Representation of Pope St. Miltiades
Some people lambaste Christianity as “a white man’s religion.” Worse yet, there have been Christians, Black and White, Protestant and even Catholic, who regard Catholicism as a “white church.” Amazingly enough, these myths and misconceptions remain entrenched in some people’s minds.
On July 24, 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics. Two commemorative dates fall within this month, Saint Augustine’s Birthday (November 13) and Saint Martin de Porres’ Feast Day (November 3). More importantly, November not only marks a time when we pray for all saints and souls in loving remembrance, but also a time to recall the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora.
Some people forget that Christianity did not originate in Europe and even express surprise when they learn that Black Catholic History began in the Acts of the Apostles (8: 26-40) with the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip the Deacon. This text is important for several reasons. First, it chronicles the conversion of the first Black African in recorded Christian history. Second, the text suggests that the man was a wealthy, literate, and powerful emissary of the Nubian Queen and also a faithful, practicing Jew prior to his baptism. Clearly, he was not an ignorant heathen. Third, the Ethiopian Eunuch’s conversion predates the conversions of Saints Paul and Cornelius. Most significantly, many cite this conversion as the very moment when the church changed from a Hebrew and Hellenist community to the truly Universal and Catholic Church.
(Source: The above block quote was lifted wholesale off the website of the National Black Catholic Congress).
Never one to get giddy in the celebratory dance of having “the first black” this or that (much prefer to cheer the “first good” ones), I post this as a conversation point for a Caribbean reader. North Africa, where the three African popes to date are reported to have come from, is now almost entirely Muslim. Many Caribbean and black youth, especially men, continue to be pushed into the arms of Islam, Rastafarianism and other dubious sects.
There are several reasons for this, which I hope to explore in the future. For now, to this reader, I say ponder this. At present, the Catholic Church is vibrant in Africa but disoriented in Europe, where it is feebly attempting to regather. Was it Catholicism per se, or a strand of Europeanism that led to the Trans Atlantic slave trade, and to the chaos in the Western Church post Vatican II?
November 27, 2009 at 3:58 am |
I’ve read this site, too — lots of fascinating information.
The Church could do itself a favour and roll these stories out to counter the leftist meme of ‘Christianity is caucasian’. (Utter rubbish, that.) Christianity is for everyone, everywhere.
Anyway, as to the slave trade it was all about (secular) greed and trade coupled with certain Africans already conquering tribes who were willing to facilitate it.
Agree with you about publicising ‘the first good …’ and not ‘the first’ anythiing. So true.
November 27, 2009 at 12:13 pm |
I am in total agreement with you Churchmouse. Sometimes I think we need to “borrow” from the leftist regimes of old and have massive “re-education” programmes for Christians. Then again, most Catholics have had a very poor formation so it won’t be re-education. Many have not really been educated in the basics of their faith to begin with. As you have pointed out on your blog, with your posts on the CCHD collections in the United States and the diversions of the funds by Catholic bishops to secular, anti-Christian indoctrination “workshops” by community organizers instead of boosting funding for Catholic education, our church seems to have a crisis of self-confidence. Also, one of the sad aspects of Catholicism in the Caribbean and in black communities in the US is that a lot of what you rightly refer to as “utter rubbish” has been planted in the minds of once comfortably Catholic populations by “progressive” Christians, dissenting Catholic priests and “social justice” nuns who are Caucasian. Sad but true — so the influence of the Church has waned considerably and the number of Catholics is in sharp decline in some islands.
November 27, 2009 at 6:10 pm
That’s so sad to read. I am very sorry that the Catholic population is declining so severely in the Caribbean.
What sort of ‘borrowing’ do you have in mind? I’m intrigued. Maybe you could do a future post on it? There is in the US the new Manhattan Declaration:
http://manhattandeclaration.org/
150,000 people have signed it already.
I think there should be more visible signs where possible, too — when I was young, girls always wore gold crosses. Some still do, but it’s less the done thing now and some workplaces actually prohibit it. (Remember the BA employee in the UK who went to court over it. And, you’ll recall the stories about English schoolgirls and nurses who can’t wear small crosses. Shameful.) People (who don’t belong to another world religion) who freak out over seeing a cross or are afraid to enter a church have a guilty conscience. I’m sure that’s a large part of the psychology behind this. Just my opinion.
I’ve been reading about Christmas trees (so, not necessarily creches) being removed from courthouse lawns in the US this week — and in conservative Christian towns. All it takes is one complaint. I think there’s an Alinsky tactic here: ‘Hold them to their rules’, so that if just ONE complaint comes in, the tree has to go. Absurd.