NBCC informative day a time for inspiration, perspective and planning

On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Diocese of Metuchen’s African American, African and Caribbean Apostolate held an “Informative Day” in follow-up to July’s National Black Catholic Congress XIII in Washington D.C.

Despite the rains falling upon our area from Tropical Storm Ophelia, 12 women and men from around the Diocese began the gathering with greetings, as they got to know each other and dried off.

After an opening prayer, I felt it was important to go back before we moved forward; to gain inspiration and perspective from the history and intent of the NBCC.

We watched two videos - “Servant of God,” Sister Thea Bowman’s 1989 speech to the USCCB, and “Answering The Call To Thrive:The Legacy of the National Black Catholic Congress.”

Sister Thea gave an impassioned testimony about what, in her mind and heart, it means to be Black and Catholic. The bishops’ reactions are priceless as Sister Thea outlines, in word and song, how Black Catholics are a gift to the Church.

Next, with comments and testimony from clergy and laypersons, the NBCC Legacy video underscored the purpose which I hoped to infuse into whatever efforts and actions we propose for our Diocese … to evangelize and save souls.

I highly recommend watching both videos. They are informative, eye-opening, and inspiring.

Our group then moved on to hearing the personal reflections of our diocesan delegates to the Congress, guided by (three) prompting questions:

1) How would you capture your experience attending the Congress in a few brief sentences?

2) What two or three takeaways would you want to share from your experience and the sessions that you attended?

3) What one recommendation would you make to the Diocese of Metuchen as an action item?

A lively and engaging Q&A session followed with responses and suggestions gathered for further discussion as we prepare to merge our decided initiatives with the five-year pastoral plan suggestions that will be released by the NBCC towards the end of this year.

The National Black Catholic Plan of Action is that all offices of Black Catholic Ministry have been asked to work for the next five years. The document is a shared vision and commitment to various areas of life for Black Catholics including evangelization.

One of the suggestions addressed a clear challenge that we face in our Diocese; to identify, reach out to, and gather the Black Catholics within our Diocese into a community to receive what will come out of these important efforts.

A list of relative resources, links, podcasts and articles was shared with the attendees and sent via email to an ever-growing contact list.

Simultaneously, along with Sister Miriam Perez and our multi-cultural ministries, we will be connecting with nearby dioceses’ Black Catholic and Multi-Cultural Offices for guidance, information sharing and event collaboration.

The personal reflections convinced me that those of us who attended Congress XIII have not lost the excitement that we brought home with us.

The spirit of the “Holy Six” African-American Servants Of God and Venerables was certainly felt in our midst.

That morning, as I walked out the door in the rain, something prompted me to stop, go back into my house and take my personal picture of the “Holy Six” and bring it with me.

The picture greeted all who entered and looked over their shoulders as they left.

Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, and Servants of God Mary Lange, Julia Greeley and Thea Bowman - pray for us!

The two mentioned videos, “Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA: What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?” and “Answering The Call To Thrive: The Legacy of the National Black Catholic Congress,” may be viewed on YouTube.

Deacon Rick Fortune serves The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, and led the diocesan delegation who attended the National Black Catholic Congress XIII.