In this new short documentary from America Media, we hear the story of the parishioners’ struggle to save their parish.
Black Catholics
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.
Posted inFaith, Interviews
Yes, Critical Race Theory is compatible with Catholicism. Here’s why.
Not every conclusion that comes out of critical race theory is compatible with Catholicism. But how could it be the case that Catholics would not want to engage with an intellectual tool that helps deepen understanding?
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
I was kicked out of seminary for being too Black. But God wouldn’t let me go.
I wondered if I could even be Catholic anymore, much less continue pursuing the priesthood somewhere else.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Gloria Purvis: ‘I’m not a conservative. I’m not a liberal. I’m just Catholic.’
When people meet me, at the Capitol or in a church, they may wonder or even ask me politely, “Are you a conservative or a liberal?” I smile and say, “I’m just a Catholic.”
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The music of the Black Catholic Church is a rich tapestry of joy, suffering and hope.
Joyce Coleman sings the soul of a community whose faith has been tested by fire across generations, centuries, in this country. To sing such a faith is, for this white Catholic, to be filled with wonder and gratitude—beyond words, beyond speech, beyond concept.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
The Jesuits partner with descendants of enslaved people they once owned and sold to raise $100 million for racial justice
The Society of Jesus is teaming up with the descendants of enslaved people once owned by the religious order to reconcile and heal the deep racial wounds of America.