November is Black Catholic History Month

The Establishment of Black Catholic History Month

The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) of the United States voted on Tuesday, July 24, 1990, while meeting in convention at Fordham University in New York, to establish November as Black Catholic History Month. The reason behind the selection of the month of November was the number of important dates to Catholics of African descent that fell within this month.

Nov. 1 All Saints Day: an opportunity to review the lives of the hundreds of Saints of African descent in the first 300 years of the Church.
Nov. 2 All Souls Day: a time to remember all those African lost to cruel treatment in the Middle Passage crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
Nov. 3 Martin de Porres became the first black American saint. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 16, 1962. Throughout his life, St. Martin de Porres exemplified God’s love for all people, regardless of their level in society.
Nov. 13 The birth of St. Augustine in 354 A.D., the first Doctor of the Church from North Africa.
Nov. 20 The death of Zumbi of Palmares in Brazil, South American founder of a free state for Blacks.

The First Black Catholic History Month

The first celebration of Black Catholic History Month began in November of 1990 in various cities in the United States with the celebration of St. Martin de Porres Feast day. The liturgy celebrated the 350th anniversary of St. Martin’s transition from this life to eternal life. In Detroit on this day in 1990, Archbishop Adam Maida, the local Archbishop, was the celebrant for the Mass. Also present was the President of the NBCCC, Bro. Roy Smith, OSC. The Mass was held at St. Anthony Church.

In the world today there are 200 million people of African descent in the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world.

Augustus Tolton

Father Augustus Tolton, baptized Augustine Tolton, and was the first Roman Catholic priest in the United States publicly known to be black. A former slave who was baptized and reared Catholic, Tolton studied formally in Rome and was ordained in 1886.

The Oblate Sisters of Providence

Learn more about the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first successful Roman Catholic sisterhood in the world established by women of African descent.

The Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart

Learn more about the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, The Josephites, a religious community of Catholic priests and brothers, committed to serving the African American community through the proclamation of the Gospel and our personal witness.

Noteworthy Black Catholics

Learn more about Black Catholic Saints from the National Black Catholic Congress.

On the Road to Sainthood

Learn more about Black Catholics whose cause for sainthood is now in process.

The Timeline of U.S. Black Catholics

The National Black Catholic Congress presents the timeline of U.S. Black Catholics.

A Celebration of Saints

Learn about Black Saints and other significant figures of the Catholic faith each day of Black Catholic History Month.

Sister Thea Bowman

Did you know that a little Methodist girl born, Bertha Bowman, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, grew up to be a renowned Roman Catholic nun, teacher, and scholar? Sr. Thea Bowman… Read More

St. Benedict the Moor

Did you know a slave born of Christian parents at Philadelpho in Sicily in 1522 became a Franciscan monk and saint? St. Benedict the Moor was known for his mild… Read More

Saint Antonio Vieira

Antonio Vieria was an African born in Portugal. When he was fifteen years old, he became a Jesuit novice and later a professor of rhetoric and dogmatic theology. He went… Read More

James, Alexander, and Patrick Healy

Did you know that the very first African American priests in the United States were three brothers born of a slave mother and fathered by a Georgia plantation owner? The… Read More

St. Katherine Drexel

Did you know that a canonized saint who described herself as “The mother and servant of the Indian and Negro races” helped finance Holy Redeemer Parish and School in Washington… Read More

St. Peter Claver

Did you know that even though he was born into a rich, noble family of African descent in Spain, St. Peter Claver chose to spend his life serving the sick… Read More

St. Augustine

Did you know that one of the pillars of the Catholic Church, St. Augustine wrote 96 books during his lifetime? The two most famous are his biography, Confessions and City… Read More

Mother Mary Lange

Did you know that the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore is the first and older religious congregation for women of color in the United States? Haitian immigrant & educator,… Read More

Charles Randolph Uncles

Charles Randolph Uncles was the son of a B & O Railroad worker and a dressmaker mother. Fr. Uncles was an extremely bright student in high school and college. He… Read More

St. Pierre Toussaint

Did you know that a former slave who worked as a hairdresser in New York more than two centuries ago is on track to become the first African American man… Read More

St. Josephine Bakhita

Did you know that the first African woman to be canonized as a saint by the Church in the 21st century lived her entire childhood as a slave? When just… Read More

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