I was raised as a cradle Catholic, the oldest of eight children born to my parents, Joseph Vallery Will and Jeanne Elizabeth Stadeker Will. I attended St. Augustine Elementary School in New Roads through the fourth grade, taught by the Holy Spirit Sisters and Mary Immaculate of San Antonio, Texas, whose charism was to serve the social and educational needs of the African American community.
The Fourth African National Eucharistic Congress will address the challenges of finding ways to deepen the unity for which Jesus prayed during the Last Supper “that all may be one.”
Nigeria, my country of origin, is well known for her religious beliefs and devotion. Majority of the indigenes are Christians. There are numerous churches and denominations but the Catholic Church stands out in her doctrines and spiritual formation.
Juneteenth, which is celebrated June 19, is a time for African Americans to visit the past, to learn where they have come from and find inner freedom by embracing God’s call to become the people God called them to be, say clergy of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
Just off busy Harding Street, near the entrance to Southern University, Immaculate Conception Church rises as a beacon of light and warmth for the Scotlandville/Baton Rouge community.
Immigration has recently appeared in the news as a hot-button issue. People have become bitterly divided whether, and how, we should welcome immigrants into our country.
The Racial Harmony Commission of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, in collaboration with the Southern University Law Center, the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University, sponsored a virtual lecture by Dr. Shannen Dee Williams, Professor of History at Villanova University.
"My first real memory of personally experiencing racism was when I was one of about 20 Black girls to integrate St. Anthony Catholic High School, a small and previously all-white, all-girls’ school in north Baton Rouge. "
Communities of color have known for years what the media began to devote more attention to during the COVID-19 pandemic this past year: that there are disturbing health disparities between white and non-white Americans.
Bishop Fabre hopes that racial unity is not just a dream but can be reality that calls for equality reaching across racial, cultural and even geographical divides that are finally being heard.
One day I was having a conversation with my dad about growing up in Dallas. He explained that his south Dallas neighborhood was made up of mainly Italian, Jewish and African American families.
Gleaming by a brilliant sun seemingly proclaiming its approval, Bishop Michael G. Duca, standing on hallowed ground where slaves once toiled and are now buried, led an inspiring All Saints Day prayer service Oct. 31 at the site of the controversial proposed Formosa Plastics plant site in St. James Civil Parish.
Systemic racism remains prevalent today, rooted in institutions, country clubs and even Catholic schools, according to Father Joshua Johnson, pastor at Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant.