Is It Time for Awakening? (20210930)

Human

Contemporary Catholic Belief and Action

The mission of ARCC is to bring about substantive structural change within the Catholic Church by seeking to institutionalize a collegial understanding of church where decision making is shared and accountability is realized among Catholics of every kind and conditio n.

Once people start to believe change is possible,

the drive to achieve it accelerates.

- Patrick Sullivan, ARCC President

Is It Time for Awakening?

Anneliese Sinnott O.P.

Dr. Sinnott served as Professor of Systematic Theology,

and as Vice President and Dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.

She is an active member of the ARCC Board of Directors.

Last summer our parish, St. Suzanne Our Lady Gate of Heaven, located in the city of Detroit, held a "go back to school" fair for the young people of our neighborhood. Rather than simply having a table marked with the name of our Church (our neighborhood is mostly African American and mostly non-Catholic) we decided to hang photos of prominent African American Catholics around our sun umbrella. These photos attracted many visitors and we often heard comments such as,"I didn't know she (or he) was Catholic!"

ARCC has recently published a number of articles on racism, especially on racism as it exists in the Catholic Church in the US. These articles have attempted to raise our consciousness about the existence of racism in the Catholic Church in the US and in the larger society. But I wonder how many of us know the names of, not only people of color in our pews (if we have any), but especially those prominent Catholics of color who have made a significant imprint on our US culture.

Many of us know of Sister Thea Bowman and her challenges to the American Bishops to recognize and do something about the racism in the Catholic Church. Most of us know of Cardinal Wilton Gregory, and some of us might know Bishop Edward Braxton. But, here are some "hidden figures, " African American Catholics, who have impacted American history and culture and yet remained "hidden" in our American "Catholic" history.

According to the research done by Dr. Shannon Williams, Sr. Mary Antona Ebo, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Mary, after several unsuccessful tries, finally found a religious community that would accept her into their congregation. However, she spent much of her early years in religious life in "segregation." She endured a "separate novitiate" which included a separate "dining area. In spite of these challenges, Ebo went on to be one of two black sisters who marched at Selma, and one of the first women to be in leadership in the National Black Sisters Conference.

Another "unexpected Catholic find" among African Americans is Kobe Bryant. He would probably never be found under a list of "stellar Catholics" but he spread his Catholic faith to his family, his wife and children, and claimed that it was his Catholic faith which got him through a few very tough times in his life.

Julia Greeley is one who ought to be part of the American Catholic Litany of the Saints. She is on track for beatification. Julia Greeley was born into slavery in Missouri. She lost her right eye through an injury inflicted by her slave master. After being freed by the Emancipation Proclamation she traveled west, became a cook and a nanny, was baptized a Catholic in Denver Colorado and became a faithful member of Sacred Heart Parish. After her "daily duties" were done, Greeley could be seen pulling her little red wagon with food and clothing for those who needed it. Sacred Heart Church was filled to the brim at her funeral.

Other "famous Americans" (but unsuspected Catholics) are Toni Morrison, Billie Holiday and Simone Biles, our gold medal Olympic Star.

If our church were less segregated, perhaps we would know many of these and other "hidden figures" because of their Catholicity and not just because of their achievements in the world of sports or music.