PROVIDENCE — Diocesan participants who attended the tenth National Black Catholic Congress said they returned home with renewed faith and optimism.
The congress, held every five years, took place July 12-15 in Buffalo, N.Y. The theme was “Christ is With Us:?Celebrating the Gifts of the Sacraments.” About 2,500 people from the United States, West Africa and the Caribbean attended the convention.
Representing the Diocese at the conference were David M. Beaudouin, diocesan secretary for Catholic Education, Spiritual Formation and Evangelization; Patty January, coordinator of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry; and Virginia Gonsalves, a parishioner of Our Lady of Loreto Parish, East Providence, and a member of the Black Catholic Ministry advisory board.
“I brought back an enriched spirituality of what it means to be a black Catholic,” said January, adding that the congress allowed her to experience her strong Catholic faith and rich cultural heritage and traditions through liturgies and other celebrations held throughout the congress.
“It was invigorating and validating,” she added.
Gonsalves noted that while black Catholics are a small part of the American church, faith plays an important role in their lives and they have a great love for the church and its traditions.
“We are an extremely vibrant part of the Catholic Church,” she said, adding that many older participants at the congress were proud to call themselves “cradle Catholics,” while other individuals eloquently noted in presentations that they were converts from other Christian denominations.
“One of the things that impressed me is that there were a lot of young people and young adults at the congress,” Gonsalves observed. “It gave me a tremendous amount of hope.”
She added that many young adults addressed the need for a youth conference to be held before the next general congress in 2012.
Gonsalves said that the young black Catholics delivered a powerful message to older, more experienced congress participants.
“They said ‘We are ready. We want to do things. We are looking for mentorship — then step aside,’” Gonsalves recalled.
January said that gatherings such as the National Black Catholic Congress and similar events help young black Catholics to understand that there is a place for them in the American Catholic Church. Once their presence is welcomed and validated, they are ready to work for the good of the church.
The diocesan leader emphasized that being with so many empowered Catholics who share a common experience was uplifting.
“They were enriched and?I think that their faith was brought to a higher level, where they were encouraged to become more involved in their parish communities,” she said.
January said that the national congress also affirmed the work that the Office of Black Catholic Ministry performs in the diocese in creating faith and leadership building programs and encouraging youths to become involved in lay ministry programs or for young men to enter the diaconate.
Gonsalves said that while the conference participants were mostly of African lineage, the topics addressed in the workshops, such as the sacraments, evangelization, prayer, and faith formation are pertinent to all Catholics.
“It was so spiritually uplifting,” she said. “The warmth that you felt, the hugging, the genuine greetings. When people shook your hand at the Sign of Peace, they really took your hand. I got so many hugs from complete strangers.”
January agreed, adding that there is a strong collaboration among black Catholic leaders across the country.
