Mount Saint Mary College is celebrating Black History Month with a daily tribute to Black Catholics who have had a profound impact on the faith.
The project has been spearheaded by Fr. Gregoire Fluet, campus chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, and Robert Miller, associate professor of Religious Studies and chair of the Division of Philosophy and Religious Studies.
Miller and Fr. Fluet, along with the help of several other professors and Mount students, have been highlighting the lives and accomplishments of Black saints and noteworthy people in the Catholic Church via a daily email to campus. They will continue the project though the end of February.
"The Catholic Church is, by its very nature, universal and diverse," noted Miller. Black Catholics "have been instrumental in the life and growth of the Church. In learning their stories, we learn of their love and devotion to the Church, to God, and to whomever they met. Learning their stories makes one ask more questions about them, about the Church, and about society at the times they lived."
Those who have been highlighted in the campaign so far range from Saints Perpetua (a noblewoman) and Felicity (a slave), who lived in the third century in Carthage, Northern Africa, to more recent contributors, like Sr. Thea Bowman, who in the 1950s, became the only Black member of the Franciscan Sisters.
There's also Bishop Joseph Howze, the first Black Catholic Bishop appointed in the 20th century and the founding Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi; and Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, who immigrated from Cuba and founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first Black Catholic order in the United States.
"When we see what people can accomplish and where people can go with love, it can't help but kindle an even greater love and a greater response to the call of love," said Fr. Fluet.
Miller added, "Celebrating Black Catholics is celebrating the Church; it is celebrating the gift of God...salvation is for all who accept it, seek God, and live it with love in their hearts."
According to Fr. Fluet and Miller, there are more than 3 million Black Catholics in just the United States today, including about 250 priests, nearly 440 deacons, and 5 bishops.