African American & Black Catholic Resources

Jersey Catholic (Archdiocese of Newark) Article by Msgr. Robert Wister. The first Africans to come to what would become the United States were brought as slaves. Although African slavery is most often associated with the southern states, slavery was legal in many of the northern states until the years just before the beginning of the Civil War.

On July 3, 1930 the letters of incorporation were finalized and formal documentation of the Church of Christ the King was in place. The land was purchased for the construction of a church to house the established community of believers known as the parish of Christ the King. Christ the King was the first Black Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ. Built by and for Black Catholics the Church was served by the Sisters of the Missionary Servannts of the Most Blessed Trinity (MSBT), the spiritual force at Christ the King. Archbishop Thomas Walsh was its feverent supporter. The group of Black Catholics with Mary Ward as their spokesperson presented a census of approproximately 300 Black Catholics in the Jersey City, Hudson County area.

To discover and promote leadership among Catholics of African and Caribbean descent in the Archdiocese of Newark. To encourage fiscal responsibility and self reliance. To empower young adults to embrace their cultural identity and to refuse to live their lives apart from their savior Jesus Christ. To love who we are and to whom we belong thus striving to eradicate all form of racism and oppression.

Mission
To evangelize by spreading the good news of the Gospel and to enlighten by sharing our diverse cultures of worship in order to unify all of God’s people into one body in Christ.

Vision
We envision a vibrant and diverse Black Catholic community that is unified and alive with the Holy Spirit and one that welcomes all to experience our rich cultural heritage and to rejoice with us in the our worship of God.

Background
The Black Catholic Ministry Commission (BCMC) was established on February 1, 2011 by Bishop Joseph Galante. Thirty-two members of the Black Catholic community became members of the Commission which represents African-Americans, Haitians, and Africans from various countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Listeners to Black Catholics YES! will meet influential Black Catholics and encounter the unique gifts that African American culture brings to the Catholic Church. As a ministry to the entire African American Community, Black Catholics YES! archives invite everyone to learn more about the richness and beauty of the Catholic Church and the many ministries available in the community. Hosted by Angela Dodson this radio program features a variety of guests including ministers in the Church, people living their Catholic faith and others doing Christian work through community outreach. While Black Catholics YES! is no longer in production, archived episodes are available for listening. (Radio/Podcasts)

Queen of Angels Church (formerly known as St. Peter's Church) was a historic Black Catholic church on Belmont Avenue (now Irvine Turner Blvd) at Morton Street in Newark, New Jersey. It was the first Catholic parish for African Americans in the Archdiocese of Newark.[3]

History
Queen of Angels was built between 1854 and 1861[4] and was Newark's first African-American Catholic parish, becoming such in 1926. Its original 1930 building was destroyed in 1958, and the parish relocated, taking over a space at a church once known as St. Peter's.[5]

African-Americans have been integral to the history of New Jersey’s capital since the Colonial period, when the first
Blacks were brought to Trenton as slaves of early settlers. The wills of Trenton’s most prominent early settlers, Mahlon
Stacy (d.1704) and William Trent (d.1724), both included slaves of African descent among their property at the time
of their deaths. This small group of slaves worked in a variety of capacities, making the small settlement on the
Delaware River a viable and, eventually, thriving community. While little is known about their lives and struggles, these
men and women formed the nucleus of Trenton’s Black community in the Colonial period.

Bishop Francis was a strong supporter and was clearly-focused on the service ministries of charity and justice. He was particularly interested in expanding the ministry of permanent deacons in the African American and Hispanic com- munities of the Archdiocese.

The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Current and historical information about its bishops and dioceses.

NEWARK, NJ — The African American, African, and Caribbean Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark recently celebrated a special Mass to commemorate two significant milestones: the 40th anniversary of its founding, and the 25th anniversary of the death of Bishop Joseph Abel Francis, the first and only Black auxiliary bishop in archdiocesan history.