Black Catholics

The Latest

From left to right: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman.

Meet 6 Black Catholics on the road to sainthood

Nov 28, 2024

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

November is National Black Catholic History Month in the United States, a time to honor the history, heritage, and contributions... Read more

Lt. General Arthur J. Gregg (left) and president & CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Johnny C. Taylor Jr. attend the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 27th Annual Awards Gala at the Washington Hilton on Nov. 16, 2015, in Washington, D.C.

Arthur Gregg, Catholic convert and first Black lieutenant general in U.S. Army, dies at 96

Sep 3, 2024

By Daniel Payne

Arthur James Gregg, a convert to the Catholic faith who was the first Black American to achieve the rank of... Read more

Venerable Augustus Tolton.

Juneteenth and the life of the first Black American Catholic priest

Jun 19, 2024

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

On the federal holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States, we honor the first African American... Read more

Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III.

Black Pentecostal leader urges pope to withdraw same-sex blessing document

Dec 29, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

A prominent black Pentecostal leader is voicing his “solidarity” with African Catholics and urging Pope Francis to withdraw the new... Read more

Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands.

African National Eucharistic Congress ‘sparking hope’ for revival

Jul 24, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Among the many pilgrims to this year’s Congress was a 25-person delegation from the Diocese of St. Thomas in the... Read more

Father Josh Johnson.

‘My mission is to form saints,’ speaker at National Black Catholic Congress says

Jul 21, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Father Josh Johnson joined thousands of participants at a conference that celebrates Black Catholics and seeks to better understand their... Read more

Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry.

Chicago’s Bishop Joseph N. Perry to lead U.S. bishops’ anti-racism committee

May 12, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

The Chicago-born bishop brings extensive experience to the role, including his chairmanship of the USCCB Committee on African-American Catholics. Read more

Sister Brenda Cherry (right) attests to the long legacy of teaching by the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

Servant of God Mother Mary Lange and the rich history of Black Catholic religious orders

Feb 28, 2023

By Jim Graves

Two centuries ago, Mary Elizabeth Lange emigrated to the United States from Cuba and joined a friend to offer free... Read more

Chika Anyanwu (left) and Father Josh Johnson

Catholics reflect on racial reconciliation in U.S. Church: ‘We must be rooted in prayer’

Jan 16, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Two prominent Catholic speakers say they have seen an openness among Catholics to acknowledge racism as a sin and as... Read more

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Black Catholic worship is unique — but majority-Black parishes are rare, survey says

Mar 16, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

A new survey of Black Catholics in the United States sheds light on what makes Black expressions of Catholicism unique,... Read more

Daniel Rudd, ca. 1915.

Black Catholic journalist Daniel Rudd was born a slave. He left a legacy.

Feb 25, 2022

By Kevin J. Jones

In the wake of the American Civil War, the former slave Daniel Rudd launched a newspaper that sought to inform... Read more

The 31st annual meeting of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium will take place Oct. 7-9 at the University of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame to host 31st Annual Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Oct 3, 2021

By Autumn Jones

On Oct. 7, the University of Notre Dame will begin to host the 31st annual Black Catholic Theological Symposium (BCTS)... Read more

Armonté Snodgrass, freshman at Louisville's Saint Xavier High School, who received the 2021 Rodriq McCravy Scholarship award at the 34th annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards banquet

Catholic schools have ‘mighty role’ for Black Catholic leaders, Louisville archbishop says

Aug 25, 2021

By Kevin J. Jones

The Louisville archdiocese has made steady progress in enrolling more African-Americans in Catholic schools, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of... Read more

Venerable Augustus Tolton.

Venerable Augustus Tolton a model of handling racial injustice, Philly archbishop says

Jul 1, 2021

By CNA Staff

Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first widely recognized African-American priest, is a model for how to overcome racism and persecution, the... Read more

Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa.

Reflections on the role of the Cathedral during the Tulsa Race Massacre and today

Jun 1, 2021

By Eastern Oklahoma Catholic

At the end of May, our local community will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Sparked by... Read more

The Church of St. Benedict the Moor in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Priests share hope for new Pittsburgh parish in Black Catholic tradition

Mar 13, 2021

By Kate Veik

Last summer, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh made an important announcement. St. Benedict the Moor, a historic parish in the... Read more

Thea Bowman, as a postulant   Credit: Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

The hidden history of Black Catholic nuns in the U.S.

Feb 11, 2021

Black Catholic nuns have made manifold contributions to the Church in the United States, and theirs is a story that... Read more

Black Catholic leader says Black Lives Matter organization 'ill-equipped to lead'

Sep 21, 2020

A Black Catholic leader said Friday that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is the wrong organization to lead... Read more

Earl Gage Jr. in an undated photo from the San Francisco Independent newspaper. Photo courtesy of Blondell Chism via Catholic San Francisco.

San Francisco to name street after first Black firefighter, a Catholic convert

Jul 30, 2020

San Francisco’s first Black firefighter, a Catholic convert whose faith helped him endure years of racial abuse within the department,... Read more

Venerable Augustus Tolton.

Catholics hold pilgrimage to grave of Venerable Augustus Tolton, first African American priest

Jul 12, 2020

By Perry West

The fourth annual Quincy pilgrimage honoring Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first African-American priest, took place Thursday with the intention of... Read more