Before he arrived at St. Michael the Archangel, Glen Allen, for the Diocesan Day of Reflection on Saturday, March 18, 12-year-old Victor Kimbrough of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Richmond, wasn’t enthusiastic about attending the event with his mother and grandmother. But once the program was underway, things changed.
“I’m so glad I came now,” he excitedly told Delores Oliver of St. Paul Catholic Church, Portsmouth, and Mary Mwangi, a Sister of Saint Joseph, at St. Elizabeth, Richmond, two members of his assigned group for the day.
Kimbrough was the youngest person in attendance at the Day of Reflection, but one thing he had in common with participants of all ages was his excitement in being there. Diocesan Days of Reflection have been held across the country in anticipation of the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC) XIII, July 20-23, in National Harbor, Maryland. NBCC represents African American Roman Catholics and affiliated organizations.
The purpose of this quinquennial event is to renew and develop the group’s mission with a Pastoral Plan of Action for ministry to the country’s Black Catholic community.
Days of Reflection are designed to provide diocesan input for that plan and to prepare attendees for the congress. This year, participants not only have a seat at the table with input for the Plan of Action, but they also have the opportunity to attend the congress themselves.
“2023 is different,” Sister of Mercy Cora Marie Billings, facilitator of Richmond’s Diocesan Day of Reflection, told attendees. “It was always a delegation who went before. This time anyone who wants to go, can go.”
Many of them are planning to do that, representing the 89 people who gathered at St. Michael from a large swath of the diocese.
The Diocesan Day of Reflection began with Bishop Barry C. Knestout celebrating Mass, followed by participants gathering at the St. Michael Lake House in table groups for prayer, reflection, discussion, identification of action items, and formulation of written reports for the diocese to incorporate into its report to NBCC.
Sister Cora guided them through the day, connecting their activities to the theme of Congress XIII: “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.” She and Father Tochi Iwuji, director of the Office for Black Catholics, entreated participants to trust in the process that would lead to their recommendations.
Attendee Elizabeth Thornille of St. Paul, Portsmouth, arrived that day with a spirit of trust.
“If I’ve already asked God to guide me, I have to trust him and not be concerned about asking for specific things,” she said.
In his homily, Bishop Knestout called upon attendees to “be open to God’s grace and the Spirit acting on us as we reflect on the needs of Black Catholics and Black Catholic ministry” and to “make sure our expectations are in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and the expectations God has for us.”
While many issues and needs surfaced throughout the day, attendees appeared most concerned about addressing those associated with Black Catholic youth, particularly their desire and need for a Catholic education.
Father Tochi wants to address this need expeditiously. “We have to do something,” he said. “We must make it right.”
Deacon Christopher Barrett, who serves at St. Elizabeth, Richmond, concurred.
“I came away from the day feeling more strongly than ever that penance, reparations and justice require that Catholic dioceses, parishes and schools establish and grow funds to provide for scholarships for African American children and youth to attend Catholic schools,” he said.
“This is a way of providing them with quality education and a way of serving the Church through the nurturing of Black vocations to religious life, priesthood, diaconate and lay ministry,” he added.
Challenges and strategies associated with youth engagement were also identified.
Another salient issue for attendees was the need for transparency and communication, especially with regard to a diocesan process/structure in place to address the concerns of Black Catholics.
Daniel Villar, director of the diocesan Office of Ethnic Ministries, discussed procedures for bringing Black Catholic concerns to the diocese with the group.
Attendees recognized that there is much work to be done in the area of social justice and expressed the need for the diocese to look at racism and engage those affected by it. They also expressed a desire for the diocese to recognize Black Catholics as the gift they are and acknowledge this tangibly with funding.
Ameen’abd’illah “Ameenah” Zakia, a 19-year-old J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College student and member of Holy Rosary, Richmond, who plans to attend the congress, liked how engaging the Day of Reflection was. “Some very valid issues were brought up,” she said. “We all need to work together… and with the congress, you can get ideas from other people as well. Now that everyone has their idea of what’s going on, you can get support from other parishes so that we can all improve.”
After attending the Diocesan Day of Re- flection, retired Navy master chief and current civilian employee Jimmy Lemelle of Immaculate Conception, Hampton, is strongly considering going to the congress.
“The Day of Reflection was an awesome event,” he said. “I enjoyed seeing the different parishes come together and be able to fellowship with one another…and hearing their thoughts and visions, especially when it comes to youth. For the Church to thrive, we need to reach out to youth and speak to the issues that affect them.”
Lemelle believes there were a lot of good points made at the Day of Reflection. He was particularly impressed by the call for reconciliation. He said the diocese needs to reach out to the Black Catholic community and make Catholic education for Black youth a priority.
“We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” he said. “We need to share our talents, open up as a diocese, communicate with one another, and strengthen our communities.”
Editor’s note:
Read more about the National Black Catholic Congress XIII.
Learn more about the Diocesan Office for Black Catholics.
Read more about Father Tochi Iwuji, Director of Office for Black Catholics.