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.
Slavery
Poem: I, too, sing Ave Maria
Zye E. Seema reflects on Black Catholic identity, suffering, and resistance in her BCM debut.
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.
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.
In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV apologizes for Vatican role in slavery, discusses dangers of AI
The lengthy new document covers the nature of emerging technology, its effects on respect for human dignity, and the risk of modern bondage.
Review: W. Ralph Eubanks' 'When It's Darkness on the Delta' gives context to a national heartland
Rana Irby reviews a new work from a Black Catholic author on his experiences in and understanding of a complicated, misunderstood region.
On pilgrimage to Pierre: New York's holy hairdresser and the quiet revolution
Tulio Huggins reflects on a trip to the tomb of Venerable Pierre Toussaint, one of the nation's seven Black Catholics on the road to sainthood.
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.
Diocese of Arlington seeks descendants of those enslaved by prominent Virginia Catholic family
The Brent family, linked to early Maryland and Virginia, likely enslaved and buried African Americans at a Virginia property excavated last year.
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.
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.
Second national CROSS conference unpacks Catholic slavery, centers descendants at Georgetown
Catholic Religious Organizations Studying Slavery gathered academics, archivists, ministers, and others to reflect on the Church's original sin.
The hidden history of Black Catholic martyrs in America
Nate Tinner-Williams explores a rarely discussed facet of American Catholic holiness, linking stories of sacrifice from across what is now the United States.
Reparations, reconciliation, and restoration: Will the new social justice pope address the cries of Black Catholics?
Tamika Royes on the enduring call for a pontiff who will finally move in the name of justice and recompense for African-Americans.