Black Catholic Ministry
Through a spirit of encounter, accompaniment, and synodality, the Black Catholic Ministry works as pastoral consultants and advocates for African American and African communities in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Knowing the Church should be a refuge that proudly displays the vibrancy of Black Catholic heritage, the ministry builds bridges between the realities faced by these communities and the resources offered by the archdiocese.
The Black Catholic community accounts for 5% of the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s population, or approximately 70,000 individuals. As an integral part of the Office of Intercultural Ministries, the Black Catholic Ministry seeks to provide a home for Catholics of African descent and a platform for the unique gifts of Black Catholic spirituality.
Providing educational, spiritual, and engagement opportunities specific to the Black experience, the ministry cultivates spiritual growth and fellowship. It works to uplift the seven predominantly African and historically African American parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta including:
- Christ Our Hope in Lithonia
- Most Blessed Sacrament in Atlanta
- Our Lady of Lourdes in Atlanta
- St. Anthony of Padua in Atlanta
- St. John the Evangelist in Hapeville
- St. Paul of the Cross in Atlanta
- Saints Peter and Paul in Decatur
Together with Campus Ministry, the Black Catholic Ministry fosters spiritual and communal connections at Lyke House Catholic Newman Center at the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC), serving students of:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Spelman College
- Morehouse College
- Georgia State University
Making an Impact
Thanks to your support through the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, the Black Catholic Ministry offers a variety of opportunities and initiatives including:
- Sponsoring delegates to the National Black Catholic Congress and organizing regular meetings to discuss community needs such as increasing vocations and youth evangelization.
- With the Pan African Catholic Organization of Atlanta (PACOA), supporting African communities that worship and minister within our archdiocesan parishes.
- Celebrating and honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an annual Mass, Youth Celebration, and volunteer opportunities throughout the holiday weekend.
- Providing information on the Saintly Seven to parishes, including sponsoring speakers, prayer cards, and artwork.
“Representation is important to our brothers and sisters in the community…our work is important in reminding all that Catholics of African descent belong in this faith tradition and have contributed to its growth and spread just as any other community has. And that’s the impact: we get to see ourselves as active participants in this Roman Catholic tradition and not just detached recipients of the faith.”
Who Are the Saintly Seven?
The Saintly Seven are seven Catholic African Americans on the road to sainthood:
- Venerable Pierre Toussaint, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and integral in starting Catholic Charities NYC
- Venerable Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first permanent community of Black Catholic sisters in the U.S.
- Venerable Henriette Delille, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family and established the first Catholic nursing home in the U.S.
- Servant of God Julia Greeley, OFS and known as Denver’s “Angel of Charity”
- Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, the first recognized African American Roman Catholic priest ordained for the United States
- Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, evangelist, educator, and musician who advocated for the inclusion of Black spirituality in Catholic worship
- Servant of God Father Martin Maria de Porres Ward, OFM Conv, the first African American Conventual Franciscan who served for years as a missionary in Brazil
The Black Catholic Ministry promotes the causes of the Saintly Seven through efforts like the Tolton Ambassadors-Atlanta and the Red Wagon Campaign.
Photos courtesy of St. May's University, TX (Source)
Experience the Ministry
How You Can Help
Donate toiletry items and non-perishable foods for the Red Wagon Campaign.
Inspired by Servant of God Julia Greeley, the Black Catholic Ministry holds the Red Wagon Campaign each November during Black Catholic History Month.
Julia Greeley’s devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus inspired ceaseless giving to the poor. As Director Ashley Morris explains, "She would take a little red wagon and go throughout the city asking for items to bring to families in need.”
With our own Red Wagon in the atrium of the Atlanta Archdiocesan Chancery, you can follow in her footsteps and donate much needed items. The Black Catholic Ministry partners with MUST Ministries and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception’s St. Francis Table Ministry to bring donations to the most vulnerable in Cherokee, Cobb, and Fulton counties.
Learn more about Black Catholic Ministry here. Give directly to the Black Catholic Ministry to support them in the Red Wagon Campaign and other initiatives by clicking the button below.
Black Catholic Ministry is also supported by the Archbishop's Annual Appeal. Through your giving to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, these works of charity, education, and fellowship organized by the Black Catholic Ministry will impact lives throughout the archdiocese.
Click below to participate in the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal to support this ministry and many more.