Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., M.A. 1969, Ph.D. 1972, is a step closer to being recognized as a saint. The Diocese of Jackson – where she was born, became Catholic, and later served as an intercultural consultant – has completed the initial phase of her canonization process. This included researching and documenting her life and virtue. Boxes filled with the findings and documents gathered during this phase will be ceremonially sealed and then sent to the Congregation of the Causes of Saints following a Feb. 9, 2026, Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz in Jackson, Miss. “We join our prayers to those of the Diocese of Jackson as Sr. Thea’s process of canonization moves ahead. Her legacy of compassion, prophetic witness, inculturation of worship, and unwavering love for Christ and the Church continues to inspire the generations of students who have walked the same campus she did,” said University President Peter Kilpatrick. The descendant of enslaved persons, Sr. Thea Bowman’s parents sent her to Catholic schools. She became Catholic in high school and, inspired by Catholic sisters and priests, joined a religious order. She went on to teach at the elementary and secondary levels. Read More

BlackCatholicMessenger.com: Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, and FKA Twigs were big winners on music's biggest night, along with several honorees in non-competitive categories. Read More

onevoicebhm.org: KPC Members Bro. Brent Patterson (Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen Council) and Sir Knight Deacon Jacky Rodgers (Martin Luther Assembly 19) honored! The Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama held it Diocesan Prayer Breakfast in commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s Life Center. The guest speaker was Father Kareem R. Smith, who was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 2018, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Currently, Father Smith serves as the pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New Rochelle, NY. His ministry, however, extends beyond parish life. He is the senior chaplain for the Pierre Toussant Scholarship Program, the chaplain for black Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York, president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, and a board member of the National Black Catholic Congress. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Iona Preparatory School and Cardinal Spellman High School. Father Smith champions black Catholic spirituality, youth engagement, and liturgical diversity across the United States. Read More

The Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington, D.C., recently released two documentaries — one highlighting African American Catholics on the path to sainthood and the focusing on Native American Catholic communities in the United States. Read More

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fairfield hosted a listening session with Bishop Steven Raica and the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary of Zone 4 on Nov. 15. Fathers Vernon Huguley, Philip Paxton, and Kenneth Keke participated with Diocesan Director of Black Catholic Ministry James Watts giving a presentation. Read More

Xavier University of Louisiana today announced a $38 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This transformative investment is Scott’s second major gift to Xavier and is the largest private donation in university history. She awarded Xavier $20 million in 2020 in recognition of the University’s national impact as the only historically Black and Catholic institution in the United States. Read More

On the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, urged a fraternal group of lay Catholics to remember that they are temples of the Holy Spirit. “You are God’s building,” Cardinal McElroy told the Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of Peter Claver, gathered for Mass on Nov. 8 at St. Thomas More Church in Southeast Washington, D.C. “When you hear the word of God and take it into your heart,” each human person becomes “the most important building,” he said, drawing on the words of St. Paul. Read More

OSV NEWS: In recent months, renewed attention has been given to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a landmark piece of legislation that helped secure the right to vote for Black Americans, particularly in the South, where discriminatory practices persisted even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Supreme Court recently heard a case that will have wide implications for how the Voting Rights Act is enforced. The court has the power to preserve the kinds of protections our faith motivates us to defend and must do so. Read More