Thread by @natemup

"Carl Friedrich, the Divine Word procurator general... found [several high-ranking members of the Roman Curia] particularly supportive of a seminary for Blacks.

Cardinal Laurenti even arranged a private audience for Friedrich with Pope Benedict XV, who applauded the plan"

"When Friedrich referred to the possible opposition of some American bishops to the project, Benedict observed that it made no difference whether they objected, since he, the pope, supported the plan and “above the bishops stands the Pope.”"

"If Janser experienced difficulties with bishops, the pope instructed Friedrich, Janser should appeal directly to the Holy Father."

"the Society of African Missions, or S.M.A. Fathers'... mission superior in Georgia, the Reverend Ignatius Lissner... wrote [in 1916] to the Negro and Indian Commission that “the future of the mission to the Negro lies in the colored sisters, brothers, and priests.”"

"since Protestants...already established a clergy/episcopate for Blacks, “only the Catholics...will be left w/o a special bishop...to be zealous for the training of a native clergy...to collect offerings...and to show them the other attentions which become the episcopal dignity.”

(The previous tweet is a quote, circa 1920, from Cardinal Van Rossum, the prefect of the Propaganda in Rome. It was technically concerning only the diocese of Savannah, but obviously had larger implications, became a national debate among the bishops, and eventually was quashed.)

"As a precaution following the KKK newspaper attack [against the Black Divine Word seminary], a Black Catholic man always accompanied the seminarians on their outings... conspicuously displaying a loaded gun to let the local Klan know that he intended to defend the students."

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“...how important it is that you build up an indigenous clergy. If you do not work with all of your might to accomplish this... your apostolate will not only be crippled, but it will become an obstacle and an impediment to the establishment... of the Church.”
—Pope Pius XI

"[Thomas Wyatt] Turner intended that the Federated Colored Catholics, [est] 1925, would affiliate every #BlackCatholic organization in the [US], act as a clearinghouse for #BlackCatholic opinion, and serve as a conduit for #BlackCatholic protest to the [US] hierarchy and [Rome]."

"The Federated Colored Catholics made Catholic education & Black priests its 2 priorities. Turner and the federation viewed the 2 issues as interrelated...if Catholic schools remained closed to Black youth, they would never secure the education they needed to enter the seminary."

"Turner persistently demanded more Black priests because he believed that in the cleric-dominated Catholic church, significant numbers of Black priests would prove more effective than black laymen in calling the attention of Church authorities to the problems of Black Catholics."

“[the] only convincing argument that priests and bishops can make that they are... looking out for the interests of the colored people will be... preparing the men and women of these respective races to serve their people in the fullest way.”
—Federated Colored Catholics (1926)

“Bishops too will be encouraged to come out for the right if priests & intelligent laity voice their opinion. It is no longer prudence, but a grave imprudence, to be too timid in stating boldly & clearly the essential right of the Negro as a human being.”
—John LaFarge, SJ (1930)

"I am much more afraid to have to face God on the basis of injustice in handling the problem than [to face] men on the charge of not giving sufficient consideration to matters of expediency as dictated by social conditions..."
—Josephite Superior General Edward V. Casserly (1945)

"340 Black students from 31 states had enrolled at St. Augustine’s since its opening. By Jan 6, 1944, the date of the last ordination, only 17 of the 340 had reached the priesthood as members of the Society of The Divine Word... 'the loss is tremendous.' "

https://twitter.com/natemup/status/1288675903703261184?s=19

"Even pagan Japan...with only 117,000 Catholics, boasted of a Japanese archbishop, 2 bishops, 117 priests, 127 brothers, and 700 sisters. Meanwhile, the approx. 350,000 #BlackCatholics in the US had only 17 Divine Word missionaries, 1 Josephite, and 3 diocesan priests."
(1944)

"[Cardinal] Stritch... promised to respond sympathetically to “any action that would impress upon the bishops the urgency of the problem.” At their meeting [in] 1944, however... the bishops did not formally consider the question of Black diocesan priests."

https://twitter.com/natemup/status/1279465610494251008?s=19

"Although a growing number of northern bishops appeared willing to accept at least a token black seminarian or two... [most] maintained strict quotas... [Such seminarians] often found themselves the only Black persons in their institutions—besides the janitors and kitchen help."

"Insisting that Josephite policy manifest openness, frankness, and honesty, [Superior General] Casserly declared, in his characteristically blunt manner, “If that brings embarrassment to anyone, I can only say that anything else must certainly bring embarrassment before Christ.”"

"the proportion of Black students to [White] completely changed. In [1949], there had been 11 Black students and 42 White... By [1953], there were 22 [Black] and 16 [White]... Many Josephites believed the drop in White enrollment resulted from the increased # of Black students."

"[Casserly] predicted that [Black majority] would prevent the Josephites from securing many White vocations in the future.

“Unless the entire complexion of the Society is to change (no pun intended), I think we should do everything in our power to secure more White vocations.”"

"Convinced that they could not adequately prepare students to deal with contemporary problems, especially those involving race, if the students lacked information... the faculty eliminated the rule that prohibited the minor seminarians from reading newspapers."

the rule that wat

"day-to-day... faculty appeared to treat Black seminarians no differently than White seminarians. When it came time to evaluate...their suitability for the priesthood, however, they looked for specific qualities in black seminarians... “docile”... “balanced on the race question”"

"The Josephites did not want... men who stressed Blackness; in the context of the 50s, [they] and many others, both Black and White, viewed such an inclination as extremism, smacking of separatism. Later critics of the Josephites accused them... of training “White” Black men."

"In 1952, [Chester Ball, SSJ] became the first [#BlackCatholic] pastor in [DC]... Already possessing a light complexion, he used skin creams...to Whiten his appearance even more. He craved acceptance...[resulting] in a breakdown and...hospitalization in 1960. He died [in] 1970."

"Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh [in] 1953... accepted Joseph L. Howze, a convert from the Josephites’ @homparishmobile... to study for his diocesan clergy. Howze became the first [openly] Black... ordinary of a diocese when he was named bishop of the @BiloxiDiocese in 1977."

"[In] 1953... “the coming of age of the colored priesthood...” Pope Pius XII, who had named 8 of the world’s 10 Black bishops, appointed Divine Word missionary Joseph O. Bowers, a 42-y.o. West Indian native and a graduate of St. Augustine’s Seminary, as bishop of Accra [Ghana].

"On 4/22/1953, [Cdl] Spellman consecrated Bowers a bishop before a large crowd in Bay St. Louis. [He] became the first [openly] Black man elevated to the office of bishop... The @NewPghCourier trumpeted the event with huge headlines that proclaimed, “CATHOLICS HAIL NEGRO BISHOP”"

"Before assuming his duties in Accra, Bishop Bowers undertook an extensive personal appearance tour throughout the United States in order to raise money for his missionary diocese and to allow #BlackCatholics to see a bishop of their own race."

"[Bishop Bowers] celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass in New Orleans' St Louis Cathedral and ordained two Black seminarians at St. Augustine’s Seminary, the first time that a Black bishop in the United States had ordained Black priests."
(July 1953)

"on 10/17/1955, reportedly acting on direct instructions from the Vatican... @oss_romano ran an unusual front-page editorial [urging] American Catholics to join the fight against racial prejudice, which it described as inhuman... “a sin against the nature of the Catholic creed.”"

"[Two days later], Channing Tobias, chairman of the board of the @NAACP, wrote Pope Pius XII expressing his pleasure at reading “of the magnificent stand which the Vatican has taken with respect to racial discrimination” in the Jesuit Bend incident."

"On behalf of the @NAACP, [Tobias] thanked the Pope for his leadership... “The Roman Catholic Church in this country has played a vital role in the desegregation of schools/churches under... such representatives... as Bp Vincent Waters, Abp Joseph Rummel, and Abp Joseph Ritter.”

"On 11/8/1955, the “Louisiana sacrilege” became formally institutionalized. 100 Whites... formed a citizens council to keep Black priests from offering Mass in the [Belle Chasse] area. “If no White priest is available,” declared Joseph Sendeker... “let the church remain closed.”"

"[Two days later], in an attempt to clarify matters and to defuse charges from his opponents, Rummel issued a statement denying that [the Black priest] had gone to Jesuit Bend as a regular assistant. Rimmel asserted that he never intended to appoint a Black priest as [such]."

😒

"The Jesuit Bend congregation, however, adamantly refused to sign the pledge demanded by Rummel; St. Cecilia’s, therefore, remained closed for more than two years.

"...the assistant pastor [eventually] collected signatures from some White parishioners... reportedly [by] quietly promising the people that the [Verbites] would never send another Black priest to St Cecilia's. Whether [he] did indeed make such a promise remains unclear..."

"[The Verbite provincial discovered the allegations and told Rummel], who found himself in a bind.... Nature, however, providentially intervened: a hurricane destroyed St. Cecilia’s Chapel. When [the parish clergy] asked Rummel to rebuild it, he emphatically told them, “No!”"

"Critics, including some Josephites, argued that rather than closing the chapel, Rummel should have publicly excommunicated the 3 White parishioners... [and after the fact] should not have reopened it after receiving only a handful of cards promising to accept [#Blackpriests]."

"In assigning Black priests in the South, [Josephite SGs] McNamara/O’Dea... simply notified the ordinary... without designating the race of the man. They resolved that if they encountered any resistance from a bishop, they would fight him—including appealing the matter to Rome."

"The ordinations of Rawlin Enette in June 1959, and of Charles Hall and Elbert Harris in June 1960, brought the total [of Black Josephite priests] to 5—the most [they'd] ever had at one time, though far less than the Divine Word Missionaries, or the Benedictines for that matter."

"10 other Black priests were ordained in 1960, a record number for the Catholic Church in the United States... [The total # of] Black priests had risen to 106, a paltry figure compared to the ~50,000 White priests, but a dramatic increase nevertheless over the previous decade."

[In the 1960s], the number of #BlackCatholics increased by 220,000 (35%), over half of whom were converts. [In] 1966... the Holy See appointed... Harold R. Perry... as auxiliary bishop of New Orleans, making him the first [openly] Black man to join... the American episcopacy"

"On April 18, 1968, fifty-eight black priests, including several [of] @TheJosephites, met in Detroit and organized @TheNBCCC, declaring that “the Catholic Church in the United States is primarily a White racist institution.”"

"the Black priests demanded a Black vicariate... episcopal vicar... Black-directed Office... Black diaconate... incorporation of [Black] culture into [liturgies]... inclusion of #BlackHistory and culture in seminary curricula, and diocesan programs for training Black leadership."

"The Q of race also exacerbated the vocation crisis that suddenly emerged... One study estimated that [from] 1970-75, 250 Black seminarians withdrew... 125 of 900 Black sisters... and 25 of 190 Black priests... as many as 20% of #BlackCatholics no longer practiced their religion"

"Once again... the predominantly White Josephites, often the most visible symbol of the Church in the Black community, came under attack from Black Catholic activists [accusing] them of paternalism, insensitivity to Afro-American culture, and failure to develop black leadership."

"On the last charge, @TheJosephites were particularly vulnerable, since activists could... accurately point out that despite... being the only institute of Catholic priests devoted exclusively to [Black] ministry... [they] had, for a considerable period... all but barred Blacks"

"the Nat'l Black Catholic Lay Caucus staged a sit-in at @TheJosephites HQ [in] 1971, [calling them to] “make Black priests/brothers more visible in Black communities”... to “[develop] real Black leadership,” and to institute [Black-led] awareness [training] for all Josephite[s]."

Also requested: a diaconate “relevant to Black people".

"[Ironically, in] 1967 @TheJosephites SG [had] urged... restoration of the permanent diaconate... “in this period of ‘Black Consciousness,’ it is imperative to have worthy Negro men in responsible positions in the Church.”"

"[Josephite seminarians meanwhile] demanded greater academic and personal freedom... Black seminarians clamored for an end to the imposition of what they termed Anglo-Saxon cultural norms and for permission to wear symbols of Black identity such as Afro hairstyles and mustaches."

"@TheJosephites faculty, White and Black... had championed the ideal of integration and... viewed the new attitudes, demands, and behavior of Black seminarians as separatist, racist, un-Catholic, and ultimately inimical to the colorblind society that they had tried to build."

"Conversely, many Black [Josephite] seminarians regarded much of the faculty as insensitive, irrelevant, White paternalists or as Black Uncle Toms who did not understand the true Black community and its need for autonomy and self-determination."

Similarly, some [Black Josephite seminarians] questioned the underlying motivation of their White classmates—many of whom began to wonder whether they had any positive contribution to make among Blacks or whether perhaps they suffered from a misguided #WhiteMansBurden mentality."

"The crisis at @TheJosephites seminary culminated in 1972 with the transfer of faculty... and the departure of most of the Black and many of the White seminarians; 4 Black priests also left..."

(Josephite seminarians have studied at @XULA1925/@CatholicUniv/@HowardU ever since.)

"Through their chapter of renewal from 1968 to 1971... [@TheJosephites] pledged themselves to foster Black leadership within their society and the Church..."

(It would be 40 years before they elected their first African-American Superior General. They have one such seminarian.)

"between 1966 and 1988... the Holy See [named] 13 Black bishops, including 3 Josephites: Eugene A. Marino [1974]; John H. Ricard [1984]; and Carl A. Fisher [1986].

[In] 1988... Marino became... the first Black archbishop"

(He would resign 2 years later following a sex scandal.)

"Reflecting the positive developments between 1975 and 1985 (as well as an influx of Haitian refugees), the Black Catholic population increased by 60%, from ~.9M to approximately 1.5M—though it still lagged far behind the approximately 11M Black Baptists and 4M Black Methodists."

"Approximately... 1 [Black] priest for every 5000 [#BlackCatholics]... 1 priest for every 800 [Catholics overall]... over 40yrs after [resuming] active recruitment of Black vocations, @TheJosephites counted only 12 #Blackpriests... among their declining membership of 151."
(1989)

"Rev George Stallings, with... his calls for an African-American rite, complete with its own liturgy and bishops, struck a responsive chord in a number of #BlackCatholics [but] the majority appeared resolved to [push] from within the institution for full inclusion in its life."

"Could Blacks participate fully in the life of the predominantly White Catholic church? ...the elevation of Abp Marino... held out the hope that one day the answer would be a resounding “Yes!”"

(Marino's secret affair and marriage came to light the same year this book came out.)

FIN!

(Praying I didn't violate any major copyright laws. 😁)

I sincerely hope it blesses, informs, saddens, maddens, moves, and motivates. The crisis is ongoing, so the more fire in the belly, the better. I believe the story isn't over yet.

#PrayForWorkers #JoinTheHarvest 🙏🏾✊🏾