Black Catholics
Why You And Your Ministry Need A Day Away
It was a classically beautiful morning-after as I began the 300-mile trek from my…
“Black is Beautiful! Black is Beautiful! Black is Beautiful!” These were the words that I had the audience at the Convocation Of Catholic Leaders in 2017 shout during my panel presentation. (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPF-E2P8i8M&ab_channel=EWTN
– go to the 32-minute mark). I did receive much praise from the black participants, but many of the white participants, which made up the majority of the conference, took offense at this “exercise.” Most of the conference was made up of Diocesan staff/leadership from around the country – most of whom were, and still are overwhelming, white. During this plenary session, the discussion was about ministering to those on the peripheries – those that are forgotten or overlooked.
In this country, too many times, and yes, even in our Church, black people, especially African Americans, are forgotten and overlooked. It is usually not until November (Black Catholic History Month), February (Black History Month), or a racial PR Crisis that attention is given to black communities/issues within a particular Diocese. Those of us who have been working in Black Catholic Youth/Young Adult Ministry has had to “fight,” and still have to, to get the wider Church to understand the unique needs of our communities.
Too often, especially in recent months, the term black has been associated with a negative connotation. Let us take, for instance, the controversy surrounding the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” For many of us, this phrase is used to remind folks of the unequal treatment of black people throughout this country’s history and the present realities that institutional racism creates within our communities. Many in Church leadership have connected the meaning of the phrase to the organization with the same name. Still, most of us are using the phrase not to promote the organization, but for the Church to pay attention to the needs of one of its original communities that are continually pushed to the peripheries. This “distraction ploy” used by many in the Church to not address the meaning behind the phrase is also similar to other tactics used not to address America’s “original sin” of racism; thus, the problem continues.
Through hard dialogue (even though many of us are exhausted from talking about this issue) and sharing of power and resources, this issue will be tackled, not through more letters and statements. Through the building of authentic, mutual relationships, this issue will be addressed, not through savior mentalities where certain groups come in to “fix” a community.
This Black History Month, I would ask those reading this to take a long look at where they can address America’s “original sin” (within yourself, your family, your community, your church, your school, etc.) and see how you can learn to create a more just world so that we can see Blackness as a “gift” as Sr. Thea Bowman told the USCCB in 1989 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOV0nQkjuoA&t=613s&ab_channel=UnitedStatesConferenceofCatholicBishops ). Let us move forward as people of faith to create a world where BLACK LIVES ARE seen as BEAUTIFUL!
To learn more:
https://adw.org/living-the-faith/our-cultures/anti-racism-initiative/
Dr. Ansel Augustine is the Executive Director of Cultural Diversity and Outreach for the Archdiocese of Washington. He is the former Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Previously he served as the Associate Director/Coordinator of Black Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the CYO Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office. He is also on the Faculty of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. Ansel has served on the board of directors for the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (NCYAMA) and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). He began his career in ministry over 20 years ago when he became the youth minister at his home parish of St. Peter Claver in the Treme area of New Orleans, which he helped to rebuild following Hurricane Katrina. He has presented workshops and keynotes around the country and has written various pieces related to ministry. Ansel has worked in prison ministry for over 25 years in various capacities. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Peter Claver, and the Wild Tchoupitoulas (Black Masking) Mardi Gras Indians. He is also an Associate Member of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, LA.