Quarterly Newsletter

2023

Volume: 2 Issue: 2

FALL NEWSLETTER

The mission of the Office of Racial Harmony is to bring an awareness about the sin of racism, in all its forms, to the Catholic faithful by providing avenues that, through prayer and with gentleness and respect, facilitate conversations and build relationships across racial boundaries, while keeping the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the focus of all we do so that ultimately God will be glorified.

In this Issue:

NBCC
Recent Events
Upcoming Events
Did You Know?
Focus on St. Louis History

Visit our Website

We recently had a day of celebrating National Black Catholic History Month and learned more about the National Black Catholic Congress. Cheryl Archibald gave the keynote speech. Members of the Archdiocese NBCC Implementation Team spoke about attending the summer congress and participants took time to reflect on the following topics: Spirituality and the Saints, Black Saints in the life of the Church, Leadership in the Church, and Social Justice Issues.

What is NBCC?

Office of Racial Harmony

Sankofa Pathways Toward Peace Pilgrimage

September 22-25, 2023

Every year, several area high schools participate in a pilgrimage to The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum, both in Montgomery, Alabama. Mass is celebrated with the parish family of Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South. Sites visited in Birmingham, Alabama include Kelly Ingram Park and the 16th Avenue Baptist Church.

Held every 3rd Wednesday of the month

Register HERE or scan the QR Code.

Event Flyer

Wednesday

6:30-8:00pm

Aquinas Institute of Theology

23 S. Spring Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63108

St. Charles Lwanga Center

National Black Catholic Month Celebration

Via ZOOM

For More Information visit their website:

St. Charles Lwanga Center

Event Flyer

Sunday 3pm

Join Us For
A Black Catholic Community’s Perspective, Part III on
“The Black Church: This is our story. This is our song.”

Office of Racial Harmony

#iGiveCatholic

We’re so excited to be a part of #iGiveCatholic! You can support our campaign by visiting our page and donating on Nov 28.

St. Charles Lwanga Center

48th Annual Archdiocesan Celebration

Commemorating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday 2:30 pm

Venue:

Cathedral Basilica

4431 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108

48^th Annual Archdiocesan Celebration on the Holiday Weekend Commemorating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is inclusive of Mass and the 17^th Annual Dr. MLK, Jr. Model of Justice Awards.

For More Information visit their website:
St. Charles Lwanga Center

Image borrowed from www.nbccongress.org

On July 24, 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics. Two commemorative dates fall within this month: St. Augustine’s birthday, Nov. 13, and St. Martin de Porres’ feast day, Nov. 3. November is also when Catholics celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, an occasion to recall in a special way the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora.

For More Information visit: https://www.nbccongress.org and https://www.slu.edu

Image from www.cardinalritterprep.net/about/ourhistory

Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School

5421 Thekla Avenue

When this school was established in 1979, it was the only Catholic high school in north St. Louis. In 1984, it was recognized as an exemplary school by the U.S. Department of Education; more than 90 percent of its students go on to college. The school is named for Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter (1892-1967), who ordered desegregation of the St. Louis archdiocesan Catholic schools in 1947, seven years before the Supreme Court decision that led to the desegregation of public schools. (In 2003, Cardinal Ritter moved to its new location on N. Spring Avenue.)

Bishop Healy Elementary School

2727 North Kingshighway Boulevard

James Augustine Healy (1830-1900), for whom this school is named, was consecrated bishop of Portland, Maine, in 1875. He was the first black American to become a Roman Catholic bishop. Healy was the son of an Irish immigrant and an African American mother; he and two brothers became priests. One of his brothers, the Reverend Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., Ph.D. (1834-1920), served from 1874 to 1882 as the first black president of Georgetown University, in Washington, D. C. Another brother, Alexander Sherwood Healy (1836-75), also became a Sulpician priest. Bishop Healy Elementary School opened in 1922 as Blessed Sacrament School; the name was changed in 1971.

(In 2003, Bishop Healy merged with St. Engelbert Focus School to become St. Louis Catholic Academy and is now located on Carter Avenue. )