Inside the Core We Celebrate Black Saints

 Inside the Core this week, we are celebrating the legacy of Black Saints in the Roman Catholic Church, looking forward to a program led by Reverend Forrest Pritchett, who heads the MLK Leadership program and teaches in Africana Studies, with Nkosi Anderson, Ph.D., who also teaches in Africana Studies and the Department of Religion. Both Reverend Pritchett and Professor Anderson also teach in the Core. The Core is proud to co-sponsor of this event.

 At 2 p.m., Tuesday, November 19, Reverend Pritchett (in person), in the Core Center, Mooney 339 and Professor Anderson (on Teams) will share about the importance of these individuals who are moving along on the road to canonization.

Reverend Pritchett shared this statement about how he became involved in this topic and the importance of this legacy:

In 2020 I was approached by the St. Peter Claver RC Church in Montclair with a special request. They were preparing to celebrate their 90th anniversary in 2021. They knew all of the history of their church but knew very little of the history of the Catholic church in the lives of Black Americans. I was honored to prepare such research because shortly after arriving at Seton Hall in 1978, I was introduced to Newark Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Francis. He was one of ten Black Bishops in the United States but the only one serving in the Northeast. He shared his personal achievements and struggles with me for the course on the Black Studies Center offered on the Black Church. I consented to prepare that history for St. Peter Clever Church.

In 1968, shortly after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) designated November as Black Catholic History Month. Two significant commemorative dates fall within this month, Saint Augustine’s Birthday (November 13) and Saint Martin de Porres’ Feast Day (November 3). November is a time when the Catholic community prays for all saints and souls in loving remembrance, and it is a time to recall the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora.

This initiative complements the current Seton Hall Mission Statement and will be one of several initiatives to be implemented. Professor Anderson will join us with reflections.

 Join us in the Core Center, where there will be light refreshments, or on Teams.

Categories: Faith and Service