(The first of two parts)
Compiled by Adrienne Curry

On November 3-4, 1500 Black Catholics gathered at De LaSalle Institute to identify and inaugurate the implementation of a vision for ministry in the Black Catholic community for the new millennium. There were presentations and table discussions on five topics: Evangelization, Vocations, Tithing, Parishes, and Parish elementary schools.

History of the Convocation

During the service of Auxiliary Bishop George Murry, SJ (1995-1998) three separate groups within the Black Catholic community convened to address the issue of the future of the Catholic Church in the Black Community. Each of these groups approached the auxiliary Bishop offering their services to assist him in developing plans for the continued evangelization, growth and development of the Black Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Bishop Murry, recognizing these initiatives as the movement of the Spirit, invited the members of these three groups to convene to begin a mutual discernment as to how the group should proceed to facilitate the participation of the Black Catholic community in the process of Archdiocesan planning. From these initiatives the idea of a Black Catholic Convocation emerged.

When Bishop Murry was transferred to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Bishop Joseph Perry was appointed the succeeding African American Bishop of Chicago, he convened the Black Catholic Convocation Steering Committee and asked it to work with him and Mrs. Sheila Adams, Director of African American Ministries to continue to plan for the Convocation. The committee continued its work from 1998 to the present.

The then Vicar General, Bishop Raymond Goedert, asked Bishop Perry to use this opportunity to provide the Archdiocese with recommendations for Catholic Ministry among Blacks in general and Black Catholics in particular.

Following are the top recommendations by delegates. 485 delegates (or 78% of registered delegates) participated in the voting process that concluded at approximately 9:00 p.m., Saturday, November 4, 2000.

I. The Catholic community of Chicago in general, and Black Catholics in particular will benefit from a creative and assertive outreach to non-practicing Catholics and the unchurched. Therefore, we propose to:

1. Establish a task force to research and design appropriate evangelization programs, /AND/
2. Charge the task force to present these programs to parish leadership for implementation.

I. Recognizing that every call to serve God is a vocation, it is important to have enough African-American priests, deacons, and religious women and men to insure effective ministry that reflects Black culture in the Catholic Church of Chicago. Therefore, we propose to:

• Establish a Black Catholic Vocations Committee to:
• Work in collaboration with and provide input to Archdiocesan recruitment and education of seminarians, deacons, and religious men and women, /AND/,
• Assist in the preparation of parish priests and other ministers, for service in the Black community, /AND/,
• Work with parish vocations committees to identify, call forth, and mentor interested candidates for priesthood and religious life among our children and young adults, /AND/,
• Promote programs and information on vocations in collaboration with area seminaries and religious congregations.

Tithing

I. Parishes must be financially sound. Responsible stewardship on the part of parishioners keeps financially solvent and nurtures strong commitment and participation among members. Parishioner tithing is one way for Catholics, especially Black Catholics, to offer financial and material resources to advance the mission of parishes and the Church of Chicago. Therefore, we propose to:

• Establish a task force to research and present appropriate tithing programs to parish leaders, /and/
• Adopt a tithing program (the biblical 10% of one’s income) and educate members in how to participate.

Parishes should be centers of life and faith. They are a means of maintaining a Catholic presence and a vehicle for offering our gifts to the surrounding communities. However, the reality is that the current and projected limited pool of priests and religious women and men, as well as the need for sufficient financial resources, challenges the future of parishes in the Black Catholic community. Therefore, we propose that the Archdiocese:

• Cluster the present configuration so that parishes with small memberships would exist under a team of priests, deacons, religious, and lay ecclesial ministers, who provide ministry and administration from various central ministry locations.

The purpose of Catholic schools is to continue the mission of the Church to transform its members in particular and society in general, through education. Historically, Catholic schools have been an important means of evangelization within the Archdiocese, especially within the Black community. Therefore, we propose that the Archdiocese:

• Support parish schools in the black community, even those with a majority non-Catholic student enrollment, since a primary purpose of Catholic schools in the Black community is evangelization.

Parish Elementary Schools- Part II

Traditionally Catholic schools have not only provided education but also faith formation for young people and served as a means of evangelization of the wider community. However, for most parishes, the school is the largest mission effort of the parish and requires a significant share of resources. Therefore, for proper usage of parish resources where schools are concerned, we propose that the Archdiocese:

• Implement a Re-mapping, and Re-configuration into New Regional schools with a central administration that combines resources and personnel, resulting in vibrant, effective, and fiscally sound centers of excellence with strong curriculums, solid teaching staffs, and appropriate technology.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, delegates took this voting process very seriously and many made comments on the ballots. Many felt that some of the options presented were unacceptable but voted anyway because they didn’t want their vote invalidated because they had not followed instructions. Some abstained on certain issues, and marked the ballots so that it was clear that they had not simply overlooked the opportunity to vote.

(Part II will look at what has happened in the Black Catholic Community since the Convocation)