The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) is an organization of
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
clergy,
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...
, and
seminarians
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
within the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
History
The group was founded in April 1968, shortly after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died a ...
. The murder of King sparked a radical activist notion among Black Catholic clergy, who had themselves been mistreated for some time within the Catholic Church—after being locked out from the priesthood altogether for much of US Church history.
The new group was convened in Detroit by Fr Herman A. Porter, who sent out a call to Black Catholic clergy nationwide. A religious brother, a religious sister (Sr. Martin De Porres Grey, RSM), and a White clergyman also attempted to attend, but were eventually rebuffed. (Grey went on to found the
National Black Sisters Conference
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
shortly thereafter.)
The group discussed the situation before them, and formulated a statement that, after being published, made waves within the Church, largely due to its opening line:
The Catholic Church in the United States, primarily a white racist institution, has addressed itself primarily to white society and is definitely a part of that society. On the contrary, we feel that her primary, though not exclusive work, should be in the area of institutional, attitudinal and societal change.
The statement also made a number of demands of the largely White hierarchy, most of which went unanswered.
The group has continued to meet annually since, including in a joint conference with the NBSC and the National Black Seminarians' Association (NBCSA), a constituent organization of the NBCCC.
In 2020, the NBCCC teamed with the NBSC,
National Association of Black Catholic Administrators
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
, and the
Institute for Black Catholic Studies to make a statement in support of the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement.
Joseph Davis Award
Each year during the Black Catholic Joint Conference with Black sisters, seminarians, deacons and their wives, the NBCCC bestows the Fr Joseph M. Davis Award for lifetime achievement, so named in honor of the NBCCC's first executive director.
Awardees have included:
* Br
Booker Ashe,
OFM Cap.
* Fr Joseph Brown,
SJ
* Bishop
Dominic Carmon,
SVD
''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden.
History and profile
The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...
* Fr
George H. Clements
* Fr Chris Coleman
* Dcn Dunn Cumby
* Fr
Cyprian Davis
Cyprian Davis, O.S.B. (born Clarence John Davis; September 9, 1930 – May 18, 2015) was an African-American Catholic monk, priest, and historian at St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana. He is known for his work on the history of Black Catholicism.
...
,
OSB
* Br Joseph Davis,
SM
* Bishop
Joseph Francis
Joseph Francis (March 12, 1801 – May 10, 1893) was a 19th-century American inventor who devoted his life to improving shipping, maritime equipment, especially life-saving tools. His most famous invention, the metallic life-car, rescued tho ...
, SVD
* Br Loyola Freightman,
OFM
* Fr Jim Goode, OFM
* Fr
Boniface Hardin
Boniface Hardin, OSB (born James Dwight Randolph "Randy" Hardin; November 18, 1933 – March 24, 2012), was a Benedictine monk, social activist and founding president of Martin University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Early years
Born James Randolph ...
, OSB
* Archbishop
James P. Lyke, OFM
* Fr
Al McKnight,
CsSp
* Dcn Arthur "Art" Miller
* Fr
William Norvel
William Leonard "Bill" Norvel, SSJ (c. 1935–) is an African-American Catholic priest who served as the 13th and first Black superior general of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephites. The society was found ...
,
SSJ
* Fr Herman Porter,
SCJ
* Fr Thaddeus J. Posey, OFM Cap.
* Dcn Paul Richardson
* Fr
Clarence Rivers
Clarence Rufus Joseph Rivers (September 9, 1931 – November 21, 2004) was a Black Catholic priest and well-known composer of liturgical music. His work combined Catholic worship with Black Gospel, making him an integral part of the Black Ca ...
* Fr Cyprian Rowe
* Msgr Leonard Scott
* Fr Charles Smith, SVD
* Fr Chester Smith, SVD
* Br Roy Smith,
CSC CSC, Csc or CSc may refer to:
Awards
* Conspicuous Service Cross (disambiguation)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (New York)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (United Kingdom)
Science and industry
* Cancer ...
* Fr Benedict M Taylor, OFM
* Fr Wilbur Thomas
* Fr August L. Thompson
* Dcn Marvin Threatt
* Dcn Thomas White
See also
*
The National Office for Black Catholics
The National Office for Black Catholics (NOBC) was an organization of Black Catholics in the United States, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, DC. Its mission was “to make the Church relevant to the needs of the black community; ...
References
External links
National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus- official website
African-American Roman Catholicism
Catholic Church in the United States
Catholic organizations
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