"I am Black and beautiful"

Song of Songs 1:5

If you have a national event that you would like to share, please e-mail details to blackcatholics@usccb.org.


*The USCCB has the right to accept or deny any submissions.

This newsletter ends with a vocation prayer.

If you do not see it, please click "view entire email" in your browser.


We are grateful for our subcommittee members:


Bishop Roy Campbell (Chair)


Archbishop Shelton Fabre


Bishop Elect Robert Boxie III


Bishop Brendan Cahill


Bishop Jerome Feudjio


Bishop Jeffrey Haines


Bishop Denis Madden


Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD


USCCB Staff:


Dr. Ansel Augustine


Consultants:


Fr. Gregory Chisholm, SJ


Deacon Melvin Tardy


Sr. Nicole Trahan, FMI, Ed.D


Mr. Anderson Shaw (in memoriam)


Mr. CJ Washington


Mrs. Dena Washington



Resources related to Juneteenth can be found here and here.


June is also Black Music Month. You can learn more about it here.


You can learn more bout Black Catholic Music here and here.

The Subcommittee on African American Affairs is saddened to learn of the passing of Bishop John Ricard, SSJ. We are grateful for his visionary leadership to, not only the Black Catholic community, but the whole Church as well. We join in prayer with the Josephite community, Bishop Ricard's family, and all those who mourn his passing during this period of transition.


You can view the official statement from the Josephites here.


You can view the official statement from the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus here.



The following images are from the statement released from the National Black Catholic Congress:

Congratulations to Bishop Campbell on his retirement. He will finish out his term as our subcommittee chair. Thank you for your years of faithful service to the Church.


We are joyful at the announcement of Bishop Elect Robert Boxie III being named as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington.


You can read the USCCB's press release here.


You can read the Archdiocese of Washington press release and view the press conference here.


Bishop-Elect Boxie III's Ordination Events:


Monday, July 6th at 6pm (National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus Prayer Service - St. Augustine Church, DC) - will be livestreamed via St. Augustine DC YouTube Page.


Tuesday, July 7th at 2pm (Ordination - Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, DC) - will be livestreamed via the Archdiocese of Washington YouTube Page.


May God bless both of these men in the next phases of their ministry journeys.

Pope Leo XIV has published the encyclical,

"Magnifica Humanitas," on preserving humanity in the A.I. age.


You can view the USCCB's statement on the encylical here.


You can learn more about the Pope's encyclical here.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2026 Spring Plenary Assembly in Orlando, Florida, June 10-12.


The public sessions on June 10 and 11 will be livestreamed on the USCCB website.

The latest edition of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church's quarterly printed newsletter is available and can be downloaded by clicking here.


You can view the monthly online Secretariat newsletter here.

As many of you know, several Black Catholic Leaders have been gathering to work on Black Catholic Flourishing initiave over the past year and a half. A website has been created to detail the work and upcoming opportuniteis. You can view the website by clicking here.

The National Black Catholic Congress has produced some new Vocation resources. You can view these brochures under the "Eastertide" section of the homepage.

The Subcommittee on African American Affairs collaborated with the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis to develop a Podcast series of young adults interviewing various Bishops around the country. You can view the series here.

Let us pray for our seminarians.


To learn more about the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association, click here.

A new documentary is out about the story of 272 enslaved people shipped to New Orleans in 1838 and why it still matters to about 4,000 descendants. You can learn more about this film here.

As part of the KEEP THE FAITH INITIATIVE, the Josephites have reprinted the African American Catholic Youth Bible in collaboration with our subcommittee.


The press release about the reprinting can be found here.


This will be sold exclusively through the Josephite Pastoral Center and can be ordered by clicking here.

The website and resources have been updated from the USCCB's gathering of Young Adults several years ago. You can learn more about the Journeying Together Intiative here.



The Leadership Roundtable has also released information about bridging generational gaps in the Catholic Church. You can view the article here.

The Subcommittee on African American Affairs is working with Catholic TV to develop a series that is scheduled to air in November 2026 on Catholic TV stations around the country. The series will focus on the original "Saintly 6" with sainthood causes coming from US Dioceses.


You can view the trailer here.

A new shrine has been announced to honor Venerable Fr. Augusts Tolton. You can read more about it here.


Click on the flier to learn more about this opportunity for high school students interested in attending a Catholic college/university.

The updated report from our ongoing Black Catholic Young Adult Listening Sessions can be found here.

The new Mission Directive, which directs the work of the USCCB, has been affirmed. The Subcommittee on African American Affairs will be working towards initiatives that support this work over the next 4 years. Please pray for the subcommittee as we continue to discern how best to advocate for, and serve, our communities. Our initial focus is the several Black Catholic Young Adult (ages 18-40 years old) listening session that have been, and will be, taking place around the country.

We hosted several Black Catholic Young Adult Listening Sessions around the country. The first took place at Xavier University of Louisiana in November 2023. A national report was shared following this gathering, you can view the report here.


In April 2025, we held a listening session in the Diocese of Birmingham with a grant from the Catholic Home Missions Collection and support from the diocese itself. You can view an EWTN news report on the gathering by clicking here.



On August 25th and 26th, we held listening sessions at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in which a dialogue took place between the young adults and several Executive Directors, along with some local Pastors, here at the USCCB.


During the Summer of 2025 we held listening sessions with Black Catholic Young Adults at Yale University, the University of San Francisco, the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Oakland, and at the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary National Convention.


Upcoming Listening Sessions are scheduled for the Archdiocese of Galveston/Houston, the Diocese of Beaumont, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.


Thank you to the Dioceses that have organized past, and future, Black Catholic Young Adult Listening Sessions in their regions. We are very excited about the fruit that these will bring to our Church.


One of the attendees of the Black Catholic Young Adult Listening Session held in Birmingham, AL shares his reflection on the gathering. You can read more here.

Nyle Grimes, daughter of former Assistant Director of African American Affairs - Mrs. Donna Grimes, and one of the team members and attendees of the Black Catholic Young Adult Listening Session held at the USCCB, shares her reflection on the gathering. You can read more here.

If your diocese is interested (must have written support of your bishop) in sponsoring (diocese must cover the cost of the session) a local Black Catholic Young Adult Gathering, please e-mail blackcatholics@usccb.org to discuss logistics.

Job Opportunities:


USCCB Opportunities



NBCC Job Bank



Xavier University of Louisiana Job Bank



Loyola Institute for Ministry Job Bank (other organization links included)



Director of Youth And Young Adult Ministry (Archdiocese of Washington)



Director - Office of Ministry with Young Adults (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)




Director of Membership and Philanthropic Engagement (FADICA)


Black Catholic Formation and Educational Opportunities

To learn more about the Institute for Black Catholics Studies, click here.


Loyola Marymount University is offering several courses on Black Catholic Spirituality. You can learn more about this program by clicking here.

To learn more about the SANKOFA INSTITUTE at the Oblate School of Theology, click here.

To learn more about the New Frontiers in Preaching Academy, click here.

To learn more about the Tolton Scholars Program at Catholic Theological Union, click here.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES:

(click on the images to learn more details & deadlines)


Upcoming Events:

Click on the flier to learn more about this virtual Father's Day

(June 21) event, or use the contact information provided on the flier.

To learn more about this summer youth academy, click on the image above.

Click on the image above for more inforamtion.

Click on the image above for more information.


The Pierre Toussaint Scholarship Fund of the Archdiocese of New York invites all to join their prayer line on Tuesday's and Thursday's at 7:30am EST.

Other Upcoming Events:



July 21-24, 2026: National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus Convocation


July 24-29, 2026: Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary 110th Senior National Convention



Black Catholic Resources (continually updated):


For a list of resources and National Partners relevant to the African American Catholic Community, please click here.


For links to various other entities, please click here.


For a list of where Black Catholic Parishes are located (constantly being updated), please click here.





A Pastoral Reflection on Voting Rights by Bishop Perry


Jesse Louis Jackson and I: A Reflection during Eastertide by Bishop Braxton


Voting Rights: A People of Hope In the Long Journey Towards Justice by Bishop Daniel Garcia



Click on the image above to learn more about this item and how to support the Collegiate Units of the Knights of Peter Claver and the Ladies Auxiliary.