A contingent from the Diocese of Cleveland, including Bishop Edward Malesic and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost, were among the nearly 3,000 people from across the country who spent last weekend in National Harbor, Maryland for the 13th National Black Catholic Congress. The gathering takes place every five years and represents African American Roman Catholics and affiliated organizations.
This session’s theme was “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.”
(See photo gallery above.)
The July 20-23 event featured a variety of speakers, including Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, and Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, D.C. and the country’s first Black cardinal. The event took place in his archdiocese.
Cardinal Gregory, who also helped host a session for teens during the Congress, told attendees in his July 21 keynote address that the youth are not the Church of tomorrow, but the “are the energetic, thoughtful, passionate Church of the now.”
The theme of his address was “The Eucharist: Our Prophetic Call to Love” a nod to the fact that this Congress occurred during the Eucharistic Revival.
The Cleveland delegation arrived early enough to participate in some of the pre-Congress events and gatherings. Each diocesan contingent was introduced and there was an enthusiastic response by the Cleveland group when they were called.
As the Congress got down to business, Cardinal Gregory told those gathered that they are “living, breathing testaments of how much God loves us.”
Reflecting on the Eucharist, he said it “gives us the energy and impetus to strive for justice. The Eucharist nourishes us.”
He also cautioned attendees that their faith must not be dampened by “the sheer heartlessness of people that often seem to surround and confront us … Prayer, especially at the Lord’s table during the celebration of the Eucharist is our foundation.”
Cardinal Gregory reminded the group that the Eucharist “strengthens us, soothes us and heals us so that we may build lives that radiate the love, the care and the peace that we so desperately need and desire.” He also said they must bring Christ’s healing presence to a world that too often only pulses with despair. “We are called in the Eucharist to be Christ’s light in spaces of overwhelming, whirling darkness,” he said.
“God created our human hearts to love, to care and to support our brothers and sisters and that is how we will thrive.”
There were daily opportunities for prayer and praise, Mass, adoration and reconciliation during the Congress. Dozens of speakers addressed topics of interest and relevance to Black Catholics, including evangelization, engaging adults and young adults in liturgy, shared parishes and more. One session included a panel of Black priests from different areas of the country who discussed living their priesthood. There also was a focus on the six Black Americans who are on the path to sainthood: Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, Servant of God Julia Greeley, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Mother Henriette DeLille, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton and Venerable Pierre Toussaint.
Also among the Cleveland delegation were Sister Jane Nesmith, director of Black Catholic Ministries for the diocese; Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization and director of Parish Life and Special Ministries; Father James Watson, OFM Cap, pastor of St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Cleveland, and Father David Domanski, OFM Cap, administrator of Holy Spirit Parish in Garfield Heights and chaplain for the Cuyahoga County Jail. Religious sisters, lay people and youth comprised the remainder of the diocesan attendees.
The first Congress took place in 1889 in Washington, D.C. After the fifth one in 1894 in Baltimore, Maryland, there was a hiatus. The Congress resumed in 1987 and has taken place every five years since then. The 13th Congress was delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mission of the Congress is based on the baptismal commitment to witness and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. After each Congress, a pastoral plan of action is produced.
Learn more about the National Black Catholic Congress here.