In the 1858 tax records of a Kentucky plantation, there is perhaps the earliest mention of Daniel Rudd who would, as a newspaper editor, champion the equal treatment for all races via Catholicism.
Black History Month 2024
First U.S. Black Catholic Church Has Persevered Since 1841
Just north of New Orleans’ French Quarter — on soil once worked by slaves — stands a Catholic church believed to be the oldest black parish in the U.S. St. Augustine Church, established in 1841, has been a sanctuary in the turbulence of emancipation, Jim Crow laws, the civil rights movement, and Hurricane Katrina.
Pope John Paul II’s Historic Visit Stirred Faith of New Orleans’ Black Catholics
The national media converged on New Orleans Sept. 12, 1987, when Pope John Paul II — now a saint — became the first pontiff to visit the historic city at the edges of Louisiana’s bayous.
Msgr. William Rodgers Made History as the First Black Priest Ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn
In his 96 years of life, Msgr. William Rodgers could boast of numerous noteworthy achievements. He mastered multiple languages and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree at St. John’s University. But even more importantly, he was known as the first black priest ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn — a distinction that made him proud. But he was humble about it.