'Magnificent Humanity' and the riches of Black spirituality
Daryl Grigsby on five central themes from Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas", connecting them to the Black Catholic experience.
History
Who still needs the Church? When suffering becomes familiar
Fabian Adderley on how Black Catholics are often left out of the U.S. hierarchical vision, in ways well-intentioned and yet dangerously inadequate.
What is liberty? On founding ideals, Black resistance, and the promise of freedom
Tamika Royes unpacks the meaning of freedom, as recently extolled by Pope Leo XIV, and the complex early history of Black Americans and Canadians.
Pope Leo XIV receives Liberty Medal, urges Americans to live founding values amid 250th anniversary
The Holy Father delivered a live address to the nation on Friday, while also releasing a public letter on July 4 in honor of Independence Day.
Planned library at Holy Rosary Institute in Louisiana to be named for Dr. Norman Francis
The new plan is part of a wide-ranging effort to preserve the site of a historic Black Catholic school in Lafayette that closed in 1993.
The cost of the collar: Remembering Bishop Emerson Moore, a Black Catholic who battled fame, drugs, and HIV/AIDS
A retrospective look at the Archdiocese of New York's only Black bishop, remembered both as a rising star and a story of tragedy.
A time to say sorry: Why 'Magnifica Humanitas' matters for Black Catholics
Tamika Royes unpacks Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, specifically its shocking apology for the sins of the Vatican in supporting the slave trade.
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.
Where to find a Catholic Juneteenth event (2026 edition)
Our annual listing of Catholic (and Catholic-adjacent) Juneteenth events around the country.
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
Ss. Monica and Luke Catholic Church in Gary, Indiana, closes amid financial pressures
Formed by a 1980 merger and home to many Black Catholics, the parish celebrated a final Mass in May after mutual discernment with the diocese.
St. Augustine Church in New Orleans returns to in-building worship after nearly five years
Damage from Hurricane Ida rendered the edifice unsafe in 2021, leading to an extended fundraising campaign and a historic preservation grant.
Clarence B. Jones, MLK speechwriter who helped pen 'I Have a Dream', dead at 95
The Catholic-raised attorney, aide, and academic received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 for his work in the Civil Rights Movement.
The new prayer service from the U.S. Catholic bishops doesn't honor the enslaved. It erases them.
Nate Tinner-Williams says the new text is a cheapened catch-all intended for immigrants—with African Americans as a throwaway half-mention.
Charlotte's Black Catholic church to receive $4 million grant for repairs
Additional matching funds for the historic parish will be unlocked pending the success of a $1.5M capital campaign set to launch next year.