CHARLOTTE — Faithful in the Diocese of Charlotte venerated the remains of St. Maria Goretti, at 11 the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church, during the national "Pilgrimage of Mercy: the Tour of the Major Relics of St. Maria Goretti" Oct. 23-25.
Thousands of people showed up at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro Oct. 23, where the relics were on display for veneration in the church for one day. People began arriving before 6 a.m. to see the young saint's remains, encased in a glass coffin and placed near the altar. Mass was celebrated and local priests were on hand to hear confessions from hundreds of people who lined up throughout the day.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte hosted the relics on Saturday, Oct. 24, until after the 7:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Oct. 25. Standing-room-only crowds at the Charlotte church were reported for the Saturday morning Latin Mass.
Another standing-room-only Mass in English was celebrated Saturday evening in honor of the saint. The homilist was Father Carlos Martins, CC, an ecclesiastically-appointed curate of relics and director of Treasures of the Church who is leading the tour of St. Maria's relics in the U.S.
This is the first time her body travels to the U.S. and only the second time the relics have traveled outside Italy.
Pictured above: Worshipers venerate the relics of St. Maria Goretti at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte Oct. 24. The major relics, which are virtually all of the skeletal remains of the saint, known as the "patroness of purity," are on a U.S. "pilgrimage of mercy" this fall that will go to nearly 20 states. (SueAnn Howell, Catholic News Herald)
The national tour, which began in September and takes place through Nov. 12, comes just weeks before the Church begins an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The visit is an effort on the part of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, her Pontifical Basilica and the Treasures of the Church, to prepare and catechize the U.S. for the great celebration of the Year of Mercy.
Worshipers venerate the relics of St. Maria Goretti at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro Oct. 23. (Lorenzo Pedro, Catholic News Herald)
St. Maria Goretti, who died on July 6, 1902, was fatally stabbed 14 times after an attempted rape. Her last words on her deathbed were of mercy towards her 20-year-old attacker: "I forgive Alessandro Serenelli... and I want him with me in heaven forever." Serenelli reported that St. Maria appeared to him in his prison cell six years after he was incarcerated on a 30-year sentence for her death. That occasion began his dramatic transformation from a violent and ruthless man to that of a renewed soul intent on spreading devotion to God and his saintly victim.
Father Martins, who has been ministering with relics for almost 20 years, remarks that "God never disappoints," but always "shows up" at an exposition.
"There are healings at each one," he said. "Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, have been reported to me. Spectacular ones. Attendees have reported cancer, heart disease, tumors, osteoporosis, physical deformities, etc., disappear immediately and completely."
Though a great number of miracles have been physical, he admits that the most spectacular is the healing of faith – when a new and deeper relationship with God and His saints are formed in those who visit the relics.
"It is a most wonderful thing to see a parish, school or prison renewed after an exposition. That is the basis for this ministry's existence and I cannot wait to see where St. Maria will take it," he added.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church was standing-room-only during two Masses offered in honor of St. Maria Goretti during the pilgrimage stop in Charlotte Oct. 24-25. (John Cosmas, Catholic News Herald)
St. Maria's remains are inside a glass-sided casket. Inside the casket is a wax statue which conceals her skeletal remains. The skeleton is complete, save for small amounts of bone that have been placed in reliquaries, and her right arm which was donated by her mother to the Church of St. Nicholas in her birthplace of Corinaldo.
The tour includes stops at 25 Catholic dioceses spanning 16 states, including the archdioceses of New York, Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Oklahoma City.
In his homily at the Saturday evening Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Father Martins explained the specifics of the plenary indulgence of venerating the relics and also shared the story of how 12-year-old Maria Goretti came to be a saint. At one point holding up the weapon used, Father Martins recalled the brutal stabbing she endured at the hands of 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli and the words of forgiveness for him that she spoke to her mother before she died.
Father Martins recalled Serenelli’s hardheartedness, anger and lack of repentance when he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. And he shared the story of a dream the young man had of Maria holding 14 white lilies, representing the 14 stab wounds he had inflicted, and her forgiveness towards him. After that dream, Serenelli was a changed man and reformed his life in prison, earning an unusual early release.
“This story would not have a happy ending if Maria had not chosen to be a saint,” Father Martins said.
He recounted how Serenelli sought to find Maria’s mother to ask for her forgiveness on Christmas Eve in 1934. He appeared on her doorstep and she told him that if Maria could forgive him, she could forgive him. They went to midnight Mass and she adopted him as her own son.
Both were present at St. Maria Goretti’s canonization Mass in June 1950.
“Maria didn’t put her faith in a situation. She put her faith in God,” Father Martins explained. “Because she made this decision, she left this world a saint.”
Father Patrick Winslow (center) incenses the major relics of St. Maria Goretti during evening Mass in her honor Oct. 24 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. Pictured with Father Winslow are assisting deacons (from left) Deacon James Witulski and Deacon Joe Diaz. (Photo by SueAnn Howell, Catholic News Herald)He has prayed to this remarkable saint and referred others to pray to her for her intercession. And he said he has seen tangible results.
“Maria is not dead. She has never been more alive. She teaches us to all be saints: to say ‘yes’ to God and His will in all circumstances.”
Father Martins shared the special connection she has with Americans, as her hometown of Nettuno saw fierce fighting in World War I, with many American soldiers losing their lives in that area. Italy was then liberated by the Americans and during the soldiers’ time in her country, they taught the Italians how to play baseball – which is still popular in Nettuno.
St. Maria Goretti has many American relatives, as her family had to be split after her death, and three of her brothers traveled to America. In fact, the saint’s grandcousins – who live in Charlotte – brought up the offertory gifts at Mass.
Father Martins encouraged everyone gathered at the Mass to give St. Maria Goretti all of their prayer intentions.
“Know that when you come forward, she wants to greet you… Do one thing today and recall all those who have hurt you. Offer her the names of those people, claim forgiveness of these people. Add yourself to that list.
“The upcoming Jubilee of Mercy (in the Church) is also about forgiving ourselves. Alessandro forgave himself. He had to choose to be forgiven, to apply mercy to himself… Be good and kind and gentle to yourself on this important occasion,” he said.
The North Carolina leg of the tour was sponsored in part by Saint Benedict Press.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Treasures of the Church contributed to this article.
A Saint in the Family
St. Maria Goretti's relatives humbled by relics' visit to North Carolina
Thousands of people packed into Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte to venerate the relics of St. Maria Goretti during the "Pilgrimage of Mercy" tour that passed through the Diocese of Charlotte Oct. 23-25. The national tour brought the remains of the Church's youngest saint to the U.S. for the first time, and although it was a sacred moment for so many who came to venerate her relics, for two local families the visit meant much more.
Andy Goretti and Barbara Everitt, both of Charlotte, are cousins of the young saint, and they called the relics' visit to the Charlotte diocese a humbling and inspiring moment.
Andy Goretti and his wife Janet, members of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, and Everitt, a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, attended Mass and spent time venerating the relics during the pilgrimage's stops in both cities.
Pictured: Children venerate the major relics of St. Maria Goretti Oct. 23 at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.
The national tour, which continues through Nov. 12, is under way just weeks before the Church begins an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy on Dec. 8. Besides the Charlotte diocese, the tour included stops at 24 other dioceses spanning 16 states.
St. Maria Goretti died in 1902 after being repeatedly stabbed by a young man who had attempted to rape her. The 11-year-old's last words were of mercy towards her 20-year-old attacker: "I forgive Alessandro Serenelli ... and I want him with me in heaven forever." Serenelli reported that St. Maria appeared to him in his prison cell six years after he was incarcerated on a 30-year sentence for her death. That occasion began his dramatic transformation from a violent and ruthless man to that of a renewed soul intent on spreading devotion to God and his saintly victim. St. Maria is held up by the Church as a model of the virtues of forgiveness, mercy and purity.
St. Maria's mother Assunta Goretti was unable to care for her surviving children after the girl's death, and the family was split up. Three of her brothers moved to America and put down roots, raising large families – some of whom eventually settled in Charlotte.
ANDY AND JANET GORETTI
Andy Goretti's grandfather Giovanni Goretti was St. Maria's cousin.
"Overall, growing up Catholic and having St. Maria Goretti as a relative was always an honor and humbling. I am the youngest of 10 children, and my mother always stressed the importance of faith and the Catholic Church and our connection to not just a saint, but a forgiving saint."
Two of Andy's siblings, brother Nicholas Goretti and sister Carolina Stratton, are members of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.
"It was always a thought for my wife Janet and I to someday attend her relics in Nettuno, Italy, so having the relics come to the U.S. and make stops in the Carolinas is really just a small miracle," he explains.
He went to see the relics in Greensboro and in Charlotte.
"The tour stop in Charlotte was pretty amazing and humbling. I also had the fortune to venerate in Greensboro the Friday before, and that was a very peaceful time and experience with St. Maria's relics."
His family also brought up the gifts at the Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church Oct. 24. He admits he has declined bringing up the gifts at Mass in the past out of feelings of unworthiness, but this time he agreed when approached by the tour's organizers.
"I have never brought the hosts up in my life. I never quite felt worthy or comfortable doing it when asked in the past, as bringing the hosts up, to me, is one of the most honored parts of Mass.
"On Saturday, I did not feel nervous or uncomfortable, but instead felt very privileged and honored to be taking the hosts to so many that went out of their way to come see St. Maria Goretti. I felt it was the least we could do as her descendants.
Father Carlos Martins of Treasures of the Church, which is leading the tour of St. Maria's relics in the U.S., gave an inspiring homily in which he recounted the story of St. Maria's mercy and her attacker's remorse, Andy says.
"Maria didn't put her faith in a situation. She put her faith in God," Father Martins said in his homily. "Because she made this decision, she left this world a saint."
Andy and Janet Goretti and their children, Alex, Natalie and Drew, bring up the gifts at Mass honoring their saintly cousin Oct. 24 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.Says Andy, "He did a fantastic job retelling the story and the personal miracles he was aware of. Having my children hear the story from him will be something they, nor my wife and I, will ever forget.
"Both Friday and Saturday's visits with St. Maria's relics, the venerators and Father Martins were easily the biggest highlight in my faith life. If nothing else, I would like to thank all that went to see the relics in the Carolinas and that I felt very privileged to attend Mass with so many who came out to touch St. Maria."
Andy's wife Janet, who came into the Church in 2004, said attending the Oct. 24 Mass was truly moving. "I was amazed to see the extraordinary number of people there. Father Carlos' narrative of the events surrounding her attack, death and the conversion of Alessandro Serenelli was so moving."
Learning of St. Maria's mother's tremendous suffering moved her the most, she says. "Assunta Goretti is an inspiration to all of us who are mothers and know how much we suffer for our children.
"The message of forgiveness is so strong throughout the story of St. Maria Goretti and so appropriate in today's world," she adds. "It is something we all need to practice daily – especially, as Father Carlos shared so emphatically, forgiving ourselves."
BARBARA EVERITT
"As a child, I often heard about Maria's story and carried her holy card in my missal," recalls Barbara Everitt, another Goretti cousin. "As time passed and I became immersed in life (three children of my own, teaching high school, moving away from most of my family), the story also dimmed. I regret saying that I did not stay as connected as I should have.
She heard about the relics tour from a cousin in New Jersey, and said, "the fire returned. I was so excited to recognize that I could, in fact, personally see her relics."
Everitt is a descendant of Domenico Rossetti, who married Maria Goretti's sister, Rosa Carlini. Rossetti is her paternal grandfather's father, which makes St. Maria and her grandfather first cousins.
"I remember my grandfather always saying Maria was his cousin and that he was a baby when she moved away from Corinaldo. His aunt and other cousins moved back after Maria was killed," she explains.
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Her grandfather moved to New Jersey as a young man and had nine children "who in turn had scores of offspring," Everitt says.
Everitt attended the Solemn High Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church Oct. 24 with one of her daughters and her 12-year-old granddaughter Sara. "It was so beautiful. To think that Maria was the same age as Sara when she was martyred is a sobering thought. To realize that Maria's resolve resulted in hundreds of thousands of pilgrims venerating her is humbling. To be related to her is a gift – a gift I will never take lightly again."
She is also thankful for the gift of her newfound relatives, Andy and Janet Goretti, whom she had not met before.
"Finding out about Andy, a cousin that lives so near to me, is another gift from Maria!"
"What a difference in all of our lives has been made by this little saint. We are blessed to be a part of her family and so honored to have an intermediary in heaven."
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Charlotte pastor writes prayer to St. Maria Goretti
CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, composed the following prayer on the occasion of the "Pilgrimage of Mercy: Tour of the Major Relics of St. Maria Goretti" to the Diocese of Charlotte Oct. 23-25. All are encouraged to pray for a fruitful pilgrimage, and all are welcome to come out to the churches hosting St. Maria's major relics (Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte).
Dearest St. Maria Goretti, who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of 11 to shed your blood and sacrifice your life to defend your virginal purity, please intercede for our diocese as we prepare to receive your holy remains for veneration. Inspire in the hearts of our people a greater desire for purity and a greater willingness to practice mercy.
Touch the hearts of our priests, deacons and consecrated religious, that they may be perfect models of the joy of chaste living, zealous ambassadors of God's mercy, and courageous defenders of our Catholic faith.
Enlighten the minds of parents and teachers and all who have care of our children, so that they may be ever prudent in guiding those young souls entrusted to them, protecting them from anything that might threaten their innocence.
Most especially, inspire our young people to practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in honor of our Lord, and teach them to turn away from anything that might dim the luster of their innocence or lead them to pursue the illusory joys this world promises.
Be thou our light and inspiration so that the people of this diocese may be pure in thought, word and deed, and willing agents of God's mercy, in imitation of you. Amen.
— Catholic News Herald
What others said about the tour of St. Maria Goretti's relics
"The reception and veneration of the relics of a beloved saint is an occasion to bring to the fore that which is generally hidden from view. The supernatural gift of faith, an otherwise invisible reality, took form this weekend in a tapestry of thousands and manifested in an almost miraculous way giving us all a glimpse of the hidden power that animates the lives of believers. Not only were the holy relics of a saint on display, so was the supernatural gift of faith. The saint and the holy faith of believers synergistically radiated a moving display of holiness and grace. Personally and pastorally, I am profoundly grateful to St. Maria Goretti."
— Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, which hosted the tour in Charlotte
"The parishioners, staff, clergy and faculty of Our Lady of Grace Church and School were all very excited to welcome her to the parish in October. It is a great honor that we can be a part of this great Pilgrimage of Mercy. Maria Goretti's tour around the States in conjunction with the Church's message of forgiveness is very dear to all of us at Our Lady of Grace. It was in God's infinite mercy that Mary was spared original sin and so could be filled with grace upon grace. Father (Eric) Kowalski and I stress frequently in our teaching and preaching that nothing can separate us from the love of God except an unrepentant heart. St. Maria Goretti is the witness of faith in action! She offered her death to soften the heart of her attacker, and he was saved.
"I was particularly excited to share St. Maria Goretti with our parishioners and all the visitors who came to Greensboro and Charlotte for these days of prayer. When I was in Rome, I visited Maria's church in Nettuno on many occasions. That church, too, is the parish of Our Lady of Grace! Moved by her story, softened by her life's witness and inspired by her heroic death, I saw how far this little girl had come in her walk with the Lord at such a young age. First, it put me to shame! Secondly, however, it challenged me to seek nothing but Christ, nothing but a radical love of Christ. Without having to make a pilgrimage to Italy, I hope the faithful visiting her will be challenged, as I was, to conversion and radical love."
— Father Noah Carter of Our Lady of Grace Church, which hosted the tour in Greensboro
"St. Maria Goretti's visit to Charlotte was a special grace, for all of us who helped plan the event and for everyone who attended. Her choice to hold fast to God, and her extraordinary act of forgiveness, is a powerful witness to us all and especially to youth. We were pleased to see so many young people come out in her honor, and seek her friendship and intercession."
— Rick Rotondi of Saint Benedict Press, sponsor of the relics tour to North Carolina
"When I learned that St. Thomas Aquinas was looking for volunteers to help make St. Maria Goretti's visit run smoothly, I jumped at the opportunity. It was amazing to see so many people come to venerate her relics and ask for her intercession. I have been suffering with a herniated disc in my back, and the pain sent me to the ER on Friday. The pain was still so bad on Saturday that during Mass I had to stand to listen to Father Carlos' homily (which was amazing). So I taped my St. Maria prayer card to my back and today is the first day in weeks that I have been pain-free. Perhaps even more important than the pain relief is the message of mercy and forgiveness that I took away with me.
"My oldest was confirmed the very next day and I was so full of joy and kept praying the prayer that Father Carlos taught us on Saturday: 'St. Maria Goretti, in imitation of you and for love of Jesus, I forgive anyone who has ever hurt me, and I pray for forgiveness from anyone I may have hurt.'
"What a beautiful weekend filled with so many graces!"
— Brice Griffin, volunteer from Charlotte
"At a time when Christ is being censored throughout the public square, we see that violence and sexual perversions of all sorts flood our airways and poison our children daily. By following St. Maria Goretti's example of love, forgiveness of her attacker and devotion to chastity, we can through our example help bring Christ back to the public square and do our part with Christ's help to lead the next generation to a holier life.
"This pilgrimage is about more than experiencing relics, it is about coming away with a conversion of heart to lead the life Christ wants for us."
— Jackie Gallagher, organizer for the North Carolina leg of the relics tour
How to Venerate St. Maria's relics
1. Please join the viewing lines, observing silence as you patiently wait your turn to reach St. Maria. If you have a handicap or are infirmed and cannot wait in line, please feel free to walk down a side aisle to the reliquary and inform one of the ushers at the body.
2. Each person will get only 15 seconds in front of the body. This is to keep the lines keep moving and to ensure that wait times are kept to a minimum. To assist with the sacredness of the veneration, no pictures are permitted in front of the body. The veneration time is a time exclu-sively for that: veneration.
3. Because your time in front of the body is limited, please do your praying while you are waiting in line. In this way, when you reach the body, you can take a good look at it, and take in the experience of venerating it.
4. You are highly encouraged to touch this reliquary. In every instance where relics are men-tioned in Scripture,
A. They always effect a healing.
B. Touch is means by which the healing comes about. (For more information see the large banner entitled, What are Relics?)
5. When you reach the front of the veneration line an usher will hand you a special prayer card of St. Maria Goretii as well as a prayer card of Alessandro Serenelli, her repentant murderer. St. Maria's card has been solemnly touched to her relics, making it a Third Class relic. It should be venerated according to the profound dignity it possesses. Alessandro's card has been touched to a letter handwritten by him following his conversion, a letter in which he invokes the inter-cession of St. Maria for someone in need. It should be treated with solemnity and respect.
6. You are encouraged to touch your objects of devotion to the reliquary (rosaries, medals, crosses, wedding bands, etc.), as a means of blessing them and making them Third Class relics. You may also touch pictures of your family members and friends to the reliquary as a way of invoking St. Maria's intercession upon them.
7. As no photographs of the reliquary are permitted during your veneration time, various pic-tures of St. Maria, of her reliquary, of Alessandro and her mother, are available at the back of the church for a nominal cost. You may wish to obtain pictures before you get in line so that you may touch them to the reliquary.
Venerating saint's relics on U.S. tour a chance for renewal, says priest
PHILADELPHIA — The major relics of St. Maria Goretti, known as the "patroness of purity," are on a "pilgrimage of mercy" in the United States this fall.
It the first time that her body has been in the United States. Before the relics are scheduled to be flown back to Italy Nov. 13, they will have been venerated in close to 20 states, including Pennsyl-vania. According to the website http://mariagoretti.com, plans for a 2016 tour of the western half of the U.S. "are currently being studied."
"It is a most wonderful thing to see a parish, a school, a prison renewed after an exposition," said Father Carlos Martins, who is leading the pilgrimage. "This is the basis for this ministry's existence, and I cannot wait to see where St. Maria will take it."
The relics consist of virtually all of the skeletal remains of St. Maria, encased in a lifelike wax effigy within a glass-sided casket. Her relics are on tour while her major shrine in Netunno, Italy, is un-der renovation.
In keeping with Pope Francis' declaration of the upcoming Year of Mercy, she was presented as a patroness of mercy, which seemed especially appropriate for the first stop: Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in New York. The exposition, held Sept. 21, was not open to the public but gave inmates an opportunity to venerate the relics.
After the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, came stops during the World Meeting of Families in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, at St. Maria Goretti Church in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22; the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia Sept. 23, and at St. John the Evangelist Church in the center city Sept. 24-25.
St. Maria Goretti was an 11-year-old Italian child in 1902 when she was repeatedly stabbed while defending her virginity from a 20-year-old attacker, Alessandro Serenelli. As she lay dying the next day, she received the Eucharist and forgave him, saying, "I want to see him in heaven forever."
Serenelli, who repented his crime while serving 27 years in prison, later entered a monastery. He was present for Maria's canonization by Pope Pius XII in 1950, at which time she was presented to youth as a model of chastity.
At St. Maria Goretti Church in Hatfield, Father Andrew Brownholtz, pastor, said exposition and veneration lasted the entire day and included at least 25 priests coming for the celebration of Mass.
Over the course of the day, he estimated, thousands of people visited the church to venerate the relics of the parish's patron saint.
The National Shrine of St. Rita was the first in the archdiocese to agree to host the pilgrimage. Reverencing the relics began after the noon Mass at the shrine and continued into the evening on Sept. 23, according to Augustinian Father Joseph Genito, pastor.
Meanwhile, visitation at the shrine picked up noticeably during the World Meeting of Families, including a busload of visitors from Australia with an archbishop and bishop celebrating Mass. Toward the end of that week, the shrine was booked solid for tours.
Because St. John the Evangelist Church is in center city, in addition to hosting the St. Maria Goretti relics for two days, the parish was booked solid with bishops, archbishops and a cardinal cele-brating Masses for their pilgrims, according to Capuchin Franciscan Father John Daya, pastor.
In addition to those guests, on Sept. 24 a new oratorio, "The Wedding Feast of the Lamb," was presented in the church, and the following day Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, who is the daughter of St. Gianna Molla and a physician, gave a presentation.
— Lou Baldwin, Catholic News Service
A full schedule for the relics tour can be found at http://mariagoretti.com.
What is Black Catholic History Month?
On July 24, 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the history and heritage of black Catholics. November is significant because two important black saints are commemorated within the month: St. Martin de Porres' feast day (Nov. 3) and St. Augustine's birthday (Nov. 13). With All Saints and All Souls' Day, we also remember the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora.
African-American Catholics by the numbers
There are 3 million African-American Catholics in the United States.
Of Roman Catholic parishes in the United States, 798 are considered to be predominantly African-American. Most of those continue to be on the East Coast and in the South.
About 76 percent of African-American Catholics are in diverse or shared parishes, and 24 percent are in predominately African-American parishes.
Check out the many educational resources online detailing the contributions of African-American Catholics in the U.S., at www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/cultural-diversity/african-american/resources.
— USCCB
Pictured: Black Catholics across the diocese, including the vibrant parish of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, are rooted in praise and spirituality. Our Lady of Consolation's award-winning choir, the Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir, is pictured above during a concert, along with a recent African-American Affairs Ministry sponsored tent revival at the parish. (Photos provided by Rosheene Adams)
What is the diocese's African- American Affairs Ministry?
On May 17, 1985, a group of 10 people calling themselves the Committee for Concerned Black Catholics met to discuss issues and concerns that were particular to black Catholics in the diocese. They urged then Bishop John Donoghue to coordinate efforts of black Catholics in the diocese.
In July 1985, the ministry was officially begun as the Diocesan Committee on Black Catholic Ministry and Evangelization, and was a part of the diocesan Ministry for Justice and Peace. In 1989 it became a separate office to address and serve the needs and concerns of black Catholics in the diocese.
Since then, the African-American Affairs Ministry has grown. Its main goal is to make visible the work, contributions, traditions and culture of black Catholics to the Church and to society, and to propose adequate diocesan responses to racism and other social injustices.
— www.charlottediocese.org
Predominantly black parishes in the diocese
The diocese has four parishes with an African-American Catholic heritage:
- Our Lady of Consolation Church, Charlotte (1955, combining the former St. Mary and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes)
- St. Mary Church, Greensboro (1928)
- St. Benedict the Moor Church, Winston-Salem (1940)
- St. Helen Mission, Spencer Mountain (early 1900s)
Related story: Black Catholic popes, saints and leaders
Biloxi's retired bishop has historic local ties
Bishop Emeritus Joseph L. Howze of Biloxi, Miss., was the first priest of the Diocese of Charlotte to become a bishop and the first black Catholic bishop in the 20th century to head a diocese. At the time of his retirement in 2001, he was the top-ranking active black Catholic bishop in the U.S.
A native of Daphne, Ala., he converted to Catholicism in 1948. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Raleigh on May 7, 1959, and his first assignment was at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte.
When the Diocese of Charlotte was carved out of the Diocese of Raleigh in 1972, then Father Howze was serving as the pastor of the Parish (now Basilica) of St. Lawrence in Asheville. Soon after, he was consecrated auxiliary bishop of Natchez-Jackson, Miss., and in 1977 he became the first bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi. He retired in 2001.
The bishop recently shared some recollections of growing up in the segregated South and how racial healing was gradually brought about through the 1964 Civil Rights Act. "I think I was about 9 years old when the Depression came on," he said. "I remember that there was very strong segregation in Alabama, especially in Baldwin County. We went to public schools and the schools for the black kids were closed in March so they could work in the potato fields. The other schools were not closed. So that shows you the difference between the races during that particular time. Segregation was pronounced."
However, Bishop Howze said his family was fortunate in that they were never the targets of serious racial backlash. Nevertheless, Bishop Howze said that, as a young boy, he wondered about different aspects of racial segregation. "I wondered why, when we got on a public bus, we had to sit in the back with a curtain drawn in front of us and things like that," he told the Gulf Pine Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Biloxi. "But there was no racial violence directed toward me and my family when I was growing up."
— Catholic News Herald and Catholic News Service