Used with permission of the Diocese of Arlington Vocations Office.
NBCC Lent 2021 E-Blast
Full copy available here.
Joyful Mysteries:
Annunciation: humility;
Visitation: love of neighbor;
Birth of Jesus: detachment;
Presentation: obedience;
Finding in the Temple: greater commitment & devotion to Jesus.
Luminous Mysteries:
Baptism: openness to the Holy Spirit;
Miracle at Cana: Mary’s intercession;
Proclamation of the Kingdom & Repentance: Christian witness
and conversion;
Transfiguration: courage to bear
the cross;
Institution of the Holy Eucharist:
greater love for the Eucharist.
The National Black Catholic Congress sends congratulations to the President’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Fr. Stephen David Thorne '15, School of Education and Human Services. Read more...
This issue features:
- Combating racism and
white supremacy.
In his apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (RVM), St. John Paul II tells how we are to assimilate the mysteries of the rosary by meditating on the life of Jesus as we contemplate each mystery. When we immerse ourselves into the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, and we are rewarded by the "fruits" of the mysteries listed below:
REV. KINGSLEY OGBUJI, Host and Introductions.
Fr. Kingsley Ogbuji SSJ is a priest of St. Joseph
Society of the Sacred Heart. A native of Nigeria,
Fr. Kingsley is currently the administrator of St.
Peter Claver Catholic Church Houston, Texas,
where he ministers to the spiritual and pastoral
needs of the people. He holds a bachelor’s in philosophy from the Pontifical Urban University Rome, MA and MDiv degrees in theology from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. He is currently pursuing a certification program in the ministry of healing and deliverance from Pope Leo XIII Institute in Chicago.
4-PART SERIES ON BLACK FATHERHOOD
Beginning Wednesday, March 10, 2021
1-2:30 PM CST | 2-3:30 EST | 11 AM-12:30 PM PST
A GUIDE TO CONFESSION
A Call for An Increase in
BLACK CATHOLIC VOCATIONS
Check out the latest issue of
In a Word!
15 Black Inventors You Weren't Taught About in School
Prayer to Overcome Racism
Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.
We ask for your help in calling on your Son, seeking forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another.
We ask for your help in obtaining from your Son the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society.
We ask for your help in following your Son, so that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts but will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity of each person.
Mother of the Church, the Spirit of your Son Jesus warms our hearts: pray for us. Amen. www.usccb.org/racism
At this moment, there are no African-American Saints formally recognized within the Catholic Church. Really? Yes, really.
Catholic Speakers of Color, catholicspeakersofcolor.com, currently has profile and contact information for 53 people. (NCR screenshot)
New speaker's bureau highlights Catholics of color
Leticia Ochoa Adams' project helps conference organizers diversify voices
by Stephen G. Adubato | NCR
After learning about her own family's intergenerational wounds from racism, Leticia Ochoa Adams began to see the Catholic Church's complicity in racism and set out to change the church's narrative when it comes to issues of race and social justice. Read more...
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Fall in Love
Attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ
(1907-1991)
Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than
falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.
Ignatian Spirituality, Prayers by St. Ignatius and Others. Prayer originally found "From Finding God in All Things: A Marquette Prayer Book © 2009 Marquette University.
BLACK CATHOLICS
- This is who we are -
Photo book containing beautiful images of Black Catholics, many photos from Congress 12 held in 2017 in Orlando Florida.
To view book and order, click here.
Cost: $59.79 + $11.99 S&H
WORD ON FIRE
ENGLISH Lenten Gospel Reflections Book 2021
Click here to order your copy for $2.99
Council of Catholic Women–Archdiocese of Washington
has released a current newsletter. Click on the image to download a pdf file.
Contact them by email:
FUTURE WEBINARS IN THIS SERIES:
- APRIL 14, 2021 - The African American Father: “A Multi-cultural Perspective”
- MAY 12, 2021 - Parenting Attitudes of Black Fathers: The Contributing Factors
- JUNE 16, 2021 - Applying Our Knowledge:
Family Treatment Options
DAILY MASS BROADCAST
Catholic Mass Today | Daily TV
Neumann University Names Alumni Association Award Winners.
FOR TEENS AND YOUTH MINISTERS
10-MONTH WEBINAR SERIES
NEXT EPISODE: Sunday, Mar. 7th
6:00-7:30 PM EST
What’s Our Story? Chapter 8:
Family of New Sowers
Presenters: Lauren Morton and
Justin T. White, with Special Guests
Ellis and Zora Hollingsworth
About the Videographer: Ashé Friday has been working at the local PBS station in the Richmond, Virginia area for the past five years as a videographer. He attended high school in the city of Richmond, where he took the opportunity to take video production at the Richmond Technical Center for three years. Upon graduation from high school, he attended The Art Institute of Washington, in Arlington, Virginia for a year, returned to Richmond and interned at Center Stage now the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance before PBS. Ashé was born in Portland, Oregon and moved to Richmond, VA when he was six to be closer to family.
Bishop Braxton's Sermon for the first Sunday of Lent–The Leap of the Heart: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the Journey of Lent
First Sunday of Lent, February 21, 2021
Read the sermon in its entirety by clicking the button.