Dedicated to improving the lives of Black Catholics across the United States
Calendar of Events
Did you miss the Pastoral Plan Webinar presented by Fr. Stephen Thorne?
The Equal Justice Initiative will open America’s first national memorial dedicated to victims of racial terror lynching and a new museum dedicated to slavery and its legacy on April 26, 2018, in Montgomery, Alabama.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice will acknowledge an era of racial terror in the United States when thousands of African Americans were lynched and publicly tortured, sometimes in the presence of thousands of people. Full story...
X A V I E R
INSTITUTE FOR BLACK CATHOLIC STUDIES
presents the schedule of classes for Summer 2018
Click the button
for a downloadable brochure
Update on Canonization Processes of
Five Black Catholic Holy Men & Women
April
Saturday, April 21st, 10:00AM-3:30PM
Vocationist Spring Retreat
Open to 7th and 8th graders. Blessed Justin Vocationary,
90 Brooklake Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932.
For more information: 973-966-6262 - emmyvgogo@yahoo.com
Friday, April 27, 1:00pm-Sunday, April 29, 2018, 12:00pm
Annual Black Catholic Retreat
Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House, 4801 N Hwy 67, Sedalia, CO 80135
$200.00 for the weekend, $75.00 for Saturday only. Fr. Manuel Williams, C.R., CFRE, Director. For information: www.sacredheartretreat.org
or mary.leisring@archden.org. For reservations call 303-688-4198 or email: reservations@sacredheartretreat.org. All are welcome!
Saturday, April 28th, 9:00 AM
New York City Bus Trip
The African American, African and Caribbean Apostolate is sponsoring a NYC bus trip to highlight the work of the Venerable Pierre Toussaint!
Bus will leave from: Archdiocese Center, 171 Clifton Ave., Newark, NJ 07104 at 9:30 AM. Returning at approximately 3:00 PM. Lunch will be provided. See flier for full itinerary and contact information.
Saturday, April 28th, 7:00 PM
McVinney Welcomes PBS Star Ethan Bortnick in Concert
McVinney Auditorium, 43 Dave Gavitt Way, Providence, RI 02903
Sixteen year-old international music sensation, singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, actor, philanthropist and PBS star Ethan Bortnick, will be in concert at McVinney Auditorium, 43 Dave Gavitt Way, for just one night. Tickets are available atwww.mcvinneyauditorium.com.
VENERABLE PIERRE TOUSSAINT: The late Cardinal Terence Cooke introduced Pierre's cause for canonization at the Vatican in 1968. In December 1989, the remains of Pierre Toussaint were transferred from Lower Manhattan to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where he is the only lay person buried. On December 17, 1997, Pope John Paul II declared Pierre Toussaint, Venerable, thus placing him firmly on the road to becoming North America's first black saint. For further information, contact the Office for Black Catholic Ministry for the Archdiocese of New York, 1011 First Ave, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4134, Phone: 646-794-2681.
Source: https://obmny.org/venerable-pierre toussaint
Hot off the press!
THE 2017 CONGRESS 12
PASTORAL PLAN OF ACTION
The Pastoral Plan of Action was developed by delegates who were appointed by bishops from every diocese in the United States. These women and men brought the concerns and needs of their local communities, and worked together to develop a list of pastoral priorities. These priorities led to a Preamble, which was presented and affirmed by the Assembly at the close of Congress XII. It was the intention of the delegates that every individual, parish, community, and diocese use the Preamble to guide their unique pastoral planning with Black Catholics for the next five years.
Scholarship submission deadline is Friday, April 20, 2018
Go to www.xula.edu and click the Institute for Black Catholic Studies link to access the Scholarship form. The form may be submitted electronically.
NATIONAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN'S FITNESS MONTH
LET'S GET PHYSICAL!
April is National African-American Women's Fitness Month. Sheila Madison, a personal development training specialist and consultant, founded this campaign to generate health awareness through physical activity and to encourage Black women to adopt a more active lifestyle.
The evidence is clear: As little as 30-minutes of cardio exercise three - to - five days a week, coupled with a little resistance training can help you live longer, look younger, feel happier and prevent weight gain1. So, check with your doctor before you begin a new exercise regimen and then walk, jog, bike, swim, sign up for yoga or aerobics classes, schedule a tennis or racquetball match or join a gym. And don't forget to get your kids up and moving! According to the American Council on Exercise, regular physical fitness helps children maintain strong, healthy muscles, bones and joints as well as a healthy body weight. An hour of exercise each day can also help improve kids' quality of sleep and promote greater self-esteem and a better self-image.
Full story...
The canonization process is lengthy and well-documented: upon the death of someone deemed worthy by sanctity or martyrdom, an investigation is requested by the bishop of the diocese, and miracles received through the intercession of the candidate for sainthood will be presented. This person may be given the title, Servant of God, once the sealed documents are presented to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. The person may be declared a Servant of God.
The Congregation for the Causes will continue the investigation, and if the person was martyred, it will determine, in light of the evidence, whether he or she made the sacrifice for Christ and the Church. Those candidates who are not martyrs will be examined to see if they "have lived life with heroic virtue". They may then receive the title of "Venerable".
A martyr may receive beatification at this point, but others need proof of a miracle received through their intercession to receive beatification and be called "Blessed". To be canonized and declared a saint, another miracle would need to receive validation and attribution to the candidate.
After scientific investigation, a eucharistic miracle in Poland was recently confirmed as authentic by the local bishop of the area. Initially, the Host had fallen on the ground, so it was placed in water, as is customarily done in such cases. Not long afterward, the Eucharist began turning red, as if bloody.
Full story...
H E L P R E S C U E V O C A T I O N S
Give the gift of a new priest, sister, or brother to the Catholic Church!
EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES CONFIRM REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST
NEWS: COMMENTARY
by Ryan Fitzgerald / ChurchMilitant.com
Two eucharistic miracles 1,300 years apart show same blood type and DNA
The National Black Catholic Congress | 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 | 410-547-8496
© 2018 The National Black Catholic Congress, All Rights Reserved
Click on the video play icon above to watch the edited version of the webinar.
Pope at Mass: “Evangelization is the Spirit’s work”
At Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday morning, Pope Francis uses the account of Philip’s evangelizing activity in Acts 8:26-40 to explain evangelization using three key words: “Get up”, “draw near”, and “start with an actual situation”.
During his homily at Thursday morning’s Mass, Pope Francis reminded us that every Christian has an obligation and a mission to accomplish: evangelization. “Get up”, draw near”, and “start with an actual situation” are three keys to unlock what evangelization is. Full story...
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Black Catholic News Click photo
Legacy Museum
and National Memorial for Peace and Justice
to Open on
April 26, 2018
From EJI - Equal Justice Initiative
Use of NBCC Copyrighted Material
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Why it’s important for parishes to have difficult conversations about race and sex
Kathy Ewing | April 17, 2018
America Magazine
2018 ORACLE
National Summer Institute for Youth
Sponsored by: ORACLE Religious Association
in Washington, DC.
June 16 - July 3, 2018
Click on the images below to download a pdf brochure and registration.
Join our mailing list to receive quarterly emailed newsletters.
VENERABLE HENRIETTE DELILLE: The Canonization process is comprised of four phases: Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed and Saint. As of this time, one alleged miracle attributed to Henriette is being tried in a Catholic Tribunal, and the decree of judicial validity was issued in the investigation of her life, virtues, and reputation of sanctity. Henriette was bestowed with the title of Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. For information, contact: Sisters of the Holy Family, 6901 Chef Menteur Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70126-5290
Telephone: 504-241-3088.
Source: http://www.sistersoftheholyfamily.com/CanonizationProcess.html
CBS 60 Minutes Special Interview of Bryan Stevenson by Oprah Winfrey
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
What If He Were Still Alive Today?
(April 4, 1968-April 4, 2018, Fifty Years Later)
Employment Opportunities
Coming Soon....
News about the second webinar in the NBCC 2018 Webinar Series.
Stay tuned for more!
Is the single life a vocation? Maybe we're asking the wrong question.
By Mary Rezac | Catholic News Agency
Denver, Colo., Dec 27, 2017 / (CNA/EWTN News).- From a young age, Catholics are taught to pray about and discern their vocations – whether they're called to marriage, to the religious life, to the priesthood, or consecrated single life.
This can leave the lay single person feeling that they are in a vocational limbo of sorts, and it's become a topic of much heated and emotional debate in the Catholic blogosphere: have these people missed their vocation? Is the lay single state, chosen or by default, a vocation?
Fr. Ben Hasse is a vocations director for the Diocese of Marquette, Mich. He said addressing the topic of singleness in the Church can be difficult because of the emotions surrounding the issue. Full story...
SERVANT OF GOD MARY LANGE: Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore opened a formal investigation into Mother Lange's life in 1991, and
the cause of her sainthood was approved in 2004. If the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints approves the positio being written,
Mother Lange, currently considered a “Servant of God,” would be
given the title “Venerable.” A confirmed miracle attributed to her
would then be necessary for her beatification, and a second miracle
for her canonization. Contact The Mother Mary Lange Guild for
more information, c/o the Oblate Sisters of Providence, 701 Gun Rd, Baltimore, MD 21227-3899. Phone: 410-242-6861.
Source: http://www.oblatesisters.com/MotherLange.html
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The Josephites are seeking an experienced (5-8 yrs.) major gift officer, Director, Assistant
Director of Development or experienced fundraiser consultant who can build a “best in class”
fundraising operation. Individuals should be entrepreneurial and possess strong marketing,
organization and communication skills, plus knowledge of fund development software and tracking
systems. The ideal candidate must be collaborative, results oriented, highly self-motivated, and
driven to succeed. They must be passionate about fund development, accountable, performance
based, resourceful and be comfortable working with diverse stakeholders. It is essential that
candidates embrace the mission of the Josephites and be of high integrity and hold the values of
the Josephite community. Click on the image at right to download a description of the position.
A mortally wounded Dr. King sprawled on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel as his aides point in the direction of the gunman.
"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Reflection By
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Bishop of Belleville
April 4, 2018
(This reflection is an exercise in imaginative thinking. Writing in this format allows the author to imagine possible points of view and thoughts informed by his years of study of Dr. King’s life and writings. The author does not intend to suggest, in any way, that these are actual thoughts or words of Dr. King. Hence the frequent use of phrases such as, “He might have said,” or “He might have thought.” Ultimately, the words and thoughts must necessarily be the author’s own, since Dr. King’s mighty voice has been so cruelly silenced.)
I. Remembering That Terrible Day
(1) On Holy Thursday, April 11, 1968, Blessed Paul VI mourned the cruel and brutal murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one week earlier on April 4. The Pontiff, noting that this heinous event was not unlike the Passion of Jesus Christ, lamented that the world must pray for the day when human beings no longer prey on one another like wolves. Read full reflection here...
SERVANT OF GOD JULIA GREELEY: Born into slavery, in Hannibal, Missouri, as a young child, Julia's right eye was destroyed by a cruel slavemaster's whip. Freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Julia subsequently earned her keep by serving white families in Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Whatever she could spare, Julia spent assisting poor families in her neighborhood. She had a rich devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin and joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1901 and was active until her death in 1918.
Source: http://juliagreeley.org/
We welcome you to submit your upcoming events!
We would love to include your parish activities, upcoming organizational conferences, or arch/diocesan events. Please email your information to: nbcc@nbccongress.org and feel free to attach a pdf of your flier, advertisement, or logo for us to include.
Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens is seeking a Director of Development. Catholic
Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens is a not-for-profit organization that provides financial grants
and other assistance to institutions and ministries of the Diocese of Brooklyn in support of the
Church’s mission and administers the endowments and other funds entrusted to it. The foundation
is guided by principles of prudent stewardship while assuring that all investments are consistent with
Catholic teachings. The mission of Futures in Education is to ensure that the gift of an excellent
Catholic education continues to be a viable option for current and future generations of deserving
students in Brooklyn and Queens by providing tuition assistance and program support to the neediest
of students and academies.
To continue to fulfill these important missions, Catholic Foundation seeks a passionate Director of Development (DoD) with a proven track-record to lead fundraising from individuals, corporations, and foundations. With the goal of increasing and diversifying philanthropic support, the DoD will report to the Executive Director, John Notaro and work collaboratively and closely with the Vicar for Development of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, the Board of Directors of Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens and the Board of Trustees of Futures in Education.
The ideal candidate will possess leadership abilities, including effective motivation, mentoring and team building: the talent to leverage team members’ existing capacity and strengthen performance while maintaining best practices, camaraderie, and shared accountability. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, stewarding and securing philanthropic support in an environment where the prospective donor constituency is not immediately obvious. S/he will have experience preparing philanthropic briefings and writing proposals. Preferably, the successful candidate will have built a planned giving program.
The successful candidate must possess a strong work ethic, focused energy and drive, passion for the mission of the Diocese, and dedication to the values of the Catholic Church. The DoD will bring creativity and experience to the advancement of Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the ability to engage participation from all levels, creating and fostering an atmosphere of excitement and energy.
Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens has retained Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to facilitate this executive recruitment. Please send confidential inquiries and applications directly to Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC via e-mail at CFBQ@glfreeman.com.
SERVANT OF GOD FR. AUGUSTUS TOLTON: In 2015, the
Cause for Canonization of Fr. Augustus Tolton, begun in 2010,
received affirmation of the juridicial validity of the Archdiocesan
inquiry into his life and virtues by the Congregation for Causes
of Saints, and Fr. Tolton received the distinction of Servant of
God. For more information, contact The Father Tolton Guild, the
official organization for the promotion of the Cause of Canoni-
zation of Father Augustus Tolton. Archdiocese of Chicago, 835 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Phone: 312-534-8200.
Sources: http://www.toltoncanonization.org/sidebar/hiscanonization.html
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Ten or so women, white and black, were passing the time talking. One woman mentioned that the police stopped her son driving through a Cleveland suburb so many times that he had begun driving around it. Another woman chimed in, then another, talking about how often their sons were stopped by police. Full story...