“It is not easy to be Black and Catholic in the United States. That’s why, I think, I felt so moved.”
Race
Posted inNews
Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery
Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology on Monday for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery and for having failed to condemn it for centuries, calling the Vatican’s record a “wound in Christian memory.”
Posted inJesuit School Spotlight
From the Bronx to the Lecture Hall: What My Jesuit Education Taught Me About Voice and Vocation
What my teachers gave me did not determine where I would go, but it kept pressing one question: What is your education for?
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Remembering Cyprian Davis, a giant of Black Catholic history
Cyprian Davis, O.S.B., was a prominent figure in the American church after the Second Vatican Council due to, among other achievements, his scholarship on Black Catholics, theology, spirituality, pastoral care, Black women religious in the United States and the multifaceted history of Black Christianity on these shores.
Posted inTheater
‘Saturday Church’ and ‘The Brothers Size’: Stories of Black queer spirituality
For queer Christians of any race, the church has too often felt not like a loving home but rather a house of judgment.
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.