Black Catholic Ministry (African/African American)
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Black Catholic Ministry (African/African American)

Represents the laity, religious and clergy for persons of African descent.

Homily from Together in Christ: Prayer for Racial Justice

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki's homily from “Together in Christ” for racial justice at the The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. Visit the Cathedral's YouTube page to view the entire service.

“This is a moment that we have today, and now – in our own history. A moment of, “What do we do with this?” We know an injustice has occurred, we know inequality is present, we know these things are there – we know these things. What do we do with it? Do we allow it to divide us, or do we look and take the cross and embrace it, and know that the love we have in our hearts, that we’re committed to God, can conquer all things?

March for Racial Justice

July 11, 2020

View booklet used at the march.

Black Catholic Pastoral Plan

Black Catholic Pastoral Plan

The Black Catholic Pastoral Plan is a response to both Pope Francis’ invitation to missionary discipleship and the implementation of the Archdiocesan Synod, especially as they relate to the concrete realities of our Black Catholic brothers and sisters who enrich the Church in southeastern Wisconsin as a people of deep faith, hope and love.

Read the plan

Black Catholic Prayerful Reflections

Authored by Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, this document is being shared with you as part of the Archdiocesan Synod implementation and in preparation for the Black Catholic Pastoral Plan. Read more

 

Grant Application and Guidelines

Deadline is February 28, 2019

The Black and Indian Mission grant program assists with the funding of evangelization projects and programs serving the African American and Native American communities in our Archdiocese.  The purpose is to help support evangelization projects and programs that could not succeed without such outside help.


 

In What We Have Seen Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization, the Black Bishops of the United States write, “There is a richness to Black experience that we must share with the entire People of God.  These are gifts that are part of an African past.  For we have heard with Black ears and we have seen with black eyes and we have understood with an African heart.  We thank God for the gifts of our Catholic faith and we give thanks for the gifts of our Blackness.  In all humility we turn to the whole Church that it might share our gifts so that “our joy may be complete.”

Black Catholics bring to the Church a spirituality that is contemplative, holistic, joyful and communitarian.  There is a wide variety in a community which includes all people of Black heritage:  i.e., African American, African and Afro-Caribbean.  Black Catholics have coined the phrase, “truly black and authentically Catholic” which represents a serious search for meaning and validation in the face of evils such as racism, but also unwavering and steadfast faith in the midst of struggle. (Excerpt from the 2014 Archdiocese of Milwaukee Synod Background Paper on Cultural Diversity)
 

Black Catholic Ministry Commission

The Black Catholic Ministry Commission (BCMC, the Commission) of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a representative body composed of laity, religious and clergy dedicated to fostering the spiritual, educational, economic and cultural lives of persons of African descent in the archdiocese, reaching out to Catholics and non-Catholics, those who are active in the church as well as the un-churched. The Commission works in collaboration with the Director for Intercultural Ministries for the archdiocese to articulate the mission, clarify the vision, develop and implement plans to address the needs and hopes of Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and advance the implementation of the National Black Catholic Pastoral Plan as it applies to our local reality.

The BCMC is represented in the Steering Committee currently working on the development of a Pastoral Plan for Black Catholic Ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Click here to view the membership of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission.

Guided by the archdiocesan mission, To Proclaim Christ and Make Disciples through the Sacramental Life of the Church, the BCMC cooperates with parish and archdiocesan leadership bodies, with archdiocesan offices and agencies, to carry out its work. The Commission coordinates a number of annual events such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Prayer Service and contributes to the formation of archdiocesan goals and policies on behalf of the Black community, monitoring and implementing strategies to address these principles in accordance with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, its goals and objectives. In furtherance of these goals, the Commission has developed or is developing a number of committees.
 

Black Catholic Ministry Commission Committees


Brother Booker Ashe Lay Leadership Program

The mission of the Brother Booker Ashe Lay Leadership Program (BBALP), is to provide activities and programming that focus on the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, to promote the development of lay leaders in the ministry of life-long catholic faith formation and to ensure that events and programs will emphasize the contributions of Black Catholics within the history and traditions of the Catholic Church and Holy Scriptures.
 

African Catholic Ministry Committee

The mission of the African Catholic Ministry Committee is to provide a vehicle for nurturing and sustaining the pastoral, spiritual and sacramental needs of the African Catholic Community in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  The Committee facilitates engagement in local parish communities that foster leadership development and increases active sharing gifts of faith, culture and skills.  We promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding of African Heritage and spirituality, we serve as a resource to connect newly-arrived African Catholics with their communities of origin in their area or neighborhoods and/or help them find a parish home. We provide recourses to support faith building programs including but not limited to retreats; liturgical and cultural faith immersion celebrations.
 

Martin Luther King Prayer Service

Dr. King was a man of God who allowed scripture to guide him and motivate him. The prayer service is a way to experience his message and re-dedicate ourselves to the causes of Dr. King stood for and gave his life for.  The service engages and challenges attendees to look within and access how are you living God’s call for you? How are you being Christ-like in your homes, in your communities, in your churches, in the world?  The prayer service offers  one of the many and varied ways of sharing Black Spirituality through spiritual music, sacred movement and scripture; shared with the greater community and offered as an expression of faith and love of God and the Church. Archbishop Listecki has been active participant at all of our services, since his arrival to this Archdiocese.

Blessing and Sending of Delegates to National Black Catholic Congress XII

Check out images from the June 24, 2017 gathering at All Saints Catholic Church, Milwaukee, where Archbishop Jerome Listecki blessed 15 individuals who will be traveling to Orlando as delegates from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to the National Black Catholic Congress XII.

Black Catholic Pastoral Plan Resources

An extensive list of resources related to Black Catholic Ministry is available on this website as a supplement to the Black Catholic Pastoral Plan. 

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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

3501 South Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235

Phone:  (414) 769-3300
Toll-Free: (800) 769-9373
Fax:  (414)  769-3408