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Black Catholic Messenger
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Nonprofit media in the tradition of Daniel Rudd's 'American Catholic Tribune' (1885-1897). Amplifying Black Catholic voices. Editor: Nate Tinner-Williams
#ThatsTheMessage
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Cristo Rey Charleston High has broken ground at the historic Old Chicora Elementary site in North Charleston, setting off a new phase in a project dating back to 2019.

Opening in 2027, it will be the only Catholic high school in the largely Black city. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 17, 2026 at 4:03 PM
The witness of Black Catholics has long sustained the U.S. Church, including in times of great social upheaval due to racism and greed.

Daryl Grigsby writes that, under a new regime, we are once again in need of the community's prophetic voice and witness. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 16, 2026 at 5:18 PM
The killing of Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has conjured up memories of similar police brutality incidents around the country.

Robert Alan Glover writes of an eerily similar shooting in Ohio one decade ago. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Since 1981, EWTN has grown to become a dominant Catholic media voice promoting a right-wing vision for the future of America and the Church.

Jack Champagne writes that the distortions inherent therein were on full display in a recent political poll. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 12, 2026 at 12:05 PM
As the Christmas season comes to a close, Dr. Malcolm K. Oliver reflects on the political and moral crisis facing America as the world looks on.

He writes that a commitment to solidarity and human dignity must overcome the base urges of power. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 10, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed on Jan. 19, and dozens of commemorative events taking place around the country will have Catholic connections.

Find one near you with our handy annual listing. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 9, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Jari Honora has been named Louisianan of the Year by the Georges Media Group for his uncovering of Pope Leo XIV's Black Creole ancestry, fueling increased interest in the first American pope.

It is but the latest honor for the 34-year-old genealogist. www.blackcatholicmes...
January 7, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Bishop James A. Healy of Portland in Maine was the nation's first openly Black Catholic prelate, but passed for White after escaping slavery in the South as a child in the 1830s.

Tulio Huggins writes that his story is both complicated and inspirational. buff.ly/JSrlDqC
January 5, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Amid assaults on human dignity nationwide and a general disregard for the poor and forgotten, the witness of Christian leaders has been lackluster, writes Dr. Ronald E. Smith.

He says it's high time for religious shepherds to fulfill their sacred duty. buff.ly/J01iFmj
January 4, 2026 at 3:51 PM
The United States invaded Venezuela Saturday, conducting deadly airstrikes and abducting President Nicolás Maduro and his wife over U.S. charges of narcoterrorism.

Black Catholics in America and abroad have condemned the move as an illegal act of war. www.blackcatholicmessenger.org/us-invades-v...
January 3, 2026 at 7:26 PM
2025 was a painful year for Black Americans, with the Trump administration fueling hatred and leaving many to live in fear.

Efran Menny writes that Catholic leaders did not speak up as they could have, and that this must change in the new year. buff.ly/wi1Qgty
January 1, 2026 at 6:57 PM
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" brings back the quest for Na'vi freedom with visuals more stunning than ever, while enhancing the narrative with complex themes of faith, loss, and self-preservation.

Samantha Smith reviews the new action flick from James Cameron. buff.ly/X2ZmLLb
December 31, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Some corners of American culture have deemed alcohol a sin in itself, despite centuries of its use as a social enhancement in moderation and even as a form of divine sacrifice.

Alexander Walton writes that it's time to return to the wisdom of wine. buff.ly/YL67dxT
December 30, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Kevin Willmott's piercing 2006 mockumentary "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America" showed an America where the Union lost the Civil War.

The unsettling film still resonates, as Matt Memrick explores in a new interview with the Black Catholic filmmaker. buff.ly/5xrzp1T
December 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
In a 1964 letter to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, the Black Muslim revolutionary Malcolm X said he modeled his method of spreading Islam after the Christian apostles, especially St. Paul.

Dcn Tim Tilghman says this can teach us about Black Catholic renewal. buff.ly/ypfL4AN
December 26, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Kwanzaa is almost here, and Catholic institutions around the country will celebrate events promoting the "Nguzo Saba" (Seven Principles) of the weeklong commemoration from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Check out our handy national listing to find an event near you. buff.ly/ZrY9hoO
December 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Dr. John F. Leeke, who spent his five-decade career promoting DEI with the nation's top companies and schools, has published a new memoir.

The Black Catholic advocate joins his coauthor and daughter, @anandaleeke.bsky.social on the latest episode of the BCM show. buff.ly/Veuf4wH
December 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM
St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church in Denver is home to a diverse congregation, including Black Catholics who have seen gospel music hymnals reportedly thrown in the trash under a new pastor.

Dr. M. Roger Holland II explores the racist elements at play. buff.ly/EvLhbZA
December 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Dr. Tia Noelle Pratt's "Black and Catholic: Racism, Identity, and Religion" explores sociological themes among African-American Catholics, bridging a gap in academic treatments of American religion.

Rana Irby reviews the new text with high praise. buff.ly/ytb4cZg
December 22, 2025 at 1:50 AM
30 years ago, a Catholic professor coined the term "superpredator", setting off a chain of racist fearmongering that has fueled persistent myths about Black crime, especially among youths.

Alessandra Harris writes that it's high time we correct the record. buff.ly/p1mgtCX
December 20, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Fr Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez has been named Bishop of Palm Beach, becoming the latest immigrant prelate added to the U.S. episcopacy by Pope Leo XIV.

The Dominican-born priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn is notably outspoken on a variety of social issues. buff.ly/6abl8Q5
December 19, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Pope Leo XIV has been named one of Vogue's 55 "Best Dressed People" of the year, a first for a Bishop of Rome.

Solange and Andre Walker also made the list, rounding out a trio of honorees at the intersection of Blackness, Catholicism, and high fashion. buff.ly/YHOHRf1
December 17, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo is challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York for his seat in Congress, joining a Democratic primary energized by shifting US sentiment against Israel.

The Afro-Latina Catholic plans to focus her campaign solely on the Bronx. buff.ly/vHIrlLM
December 16, 2025 at 2:40 AM
University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is reportedly under investigation for his actions concerning disgraced former football coach Sherrone Moore.

The Black Catholic official has faced a litany of scandals since his hiring in 2016. buff.ly/bUQyOGv
December 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Fr Clarence Rivers, the father of Black Catholic liturgy, will receive a historical marker in Ohio next year.

He was the first Black priest in the Cincinnati Archdiocese and the first Black Catholic to integrate African-American patrimony with the Mass. buff.ly/vgAOzLL
December 12, 2025 at 1:21 AM