Kenneth Montague became the first African-American student at Loyola in 1956. He “opened the door for others to follow.”
Black Catholics
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
The Catholic Church shut its doors on Black Americans. But we can still be made new.
Chris Smith, S.J.—one of a small number of Black Jesuits in formation in the U.S.—joins “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” to talk about his multi-racial family’s legacy of love, racism, reconciliation and healing.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
The Black authors all Catholics should read
As we celebrate Black History Month, we recognize Black authors from past and present, including two prominent theologians.
Posted inFaith, The Word
Jesus calls us to turn the other cheek. But what does that mean in a world of corruption and injustice?
Feb. 20, the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus calls us to love our enemies—not to passively accept injustice.
Posted inFaith, Vantage Point
A History of Black Catholics in the United States
Recovering the history of black Catholics is an important challenge for all black Americans and for their churches.
Posted inFaith, Video
This historic Catholic parish fought to stay open—and won
In this new short documentary from America Media, we hear the story of the parishioners’ struggle to save their parish.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
When this historic Black Catholic parish was closed, its tight-knit community fought back—and won.
St. Adalbert’s-O.L.B.S. was the first Black Catholic parish in Cleveland, and we drove eight hours from New York City to Fairfax to make a short documentary on their history and rootedness. That was “the plan.”
Posted inFaith, Last Take
Martin Luther King Jr. was right: We must not choose order over justice
One of the best ways to celebrate Black History Month this February, in my opinion, is to cease to covet order and negative peace that is the fruit of tolerated injustice.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Bishop Braxton: The Catholic Church ‘was largely on the wrong side of history’ on racism
The racial divide in American society and within the Catholic Church is one that needs to be bridged so that healing and progress can take place, said retired Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Illinois.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Black Lives Matter and the call to conversion
Olga Segura’s book charts her personal journey of resisting systemic racism and her pain at finding herself unaccompanied on that path by many Catholics or by the institutional church.