Poem: I, too, sing Ave Maria
Zye E. Seema reflects on Black Catholic identity, suffering, and resistance in her BCM debut.
Something about Sacred Heart: How my hometown parish has produced three Black bishops—and so much more
Dr. Alvin Schexnider writes of an African-American parish in Lake Charles, Louisiana, intertwined with the history of Black Catholic leadership.
500-year-old slave revolt of 1526 redefines freedom as U.S. turns 250
Before 1776 or 1619, enslaved Africans seized freedom in 1526 on land that would become the United States.
Louisiana's first Black Josephite priest, John Plantevigne, was barred from saying Mass
Tammy C. Barney on the trials of an early 20th-century Black Catholic priest whose ministry was curtailed by the prevailing tides of racism.
Why the way we understand the South matters, especially in criminal justice.
by Jamiles Lartey, Louisiana Illuminator June 15, 2026 This commentary was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for The Marshall Project’s newsletters and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook. Last month, members of
New York mayor endorses DSA-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier against incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat for Congress
The mayor made a joint appearance with his fellow Democratic Socialists of America member on MS NOW to announce his support of her campaign for New York’s 13th district.
The poor we love in theory: Do we treat them like theirs is the Kingdom of God?
Fabian Adderley probes the question of how the Church lives out (or sidesteps) the preferential option for the poor in its institutional life.
Louisiana GOP senators drop majority-Black district in proposed gerrymander
by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator (May 13, 2026)
No deportation date for Bolivian immigrant tabbed for Congo
by Lyle Muller, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 5, 2026
St. Joseph the Worker, 'Rerum Novarum,' and ‘Dilexi Te’: On the Black Catholic apostolate and faithful witness
Christian Bentley reflects on the papal witness to the dignity of work, and how it relates to the Black Catholic experience in the United States.
Nashville Black Catholic advocated for education, sparked lasting mission
Jim O'Hara highlights the man behind the plea that led St. Katharine Drexel to found numerous Black Catholic institutions in Middle Tennessee.
Catholic discernment while Black: When the call comes through dismay
Fabian Adderley explains how the call to service in the Church is uniquely experienced in Black life, especially through the lens of hardship.
Why a Denver priest was wrong to treat Black Catholic hymnals like garbage
Dr. M. Roger Holland II on the racist errors that caused a significantly Black parish in Colorado to lose a hallmark of African-American liturgy.
Just enough is not enough: A Black Catholic History Month reflection
James Conway on the contradictions of neutered Black Catholic faith and the change that must soon come in order for the movement to survive.
Prophetic message from Sr Oralisa Martin stirs East of the River Revival in Maryland
The Black Catholic evangelist brought a spirited message of renewal to more than 700 attendees at the annual event in the Archdiocese of Washington.