The color of confinement: Race, mental health, and the American illness
Harlan McCarthy explains the connections between anti-Black racism, mass incarceration, and the mental health crisis plaguing America.
History
My journey on the ark: The Black Catholic quest for belonging in the Church
As I slowly approached my eighth anniversary as a Catholic in March, I was overcome with the internal tension that has rocked and swayed my commitment to the faith for much of my time in the Church. I can’t ignore the internal conflict that shadows my journey—that the
What hath Monteverdi to do with Motown? On castrati, R&B, and the fight for free expression
Alexander Walton on the European divos of old and Black heartthrobs of the present, both of whose musical abilities bring awe and aspersion.
As Black Catholics, how must we resist in a time of chaos?
Daryl Grigsby recounts his experience of a recent webinar presenting a new way to work for faith-filled justice amid sociopolitical disarray.
Fr William Cross, second Black Catholic priest in Cincinnati, dead at 79
A longtime educator in Catholic schools, he was the first Black pastor in the archdiocese, having been ordained in 1974 after his conversion.
The Cross and the raised fist of power: A Black pilgrimage in DC
Tulio Huggins recounts a recent trip to Washington that combined religious reflection with meditation on the ongoing freedom struggle in America.
Meet the Black Catholics joining the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
Cheyenne Johnson, a returnee who will help lead this year's route, will be joined by Marcel Ferrer on the six-week journey along the East Coast.
Fr Bill Norvel, SSJ, first African-American male superior general, dead at 90
The Mississippi-born priest combated racism, spread Black Catholic liturgy, and served as the first Black male superior general in U.S. history.
(Podcast) Discovering Dédé: How OperaCréole helps bring Black opera back to life
Givonna Joseph and Aria M. Mason discuss OperaCréole and their premiere of the long-lost opera "Morgiane" by the late Black composer Edmond Dédé.
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.
What is Black theology, and why does it matter?
Tamika Royes on the need for continued understanding of Black Christian perspectives, especially in the Catholic Church of the Western diaspora.
Black Catholic church in Puerto Rico gets $500k grant for Hurricane Maria repairs
The 194-year-old Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos in San Juan, founded by the formerly enslaved, suffered damage during Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Betty Reid Soskin, centenarian Black park ranger, laid to rest in California
The late Catholic-raised activist was a central figure in the creation of a national park honoring Black and female homefront service during WWII.
Newly expanded musical on Servant of God Thea Bowman to premiere in St. Louis
ValLimar Jansen is the writer and star of "I Will Live Until I Die", which chronicles the storied African-American Catholic nun who died in 1990.
The fetters and the font: How slavery complicates Black history at Belmont Abbey College
Matt Memrick recounts how a Benedictine college in North Carolina has interpreted a unique baptismal font—and how the community has responded.
Inaugural Tolton Symposium will honor nation's first openly Black Catholic priest
The 3-day event on Venerable Augustus Tolton will feature speakers from around the country specializing in history, ministry, and catechesis.