Sharon Lavigne, a renowned environmental activist in Louisiana, will receive the 2022 Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, one of the oldest and most prestigious honors given to American Catholics.
Black Catholic
Only In Print: A Blessed Visit to St. Peter Claver Church
Bishop Robert Brennan (above) celebrated the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Peter Claver Church, Bedford-Stuyvesant, on Sunday, February 27.
Mercy Sister Talks About Black Catholicism, Her Faith and Life of ‘Firsts’
In 1956, 17-year-old Sister Cora Marie Billings of Philadelphia entered the Sisters of Mercy in Merion, Pennsylvania, becoming the first Black member of the Philadelphia community.
Priest Discovers Kentucky Parish Has Ties to Father Augustus Tolton
On a wintry January day at the old St. Theresa Cemetery in rural Meade County in Kentucky, Janice Mulligan laid a simple wreath of magnolia leaves on the grave of Matilda Hurd, a woman who died a slave and whose grandson is now a saint in the making.
Knowing Black Catholic History Can Help End Racism, Professor Says
The history of Black Catholics and other marginalized people in the U.S. church covering more than two centuries is one worth knowing and can guide the church’s response to the challenges of racism and social justice, historian Shannen Dee Williams believes.
Catholic Church, Society Must Do More to Overcome Racism, Says Bishop
Imagining what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., might say if he were alive today, retired Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Illinois, delivered a homily in the voice of the slain civil rights leader to address how racism continues to impact the church and society as a whole.
Grassroots Effort Calls on Pope to Canonize six Black Sainthood Candidates
The Mass was organized by a national campaign made up of members of three Baltimore parishes, St. Ann, St. Francis Xavier and St. Wenceslaus, as well as longtime members of St. Ann’s social justice committee. The purpose was to create awareness and educate the American people about the stories of these six candidates for sainthood.
Decades After its Founding, Little Flower Stays True to Msgr. Quinn’s Vision
Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, founded by Msgr. Bernard Quinn more than 90 years ago, is still going strong today. According to Corinne Hammons, president and CEO, the non-profit organization has expanded its services over the decades but has remained true to its original mission.
‘Servant of God’ Julia Greeley Takes Next Step On the Road to Sainthood
She is known as “Denver’s Angel of Charity” and she might just become the first African American saint in the Catholic Church.
St. Peter Claver Church’s Centennial Celebration Marks 100 Years of Black Catholic Ministry in the Diocese
The year was 1917. America had just entered World War I. It was also a somber time in church history — black Catholics were not welcomed to worship within the same space as their white Catholic brothers and sisters.
