| |
|
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Ph: 410.547.8496
Email: nbcc@nbccongress.org
Web: www.nbccongress.org
| | Want to know what kind of media is being presented? Check the icons to find out! | | | |
The Magnificat
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now
on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55 NABRE)
| | | | AI Image generated via ChatGPT by the NBCC | | “Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” | | |
Our Lady of Kibeho, the Marian Apparition approved by the Catholic Church
| | | | |
KIBEHO: Listen My Children
From EWTN On Demand
In this original docudrama, you’ll learn the story behind the miraculous visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kibeho, Rwanda in the 1980’s. Her dire warnings and prophetic visions foreshadowed the genocide to come.
| | |
The Rosary
of the Seven Sorrows
From Wikipedia
Also known as the Servite Rosary or Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows originated with the Servite Order (Servants of Mary) in the 13th century.
The devotion gained renewed, global popularity in the 1980s when the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared in Kibeho, Rwanda, requesting that the Seven Sorrows Rosary be prayed daily for repentance and healing.
| | Click here to download a diagram of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, including instructions on how to pray the rosary. | |
Click on the Play Button to watch the video and pray a digital version of the Seven Sorrows Rosary.
The Seven Sorrows Rosary (Dolorosary) w/ Digital Rosary & Sacred Art
From "Kept in Her Heart"
| | |
Pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows with
the Audio Version from TheRosary.net
| | |
What is a Marian Apparition?
From Ascension Press
Marian apparitions are known as appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary, coming down from heaven to earth. These appearances are often paired with some type of message Our Lady wants to communicate, and depending on the nature of her visit, can be anywhere from one short appearance to several over the course of years. There is always at least one witness to an apparition, and it is not uncommon for the witness to later become a saint or holy figure within the Church.
| | |
Vatican-Recognized Marian Apparitions
From Ascension Press
How familiar are you with Church-approved Marian Apparitions? We’ve compiled information on all of the Marian apparitions within the Catholic Church to make this ultimate guide.
Do you want to:
- Understand what a Marian Apparition is?
- Learn the process the Church uses to approve them?
- Grow in your knowledge of the Marian apparitions in the Catholic Church?
- Learn the difference between “bishop-approved” and “Vatican-recognized” apparitions?
- Successfully help others understand the importance of Marian Apparitions?
If so, you came to the right place!
| |
Visit the NBCC Website for more information about Marian Devotion
| |
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought
thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy
hear and answer me.
Amen.
| | AI Image generated via Canva by the NBCC | She is an "echo of God," a pure channel that takes our prayers directly to her Heavenly Father. | | |
St. Louis de Montfort explains how prayers to Mary go to God
By Philip Kosloski | Aleteia
When Catholics pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is not an act of worship, as worship is given only to God.
St. Louis de Montfort, an 18th-century priest devoted to the Virgin Mary, explains what happens with prayers addressed to Our Lady. The explanation is found in his book True Devotion to Mary. He starts off by writing that sincere and devout prayers to the Virgin Mary "will give more glory to Jesus in a month than in many years of a more demanding devotion."
| | | |
Do you know the date of your Baptism?
By Philip Kosloski | Aleteia
Easter is a joyous time in the Church when it's particularly easy to call to mind the many blessings that the sacrament of Baptism has brought us. On Sundays during Easter the priest often celebrates the Sprinkling Rite, where he specifically calls to mind our baptism, as we are sprinkled (or doused) with holy water:
Dear brethren (brothers and sisters),
let us humbly beseech the lord our God
to bless this water he has created,
which will be sprinkled on us
as a memorial of our Baptism.
may he help us by his grace
to remain faithful to the spirit we have received.
| | AI Image generated via ChatGPT by the NBCC | |
Pope John Paul II called the day of his Baptism the most important day of his life.
| | AI Image generated via ChatGPT by the NBCC | |
The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord
From Catholic Answers
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus, celebrated forty days after Easter, commemorates the moment when the risen Christ, in the sight of his apostles, ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). It marks the completion of his earthly mission and the beginning of his exaltation at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us as our eternal High Priest. The Ascension is a reminder that heaven is our true home and that Jesus, fully God and fully man, has gone before us to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house.
| | |
What is Pentecost, and Why is it Called the Birthday of the Catholic Church?
We’re all familiar with our own birthdays, and we celebrate them because they mark the day of the year in which we entered into this life. But did you know you have a second birthday? Watch the video below to learn more.
| | Adobe Stock Image licensed to the NBCC | It’s taken me over twenty years to even begin to understand how the Holy Spirit — often known as the most neglected member of the Blessed Trinity — is important to our spiritual lives. | | |
The Holy Spirit in Our Lives
By Sr. Brittany Harrison, FMA
The Catechist
I could never pray to a bird, I thought, as I looked at the stained glass window of the Trinity in my home parish. I was fourteen and a newly initiated Catholic. The fruit of only a year of Catholic education, I knew I wanted to be Catholic because of the Eucharist. The Holy Spirit, however, baffled me. Maybe you’ve felt similarly. It’s taken me over twenty years to even begin to understand how the Holy Spirit — often known as the most neglected member of the Blessed Trinity — is important to our spiritual lives.
| | |
The Fruit of The Holy Spirit
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NABRE
The Coming of the Spirit.
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Acts 2: 1-4 NABRE
| | Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. (at left) stands with Bishop-elect Robert Boxie III after a press conference on May 1, 2026, where Bishop-elect Boxie and Bishop-elect Gary Studniewski were introduced as new auxiliary bishops of Washington named by Pope Leo XIV. Also on May 1, Pope Leo accepted the resignation of Bishop Campbell from the office of auxiliary bishop of Washington. Bishop Campbell mentored then-Father Boxie when the recently ordained priest was assigned from 2017-2020 as a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, where Bishop Campbell has served as the longtime pastor. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada) | |
Reflecting on new phase of his ministry, Bishop Campbell says ‘a priest never really retires’
By Nicole Olea | Catholic Standard
On May 1, Pope Leo XIV named two local priests, Father Gary Studniewski and Father Robert Boxie III, as new auxiliary bishops of Washington, and the pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. from the office of auxiliary bishop of Washington. Bishop Campbell, who is now 78, is retiring. As required by canon law, he had submitted his resignation to the pope in 2022 when he turned 75.
| |
Catholicism has lost people to religious switching in many countries, while Protestantism has gained in some
By Kirsten Lesage, William Miner and Rebecca Leppert from PEW Research Center
Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses from religious switching of any faith group around the world, according to our 2024 surveys. Religious switching refers to when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child.
| | Adobe Stock Image licensed to the NBCC | Within Christianity, religious switching has affected the two largest subgroups – Catholicism and Protestantism – differently | | |
What are new Catholics looking for?
By Fr. Charles Zlock on Facebook
| | What are new Catholics looking for? And are we as a Church ready to meet them? Join me as I take a look at these important questions for our Church. | | Portrait by Anthony VanArsdale,
© NBCC 2017 | ‘He carried his crosses in life quietly and heroically,’ says Bishop Thomas Paprocki. | |
New Shrine Announced to Honor First US-Born African American Priest
EXCLUSIVE: On Venerable Augustus Tolton, former slave-turned-Catholic priest: ‘He carried his crosses in life quietly and heroically,’ says Bishop Thomas Paprocki.
By Jonah McKeown | National Catholic Register
The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is set to establish a shrine honoring Venerable Father Augustus Tolton — the first African American Catholic priest born in the U.S. — at a former parish church in the priest’s hometown of Quincy, Illinois.
| | |
A Legacy of Unity: Celebrating 140 Years of Father Augustus Tolton’s Priesthood
By the NBCC Editorial Staff
On April 24, 2026, the global Catholic community paused to honor a monumental milestone in the history of the Black Catholic Apostolate: the 140th anniversary of the priestly ordination of Venerable Augustus Tolton. From the heart of the Midwest to the ancient streets of the Eternal City, devotees gathered to celebrate the man who escaped slavery to become the first publicly recognized African American Roman Catholic priest. While his journey began in the face of deep-seated racial rejection in the United States, his legacy continues to heal divisions and inspire a new generation of clergy and laity alike.
| | The Rev. Silvester Mtasa is a priest of the Diocese of Dedza, Malawi, currently completing a license at the Gregorian University of Rome; the Rev. Chukwuma Odigwe is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., in the USA and also completing a license at the Gregorian University; the Very Rev. Claude Williams, O.Praem. Is a priest of the St. Michael’s Abbey in the Diocese of Orange, California in the USA and serves as rector of Collegio San Norberto in Rome. | |
Official roster of events for Fulton Sheen beatification announced
| | Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified in St. Louis on Sept. 24. | | |
By Francesca Pollio Fenton | EWTN News
The official schedule of events for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen has been announced by the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois.
“I am filled with deep gratitude and great joy as we announce the schedule of events surrounding the long-awaited Mass of beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen," Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria said in a press release. "This is a momentous occasion not only for our diocese but for the Church in the United States and throughout the world.”
| | |
Congratulations to Darron C. Woodus
From Holy Family Catholic Church on Facebook
Darron is the Pastoral Associate and Director of Parish Operations for Holy Family Catholic Church in Baltimore. He is preparing for ordination to the diaconate on May 9, 2026. He will serve as a permanent Deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Pictured is Darron Woodrus receiving the Minor Order of Acolyte from Archbirhop William E. Lori at St. Mary's Seminary & University. Taken from the Holy Family Catholic Church Facebook page.
| | Photo taken by seminarian Jon Cerda. | |
Thank you to all of our donors who have given to the National Black Catholic Congress Development Fund!
We couldn't continue our ministry without you.
| | |
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
| | |
Key 2026 Statistics
- Approximately 1 in 5 adults experienced mental illness in the past year.
- 1 in 20 adults experienced serious mental illness.
- 1 in 5 youth have a mental health condition, with anxiety being the most common
| | |
If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Hotline is 800-273-TALK (8255)
National Alliance on Mental Illness
1-800-950-NAMI (1-800-950-6264)
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)
| | Adobe Stock Image licensed to the NBCC | Contrary to what some think, psychotherapy...isn’t just for those with mental health issues. It can be beneficial for anyone...who is experiencing challenges, transitions or wants to make improvements in their life. | |
Do I Need Therapy? 10 Reasons It’s Time to Seek Help
By Regan Olsson | Banner Health
“I can’t take it anymore!” Sarah screamed at her husband, John. “I’m overwhelmed.” Sarah, a working mom was burning her candle at both ends, and everything John tried to do to help wasn’t helping. She wasn’t sleeping well; she was snapping at the kids and John more often than she liked. Even her work was suffering. All the running, self-help books and TikTok videos were doing nothing to help. She began to wonder, “Do I need therapy?”
| | | |
Find a Catholic Therapist Near You
CatholicTherapists.com provides a carefully curated directory of therapists who are not only qualified professionals but also share your Catholic values.
| | | |
Unsure About Taking That Step?
Here's a Video that Describes What A Therapy Session Looks Like
| |
Unpacking Narcissism and Stigma
By Jackson Newsome, Psy.D | National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI
| | |
I was walking through the self-help section of a bookstore. A title caught my eye: “Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed.” For several years, I have had a clinical interest in working with patients with narcissistic personalities, and so I felt discouraged by the tone of this title.
I felt worse upon realizing it was one of many books within this theme. Shoppers could have also purchased “Becoming the Narcissist’s Nightmare: How to Devalue and Discard the Narcissist While Supplying Yourself” or even “How to Kill a Narcissist: Debunking the Myth of Narcissism and Recovering from Narcissistic Abuse.”
| | NBCC AI Generated Image using ChatGPT | | |
The National Black Catholic Congress has accumulated a large number of mental health resources on its website.
You can find them by clicking here:
| |
Upcoming Webinar Just in Time for Mental Health Month!
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Stronger Than Stress: Building Everyday Resilience
Join Dr. A. Mechelle Haywood for Stronger Than Stress: Building Everyday Resilience, an empowering webinar designed to help you navigate life’s challenges with clarity and confidence. Drawing on practical strategies and real-life insights, Dr. Haywood offers tools to manage stress, strengthen emotional well-being, and cultivate resilience in your daily routine. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or simply looking to grow stronger in the face of adversity, this session will leave you equipped, encouraged, and ready to thrive.
| |
St. Michael's Center for Spiritual Awareness
Next Live Online Deliverance Prayer Session
Monsignor Rossetti will lead our next livestreamed deliverance session on Monday, May 18th from 7:00-8:00pm Eastern Time. Rosary starts at: 6:30pm.
| | |
September 20, 2026 is Catechetical Sunday
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to bring good news to the poor”
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18; cf. Is 61:1) reveals Jesus’ mission and identity. Anointed by the Holy Spirit, he is sent to bring hope, healing, and freedom—especially to the poor, the brokenhearted, and the forgotten.
This passage shows that the Messiah comes not with power or status, but with compassion, restoring dignity and proclaiming God’s mercy. It also becomes a model for the Church, us, which is called to continue Christ’s work by sharing the Good News and caring for those most in need.
| | | Image from Vatican Media: May 14, 2025 | | |
Catholic Social Teaching in Action
In his apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV reflects that the poor are at the heart of the Church’s mission and that we encounter Christ in the most vulnerable: “It is not a question of ‘bringing’ God to them, but of encountering him among them. All of these examples teach us that serving the poor is not a gesture to be made ‘from above,’ but an encounter between equals, where Christ is revealed and adored” (no. 79).
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the official anti-poverty program of the Church in the U.S. Learn more about CCHD at PovertyUSA.org, which was created as an educational resource to help individuals and communities address poverty in the U.S. by confronting the root causes of economic injustice – and promoting policies that help break the cycle of poverty.
| | |
Pray with This Theme
Prayer for the Poor
God of Justice,
open our eyes
to see you in the face of the poor.
Open our ears
to hear you in the cries of the exploited.
Open our mouths
to defend you in the public squares
as well as in private deeds.
Remind us that what we do
to the least ones,
we do to you. Amen.
| | Artwork by Brother Mickey McGrath | | |
May 2026 Certificate Program
If you are looking for an educational program to enrich your understanding of catechesis and develop your skills for designing and leading catechetical ministry in your parish, register today for the Certificate in the Practice of Catechesis.
The newest cohort begins on May 20 with Wednesday Morning Live Online Sessions from 10-1 pm ET each month.
Courses include:
- Principles and Practices of Catechesis
- Designing Catechesis for Families and Age Groups
- Leadership Practices for Catechetical Ministry
- Leadership Skills for Catechetical Ministry
- Designing Educational Programs for Families and Age Groups
- Retreat: The Spiritual Life of the Catechetical Leader
Scholarships available for the new May cohort.
Contact John Roberto for more information
jroberto@ncclcatholic.org
Click here to go online to register and see Certificate
dates and details.
| | |
The National Black Catholic Seminarians Association releases a poster featuring its members.
You can download the poster by clicking on the image.
| |
The Pulse of Black Catholic Chicago Newsletter
STORIES THIS MONTH
-
Blessed are the Workers:
Labor and the Fight for Basic Rights by Tina L Carter
-
The Multi-tasker: Reflections on Mary and Motherhood by Grace M. Dawson
-
Reclaiming the Sign of the Cross by Jennifer Davis
| | |
The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is one of the greatest and most celebrated books ever written about Our Lady. Praised by popes, mystics and theologians, this profound and powerful book presents Mary as the essential and infallible key to the heart of Jesus. Nowhere will you find a deeper and more life-changing book on that quintessentially Catholic doctrine: the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Christian and the life of the Church.
| | | | | "Let go and let God." This popular phrase captures the essence of Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade's 18th century treatise on trust. |
Abandonment to Divine Providence
by Jean-Pierre DeCaussade
Do you doubt? Do you suffer? Are you anxious about the trials of life? Father de Caussade offers the one sure solution to any spiritual difficulty: abandon yourself entirely to God by embracing the duties of your station in life.
| | |
The Catholic Church has the Answer
by Paul Whitcomb
A follow-up to Confession of a Roman Catholic. This book provides the answers to 34 questions commonly asked about the Church. One of our most popular booklets. Great for evangelization and instruction.
| | | | |
NABRE Bible Offline Audio
Download this app to your smart phone to read the Holy Bible NABRE with audio. No Internet connection is required for its operation.
A pocket bible, a bible on the go.
| | | | |
