Oblates Sisters of Providence to host annual homecoming in Baltimore

The Oblate Sisters of Providence, the nation’s oldest surviving Black Catholic religious order, will host their annual “Touched by an Oblate” homecoming celebration next month in Maryland, bringing together friends and former students from across the region.

“It's for everyone that had an Oblate in their lives at some point,” said David Owens, a retired local educator who will serve as a speaker for the event. He will be joined by the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s former director of Black Catholic ministry, Therese Wilson Favors.

The gathering will take place Sunday, Aug. 3, at Our Lady of Mount Providence Convent in Baltimore, where the sisters manage a continued ministry of education, senior care, and parish service in Maryland, Florida, New York, and Costa Rica.

The order has operated schools in the archdiocese since the late 1820s, when they were founded by Venerable Mary Lange. At that time, Catholic religious orders in the United States refused entry to Black women. 

In their earliest years, the Oblates served local Black children while public schools were not yet open to them in Maryland, establishing Baltimore’s Saint Frances Academy in 1828 even before the founding Oblates took their first vows. Though originally educating girls only, the order’s schools later became coeducational.

They have since operated schools around the country, including several in the Baltimore area, as well as overseas in Central America and the Caribbean. They count among their alumni many prominent Black figures, including the late jazz singer Billie Holiday, former D.C. Superior Court Judge William M. Jackson, philanthropist Camille Cosby, and a bevy of professional athletes.

At next month’s gathering, the slate of scheduled events includes a continental breakfast at 9am ET, the presentation from Owens and Favors, and a noon Mass celebrated by retired Baltimore priest Joe Muth Jr. with a homily from Dcn Paul Shelton of St. Matthew Catholic Church.

A sold-out dinner will follow, featuring a silent auction and raffle supporting the sisters’ various ministries. The raffle will have cash prizes of up to $1000 and the action will be for game tickets for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and the MLB’s Baltimore Orioles.

Tickets are not required for the breakfast, presentation, or Mass, and interested parties can contact Sr Rita Michelle Proctor at (410) 382-6545 or Paula Cullings at (443) 858-4646 for more information.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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