FEBRUARY
4J THE CHURCH IN THE U.S. ,
23,2007
Black Catholic priest·hist~rian .
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Baltimore group attempting to fill Catholic churches with more men
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retraces his own faith history WASHINGTON (CNS) -;- Benedictine Father ing Heritage," and "Henriette Delille, Servant of Slaves, Cyprian Davis, one of the leading historians of the Witness to the Poor." He is co-author of "Taking Down black Catholic experience in the United States, came Our Harps: Black Catholics in the United States," with to the Catholic Church thanks in part to history: But it Georgetown University theology ·professor Diana wasn't the kind of history that's reflected in his own Hayes, and "Stamped With the Image of God: African books. Americans as God's Image in Black," with Domini"Ever since I was a kid, I devoured books on his- can Sister Jamie T. Phelps. The odd thing -is that Father Davis tory," said Father Davis, now 76 years old. "It's part of the reason I became ...... . . ; . . - - - - - - - - - - , hadn't priginally intended to write . a Catholic. • about black Catholics. "That really began to grow within "I converted when I was kid - I .me when I almost finished my career was in my teens.... One of the books as a student at the Univer'sity ·of I re!TIember reading was unbelievable: H.G. Wells' '.The Outline of Louvain" in Belgium, Father Davis History' - and H.G. Wells was not tpld Catholic News Service in a rea great Christian man," he said, cent telephone intervi~w from Sl. .·Meinrad. . laughing. "I wasn't worried about that. I was "I was getting a degree in history, into all the descriptions of what was and I had specialized in a sense when going on, what the popes did. I I wrote my dissertation. It Was dealthought it was great. So it was not an ing with monastic history," he said. intellectual understanding that led me "When I went away to study history, into Catholicism. This was a typical, I had no desire to study American I guess, sort of adolescent interest." history, particularly because I was not Later on, Father Davis said, "I interested in reading about slavery, began to read other things. I would BLACK HISTORIAN and to read about the problems of never describe my odyssey as being Benedictine Father Cyprian race and so forth. That was a painful Davis, a leading scholar on the an intellectual journey. It was more history of black American Catho- subject and'l didn't want to spend my or less a falling in love with history. lies, is the winner of this year's time doing that." It made me fall in love with one of Marianist Award from the Univer- . Father Davis returned to the the things history talks about and that sity of Dayton, Ohio. (CNS file United States in .1963. And what a would be the Catholic Church." photo) time it was. It is a love that has served both _ "All those times were in ferment, Father Davis and his chosen church well. On February especjally in regard to civil rights, and that's when I 1, he received the Marianist Award from the Univer- began to realize its importance. People began to come sity of Dayton in Ohio. The award honors a Catholic and ask me about being black and Catholic: 'What is whose work has made a major contribution to intel- myphice in the church?'" he recalled. "That's when I lectuallife. began to realize thal this is important. ... That's when I Father Davis, a Church history professor at Sl. began to do my own research." . Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, is perhaps The research hasn't ended, either. "I'm interested, best known for his book "The History. of Black Catho- really, right now in bringing up to date the book I wrote lics in the United States." on the history of black Catholics," Father Davis told He is also the author of "Christ's Image in Black: CNS. "I'm especially interested right now in the po~i The Black Catholic Community Before the Civil War," tion of biack Catholics during the civil rights crisis, "To Prefer Nothing To Christ," "The Church: A Liv- because that has not been studied a lot."
_ Chufch official calls. for prayer in wake of Utah shootings
BALTIMORE (CNS)- Having Anthony of Padua parishioner. ."We started areally positive partnoticed that men have become a vast minority in .Catholic parishes nership with Archbishop Curley in northeast Baltin;lore, St. Arithony High School this year," .Gray told ofPadua parishioner Paul Gerhardt The Catholic Review, newspaper of and a group of his friends decided the Baltimore Archdiocese. ''Their to unite with a mission to luremem- students are required to perform serbers oftheir gender back to church. vice projects and we've gotten them So was born the Northeast involved in some of our projects. It Catholic Brotherhood a little more helps them out as it helps us out." Those projects include the conthan a year ago, and with about 25 tinuing renovation of an unused men from three area faith cOmmubuilding on the Sl. Anthony of nities participating, the gr~up has .PaduaIMother Mary Lange Cathoignited a movement that mspires lic School campus that they are religious and community ~volve transforming into a youth center and ment. the Good Samaritan Car Wash, he "We're a pretty informal' group, but we're serious about getti,Og men said. The cmwash ~as an impromptu back in the Church and coptributing to the community at large:' said enterprise last summer when they Gerhardt, 50, of BaltiplOre's .leamed a fellow parishioner had lost Gardenville neighborhood. ~'I'm re- her father and couldn't afford the ally enthused by what we'veaccom- marker for his interment. "Within an afternoon, we pulled plished in the last year an4 I think our outreach efforts are only going together, planned the carwash and to grow." , then we raised the money for the Each month the group meets in marker:' Gray said. 'We discovered the rectory kitchen at S1. ~thony we could mobilize on short notice. of Padua for a casual dinner and to Now, we want to make this an anplan its outi.'each program~, minis- nual event to support a worthy tries and how to get male Catholics cause;' Last October the brotherhood - especially yt:>Unger men - morganized a living rosary at St. Anvolve(i with area parishes. Represented in the group are pa- thony of Padua, with a group of 49 rishioners from St. Anthony of Catholics holding rosary beads the Padua, Most Precious Blood and St. size of a softball that lit up as each Francis of Assisi, which ~e all in participant began reciting his Hail Baltimore. This year they hope to Mary, said Joe Wehberg, 47, of the attract Catholics from o,ther area Belair Edison neighborhood and a parishioner at Most Precious Blood. churches. ''That's a tradition I think we'll Qrr a recent Tuesday night over beef stew, about 15 members of the continue for years to come," brotherhood reflected on the past Weh~erg s~d. "You 'know, it was year and agreed there is hope for fun and it showed everyone how entheir gender's participation in joyable (religious involvement) can be." Church activities. " The group still has no officers With the group having hosted prayer meetings, liturgy etiscussions and their monthly meetings remain and several service projects, its informal, but their commitment to progress is steady but sur~, said Ken a male population boom in NorthGray, a 40-year-old father and St. east Baltimore parishes is fierce.
SALT LAKE CITY - Msgr. J. ceive the fullness of eternal life, that the more seriously injured were transTerrence FitzglErald, administrator of their families and friends receive com- .ported to the University ofUtah Medithe Diocese of Salt Lake City, called fort, and that our entire £:ommunity cal Center, LDS Hospital and Salt on Catholics to unite in prayer for vic- may worktogether to achieve the heal- Lake Region31 Medical Center.. tims of a shooting spree at a shopping ing that is so badly needed at this time:' mall and their families and for the gun- Msgr. Fitzgerald said. FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY OF STEUBENVILLE man and his family. Terrified shoppers and diners at Five people were killed and atleast . downtown Salt Lake City's Trolley four-more were wounded in a shoot- Square shopping mall were running ing spree atTrolley Squarein SaltLake for their lives and hiding under resCity February 12. The gunman was taurant tables and in any nook, cranny fatally shot by police. Authorities were or closet they could find afteran.18i trying to figure out what sparked the year-old man went on a deadly shoot.ing spree shortly after 6:40 p.m. FebrarnPilge. Teaching Excellence • 35 Majors,7 Graduate!: Programs • Dynamic Orthodoxy ''We pray for everyone who has ruary 12. Engaging Campus Culture • LifeJchanging Outreaches been traWJ.latized by this violent event, . Trolley Square, a quaint, 239,000including the police officers involved, square-foot shopping center built the rescue workers,. Trolley Square around the city's old trolley barns, rnnciscan University's demanding academics:: integrate faith and reason within a employees, and all of the jJeOple who . erupted with the sounds of gunfire, vibrant spiritual -environment. Our life~gjvi*g intellectual and faith community were in the mall at the time of the screaming and people running for teaches our students to love God and love true wisdom. Our engaging campus culture shootings:' said Msgr. Fitzgerald. cover when the shootit?g began at a invites them to seek ongoing pers~nal converSIon in the power of the Holy Spirit. "I pray that we will draw strength site outside the mall. This tOtal Catholic educational experience helps s.tudents achieve the Christian maturity, from our faith and the faith of those By t;he time the shooting stopped, integrity, and knowledge they need to live as "saltland light" in the world. around us as we reach out as a com- six people including the gunman lay munity of compassion and caring," dead; and at least four people were said the priest, whose statement was seriously injured. An unknown numissued before police released the iden- ber of shoppers, diners and mall emtities of the victims or the gunman. ployees were being treated for minor ..\:'"'''101''''' -:; .::lft:' c;t,J'::0r"', :J,J"/' ;.rr ~ "'I' ,t -, :'; P . . ~ ~!~ - \ l r 1''y ar,"'" '>( ..... ''We pray that the victims may re- injUries and shock on the scene while .
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