For queer Christians of any race, the church has too often felt not like a loving home but rather a house of judgment.
Race
Posted inFaith, Last Take
Catholics, we must be more attentive to the poor and vulnerable who show up in our parishes
As a Black person who sometimes ministers in predominantly white parishes, I can appreciate how easy it is to feel out of place. It makes all the difference to hear words of welcome.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
A documentary that reminds us Black history is unfolding right now
RaMell Ross’ film ‘Nickel Boys’ is nominated for Best picture. His 2018 documentary is an attempt to express Black life and history as dynamic and vital.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
MLK, Trump and the wedding at Cana: A call to listen and heal
On “Preach” this week, the Rev. Kareem Smith, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Co-op City, the Bronx, reflects with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time—the wedding at Cana.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
The Jesuits sold 272 people into slavery. How can the church make amends with their descendants?
A conversation with Rachel L. Swarns, the author of “The 272: The Families Who were Enslaved and Sold to Build The American Catholic Church”
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ embraces country music, Black history and religious imagery
With “Cowboy Carter,” her eighth studio album, Beyoncé not only explores the longed-for and carelessly and/or intentionally erased Black past in country music, but also moves the genre forward into a hopefully more expansive future.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
What to do when a saint is racist: Wrestling with St. John of the Cross
It is necessary that we grapple with hard facts, even if it means wearing scars. But let us not yield when confronted with the racism, sexism or other sins of any saint.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Langston Hughes: Communist, Christian—or both?
Langston Hughes, the great Black poet, playwright, journalist and author, had a nuanced and not easily categorized religious life.
Posted inFaith, Features
Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and the Black players who made basketball history at San Francisco’s Jesuit university
Men’s college basketball’s finest squad did not come from one of the N.C.A.A. powerhouses of the past three decades, but from the University of San Francisco, where Bill Russell led the team to consecutive national championships in 1955 and 1956.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Jesuit George Dunne loved a good fight—and hated injustice
George Dunne, S.J., never backed down from a fight or a perceived injustice in a long career as a priest, academic and activist.