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cross cultural ministry: one church in two different worlds

     Keynote Address
African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious in the United States
By
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph. D., S.T.D.
Bishop of Belleville
10:00 AM Friday, August 8, 2008
Homewood Hotel
Archdiocese of Chicago

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ:

            Peace be with you! I am very grateful to your National President, Father Martins C. Emeh, for inviting me to speak to you this morning. My first words to you must be words of great gratitude; gratitude to you and to all of the African priests and religious who are serving in a variety of pastoral ministries in dioceses all over the United States. Your missionary presence in our midst is an outstanding gift to the Catholic Church in the United States. You are making a much needed contribution to the life of the Church.

            When I spoke to Father Emeh about this gathering I told him that, while I have a great interest in the topic, I am not an expert on the fast growing, diverse Church in Africa. Nor am I an expert on all questions concerning the impact and pastoral effectiveness of African priests and religious in this country.  My remarks are based on many years of personal experiences in various African countries and in a variety of U.S. dioceses. I will address our topic, Cross Cultural Ministry: One Church in Two Different Worlds, under four headings: I. Fidei Donum Priests, II. Two Different Worlds, III. Seven Frequently Asked Questions, and IV. Conclusion: A Spirit-Filled Blessing.

I. Fidei Donum Priests

            While I am not an expert on the many aspects of the Church in Africa, I have had the opportunity to experience the Church in a number of African countries while attending various assemblies and pastoral events. These pastoral activities have taken me to countries north of the Sahara Desert, in East and West Africa, as well as southern Africa. I have been to some countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Congo, Senegal, the Gambia, Tanzania, Mali, Ethiopia, South Africa and Lesotho several times. This has made it possible for me to visit with the Christian faithful in a variety of ecclesial situations, while also meeting the bishops, priests, and religious who serve them. I have particularly appreciated the opportunity to ordain diocesan and religious priests in Africa.

            As a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, I encountered many African priests studying at the Catholic universities and serving in pastoral ministry. I have also served in other dioceses where there are a good number of African priests and religious. In my former Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana, I was fortunate to have a number of extraordinary African priests and sisters, especially the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy. In the Diocese of Belleville I have a number of priests who are pastors of two, three, or four parishes. I also have parishes led by lay Parish Life Coordinators, because of the lack of indigenous priests. For this reason, I have made a concerted effort to increase native vocations and to invite international priests to serve as missionaries to our people. I now have more than a dozen outstanding priests from Nigeria and Uganda, and seminarians from Kenya and Nigeria.  

            In Redemptoris Missio, his Encyclical Letter on the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate, Pope John Paul II wrote, “In his Encyclical Fidei Donum, Pope Pius XII, with prophetic insight, encouraged bishops to offer some of their priests for temporary service in the Churches of Africa, and gave his approval to projects already existing for that purpose. Twenty-five years later, I pointed out the striking newness of that Encyclical, which surmounted the territorial dimension of priestly service in order to direct it towards the entire Church. Today it is clear how effective and fruitful this experience has been. Indeed, Fidei Donum priests are a unique sign of the bond of communion existing among the Churches. They make a valuable contribution to the growth of needy ecclesial communities, while drawing from them freshness and liveliness of faith…. With an open and fraternal attitude, they should become part of the new setting of the Church, which welcomes them and form one presbyterate with the local priests, under the authority of the Bishop. I hope that a spirit of service will increase among the priests of the long-established churches, and that it will be fostered among priests of the churches of more recent origin.” (No68)

            Neither Pius XII nor John Paul II could have foreseen the growth of vocations in some of the “churches of more recent origin” and the decline in vocations in some of the “long-established churches.” As a result, younger churches are now sending priests to older churches where the need for priests is acute. While we have no exact figures, it is estimated that more than 400 hundred priests from Africa and Asia are arriving in the U.S. each year. More than half are from Africa.

            In 2001, Jozef Cardinal Tomko, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, issued an instruction “On the Sending Abroad and Sojourn of Diocesan Priests From Mission Territories,” which contained an important caveat stressing the need for such priests to be motivated by true missionary zeal and not simply the desire to enjoy the material benefits of America’s more prosperous economic conditions.

       Considering our need, the Catholic Church in the United States has been blessed in the past thirty-five years by the significant increase in the number of international priests who have come to serve in our dioceses. While there may be a few dioceses that have none, most have a few, some have many. In several cases international priests constitute nearly one-third of all the priests serving in the diocese. One recent study suggested that about twenty-five per cent of all priests doing parish ministry in the United States at this time have come to us from abroad and that their average age is significantly lower that that of our native clergy.

            These unselfish, dedicated priests have been sent by generous bishops who are aware of the urgent need for priests in the U. S.  In past centuries the Catholic Church in Europe and in the U. S. unselfishly sent priests to “missionary lands” such as Africa, Asia, South America, and the Pacific Islands that did not have sufficient numbers of priests. These priests made extraordinary contributions in spite of language and cultural differences between them and the people to whom they brought the Gospel. If bishops in the U. S. were to decline the pastoral ministry of priests from other countries today because some of these priests might encounter challenges in adapting to a different culture, as some have suggested, then it could also be argued that earlier American bishops should never have sent their priests abroad because of the difficulties they might have faced. This mentality would also suggest that current bishops should decline the pastoral ministry of native priests from our own communities, who do not always adapt well or serve effectively in our parishes. Just as there are no perfect Christians, there are no perfect priests or bishops anywhere in the world.
            In one of several pastoral visits to Africa, Pope John Paul II urged the local bishops to be generous in sharing their priests with other countries. He was building on the words of Pope Paul VI who told the vital young churches in Africa that now they can be missionaries to themselves and to the world because the Catholic Church urgently needs the “gift of Blackness” at this hour. The widespread practice of bishops sharing some of their priests with their brother bishops who lead Local Churches that have a greater need for priests than they have need not be characterized as “a temporary fix.” It is a profound expression of the catholicity and universality of the Church and of the communio between Local Churches. Pope Benedict XVI has noted that rather than speaking of a shortage of priests we might better speak of the need to distribute the priests we have in a more beneficial way. Perhaps, by God’s grace, during their service here the faith-filled, generous priests who come to us from abroad will inspire young men from our communities to consider the priesthood.
            These good international priests are not in any sense “foreign” priests. They are most welcome brother priests. Since in Christ there is no north or south or east or west; the fraternity of the worldwide priesthood is one. Because these fellow-workers in the harvest come from different countries they might best be called international priests, or even better, missionary priests. As we learn about the Church in their countries our catholicity is enriched. In turn, their catholicity is enriched by their sojourn with us. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are all Christ’s witnesses. 

II. Two Different Worlds
            African priests and religious in the U.S., like priests and religious everywhere, are witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time you are cross-cultural ministers, members of one Church while living in two different worlds. While you are certainly cross-cultural ministers, in a deeper sense, you are also counter-cultural ministers. It is certainly correct to acknowledge that the United States and Africa are, in some ways, two distinct worlds.  However, it would be more correct to acknowledge that the two are, in fact, many worlds.
            You have come to us from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Rwanda, and beyond. You know well that no two countries in Africa are the same, and within each country there are complex ethnic, tribal, linguistic, political, and social differences, as well as very different experiences of the Catholic Church. Sunday Mass at the Cathedral in Onitsha, Nigeria is quite different from the experience at the Cathedral in Kinshasa, Congo, and the Kinshasa liturgy is quite different from that in the Cathedral in Nairobi, Kenya.
            In recent decades a growing number of U.S. citizens have taken an interest in Africa. Some Americans have long traveled to the Serengeti and other game parks for hunting or photography safaris. And almost everyone is aware of the fleeting images of malnourished babies in Feed the Children appeals and bits and pieces about violence and war in the Sudan or Congo on the evening news. However, some Americans, have diligently informed themselves about inter-ethnic conflicts, the challenges facing young democracies, and the plight of millions suffering from famine in drought-plagued countries. For many, the remarkable story of Nelson Mandela, who led the non-violent overthrow of the racist, dehumanizing apartheid political system in South Africa, epitomizes the drama of a new Africa, full of potential and hope.
            Nevertheless, many Americans, including American Catholics, still know very little about Africa beyond Hollywood movies (from frivolous comedies like Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America,” to romances about Europeans in Africa, like Meryl Streep’s “Out of Africa,” to biting political commentaries like “Blood Diamond” and “The Last King of Scotland.” I have had discussions with Catholics in different parts of the country. Many have been startled to learn that the Church is flourishing in parts of Africa, that some dioceses have full convents and novitiates, hundreds of seminarians and ordain dozens of priests each year, and that many African priests speak English as their first language.

            The United States, in turn, is a vast and complex country made up of peoples from almost every country on earth. The ethnic, racial, economic, educational, cultural, political, and religious differences here are a great challenge to native clergy and an even greater challenge to priests and religious from abroad. You know from your own experience how different the spirit, feel, and style of the Church in New York is from the Church in Los Angeles; how different the Church in Chicago is from the Church in Houston, Texas; how different the Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan is from the Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
III. Seven Frequently asked Questions
           
With this introductory overview, I will now turn to the “frequently asked questions” you have asked me to address. I wish to stress at the outset that my responses will be necessarily abbreviated. They are meant to be a catalyst for your ongoing conversation during your days together.
1.)  What positive contributions from your African Catholic heritage can you bring to the Church in the U.S?

            African Catholics have a deep, almost spontaneous sense of the divine. Some have suggested that the African “soul” is naturally spiritual, with a profound sense of reverence. When I am in parishes in Africa, the faithful manifest a confidence in the presence of God active in their lives and in the world. I think this is due partly to the fact that African culture, like the culture of most “developing” countries, is not dominated by the presuppositions of empiricism, relativism, skepticism, and scientism that are so much a part of American culture. These presuppositions lead to a suspicion of feelings of awe and wonder, thinking them to be mere emotions with no spiritual or divine origin.

            You have a deep love for the Church and a great pride in your Catholic identity. This may be due, in part, to the relative youth of the Church in Africa. The Church is at the center of the life of the community.  Sunday Masses may last two hours with powerful music that engages the whole congregation including young people who are present in large numbers. There is no rush. The faithful are not in a hurry. The churches are full before Mass begins and the people remain after Mass for prayers of thanksgiving. In many American parishes there seems to be an unspoken understanding that the Eucharistic celebration must not last longer than an hour. Many communicants come late and leave early.

      It often comes as a surprise to Americans to learn that African culture is, in many ways, very compatible with many aspects of Catholicism. The “natural spirituality” that I mentioned earlier provides a ready openness to the Sacraments and a love for the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The African story-telling tradition provides a readiness to embrace the truth of the narrative theology in Scripture without the hermeneutic of suspicion born of enlightenment and post-enlightenment philosophy.

            In the African Church there is an enthusiastic embrace of ritual, liturgy, ceremony, costume, and music that are truly Afro-centric, while fully respecting the norms of the Holy See.  African community structures with elders, chiefs, and clear and distinct roles of men and women have an affinity for the Church, which is hierarchical. Africans have a great loyalty to the Holy Father and the magisterium; a deep respect for their bishops and a genuine love for their priests and religious. 

            Anyone who lives in an African community for an extended period of time quickly becomes aware of the extraordinary bonds of family life. Very strong family ties and community bonds are apparent everywhere. Many extended family groups live in one compound, which provides a nurturing environment for all members from the smallest infant to the infirm and the elderly. Family leadership is both patriarchal and matriarchal, with distinct responsibilities for the father and mother. Controversial developments in the U.S. such as legalized abortion upon demand and same sex marriage, which challenge traditional family structures, are, as you know, not prominent in Africa.

            These strong Catholic families, in which the Church is at the center of life, provide a natural atmosphere for nurturing vocations to the priesthood. Free of the anxieties caused in the U.S. by the catastrophic sin of clergy sexually abusing minors, parish priests in Africa welcome young boys to be of assistance around the parish. As volunteers and parish workers these young men develop a close relationship with the Church and healthy relationships with the priests at an early age. Almost every parish I have visited has a large number of altar boys (no altar girls) who are taught not simply “how to serve” but the true spiritual significance of the Mass. I continue to be amazed when I arrive in the sacristy at 5:30 AM for the 6:00 AM Mass and find the altar boys already present. They themselves have set up everything for Mass, even arranging the ribbons on proper pages of the Sacramentary and they are in prayer before the tabernacle. The parish priests spend considerable amounts of time with these servers not merely in recreation but in spiritual formation. Not surprisingly, many of them enter the seminary because they have developed a love for the Mass and the priesthood at an early age. Sometimes amid material poverty, spiritual wealth emerges.

2.)  What expectations do bishops and the Catholic faithful have of African priests and religious who come to America as missionaries?

            Each year a number of priests and religious come to the U.S. as graduate students residing in a parish and offering part-time assistance. My focus will be on the growing numbers who come to engage in full-time pastoral ministry. I cannot speak for every Bishop. However, I have discussed these issues with many bishops. When bishops or religious superiors release priests for missionary service, it is the expectation of most U.S. bishops that they have come to work, to commit themselves to the day-to-day pastoral ministry of the life of the Church.  There should be no ambiguity about this. They have not
come for a sabbatical, to raise money for family or religious communities back home, or to earn a degree on the side. Our expectation is that they are eager to “roll up their sleeves” as co-workers in ministry. Ordinarily, they should not come with any expectation of incardination, unless the receiving bishop has discussed this with their superiors.

            In my judgment, it is preferable for a missionary priest to come for at least three to five years in order to provide genuine pastoral help and ministerial stability. When priests come for a few months or a year this can be of help for filling in for vacations, or emergencies; however, it is not long enough for a lasting impact. Short stays can, in some instances, lead to special problems and tensions among the local clergy. It takes at least the first year to get acclimated. Only then can the priest begin to have a sustained impact on the parish by forming a Scripture and Eucharist-centered Christian community that makes Christ present in the world. A missionary is not a “supply priest” who simply celebrates the Sacraments. We expect him to be an energetic, dedicated missionary in the same way that American priests were when they first arrived as missionaries to Africa.

            This means learning the pastoral practices of the country and the diocese they are in and follow them faithfully. This includes celebrating the Liturgy in the manner proscribed by the General Instruction on the Roman Missal, careful preparation of homilies, including speaking slower and working on accent reduction, if needed. It also means taking the initiative to get to know the faithful and local priests and listening to their stories and sharing of their own. Of course, there is an expectation of loyalty to the Holy Father, obedience to the local bishop and fidelity to the magisterium. African priests and sisters should be faithful to the spiritual disciplines they developed in Africa, even if they are not followed by some of the priests and religious they encounter. This will give them the inner fortitude they need to deal with experiences of loneliness and seeming rejection that sometimes occur. It will also help them to comport themselves properly in their personal conduct, especially in fidelity to celibacy and appropriate discipline and abstemiousness regarding the use of food, alcohol, drugs, and money. We also expect priests to demonstrate pride in the priesthood in every way they can, including wearing clerical attire. They must have a degree of flexibility. Many American parishes do not have as much support staff as African parishes. They should not be surprised to find small one-priest parishes with no cook or housekeeper. They must keep in mind they have come as missionaries and be willing to lend a hand.

3.)  Are there negative elements in American culture and in the Church in the U.S. that African priests and religious will find challenging?

            Making comparisons between the Church in the United States and the various countries in Africa is difficult and there is always the risk of oversimplification. It would be incorrect to speak of a single American culture. It is more accurate to speak of American cultures, which range from the deeply religious to the militantly atheistic. In this country we no longer live under what Peter Berger called the “sacred canopy,” which suggested that most people accepted a Judeo-Christian world-view. The absence of the “sacred canopy” can lead to a loss of a sense of the sacred. This may result in the embrace of relativism (absence of objective truth), materialism (wealth and material success is the highest good), secularism (the exclusion of religious faith from the public square), egalitarianism (questioning of authority and institutional structures), and anti-intellectualism (abandonment of critical thinking). This can lead to a loss of respect for tradition and history. The icons of popular culture (entertainers and athletes) are “worshiped” as idols by many young people who are mesmerized by the glorification of sexuality and money. Africans beginning ministry here may be startled by our culture’s moral relativism, which does not uniformly oppose homosexual activities (including same sex marriage), and accepts legalized abortion. Within the Church herself, Catholic laity, religious and priests sometimes take an adversarial posture toward the magisterium, bishops, and the Holy Father. In this climate, the secular media often portray the Church in a negative light.
 
            African priests and religious would do well to avoid the factionalism that sometimes seems to divide the Church in the U.S. into “liberals” and “conservatives;” as if we were a mere political movement. The extreme conservatives seem to wish there had been no Second Vatican Council. Whereas, the extreme liberals seem to wish for a “third” Vatican Council, which would abandon the Church’s teachings and disciplines concerning the structure of the Church, the appointment of bishops, the proper celebration of the Mass and Sacraments, a male celibate clergy, sexual morality, and ultimately remake the Church in an image of American secular culture.

            Because of the great ethnic and racial diversity of our country, the U.S. has sometimes been called a “melting pot,” one nation formed by people from many backgrounds, all equally American. There are some indications that we are closer to that ideal today than ever. At the same time we cannot deny that racial prejudice and bias is still very much a part of the fabric of our society. This bias may be manifested in subtle or blatant ways, depending on circumstances and the part of the country you are in. It ranges from derogatory language to the systemic racism of economic, educational, or political structures that favor one group over another. While People of Color are often the objects of prejudice, they themselves may express prejudice by favoring those of fairer complexion over their darker brothers and sisters. There is also the sad reality of reverse racism, which leads People of Color to reject, even hate aspects of their African heritage. W.E.B. Dubois explores this in his classic study, The Souls of Black Folks. Hold fast to your pride in your African-ness. Do not be intimidated and do not let the hurtful attitudes of the few blind you to the great goodness of the many. 

4.)  Are there positive elements of the Church in the U.S. that could enrich African priests and religious?
           
            By some measures, the Catholic Church in this country may be stronger and more vital than any place in the world.  It is not possible to even summarize the many strengths and positive aspects of the Church in the U.S. In many communities around the country, Catholics manifest a strong faith in Jesus Christ, an openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a thirst for knowledge of the Scriptures, a desire to live the Gospel in daily life, a lively devotion to Mary and the saints, a high regard for the Holy Father and the bishops, an eagerness to embrace the renewal generated by the Vatican Council, an enthusiasm for ecumenism, a desire for vital, inspiring worship, a passion for justice and peace, and a willingness to roll up their sleeves and work hard, generously contributing time, talent, and treasure to the work of the Church.

            The restoration of the Permanent Diaconate in the U.S. has brought forth thousands of faithful Catholic men (usually married) in the service of the Church in ordained ministry. In many cases they are making extraordinary contributions in a wide range of positions from chancellor to chief financial officer. I know that there are permanent deacons in some dioceses in Africa. However, I do not have the sense that they are as wide spread or that they are playing equally significant roles. If this is the case, there may well be good reasons for this. At the same time, the generally positive success we have had with well-trained deacons may be worthy of note.

            American Catholics (even those who see themselves as prophetic reformers) have a deep love for the Church. In parishes around the country they are committed to the hard work and team spirit that is necessary to sustain church communities and an impressive school system. In the U.S. you will find an ecumenical openness and grassroots ecumenism that produces positive collaboration in caring for the poor and disenfranchised and genuine dialogue about the theological issues that divide Christians. Generally speaking, you will find many more lay women and religious sisters in important positions of leadership at the parish and diocesan levels than you will find in Africa.

            In the Church of Africa, the laity plays a key role, especially as catechists. However, lay ecclesial ministry in the U.S. is on a much greater scale having an impact on almost every aspect of ecclesial life. One of the reasons for the remarkable success of lay ministry in the U.S. is the degree of education and formation that these ministers have. They bring a high the level of theological knowledge and pastoral skills to their work. Their creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication are making a real difference in the life of the Church. 

5.)  Do U.S. bishops, pastors, religious sisters or should be priests, religious and lay ecclesial ministers experience any difficulties or challenges in working with African priests and religious?

            Most bishops, priests and religious are so appreciative of the gifts and dedication that African priests and religious bring to this country that they would probably hesitate to mention such challenges. They are certainly minor when compared with the positive experiences.
      
       Perhaps the most significant challenge is associated with the process of adapting to and understanding the differences between the style and pace of the ecclesial situation in the U. S. and that in various African countries.  Life here is fast paced, with an emphasis on getting as much done as possible. This leads to a focus on efficiency and punctuality that is different from the slower-paced African societies.

            Because of the African respect for authority and hierarchical structures, missionaries may not be as comfortable as Americans are in taking the initiative in ministries that have not been assigned to them. They may sometimes think it is inappropriate to be self-starters.  Similarly, when exercising authority in a pastoral setting the African emphasis on rank and structure may seem somewhat authoritarian. This can lead to difficulties in working with lay men and women and religious women as collaborating members of a staff. This can lead to rigidity, inflexibility, and the expectation of a greater degree of support and assistance in the rectory than is customary. In Africa, the authority of the Bishop or the Pastor is somewhat absolute, like that of a tribal chief. Here, authority is often exercised in a more collaborative manner, a kind of servant-leadership.

            In many parts of Africa, Mother Angelica’s Eternal Word Television Network is very popular. Indeed her television programs are often a staple of religious catechesis. African priests and religious are quick to find EWTN when they arrive here. American Bishops are deeply appreciative of the many positive contributions EWTN makes to the educational and devotional life of Catholics. At the same time, we are aware that some presentations on this channel do not always represent a balanced presentation of the magisterium. African priests and religious serving in America must take care not to view the Church exclusively through the lens of EWTN. This is only one dimension of the Church in the U.S. It can be a challenge to get missionaries to expose themselves to the whole picture of American Catholicism and to be mindful that the Council documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the teachings of the Pope and bishops have a greater authority than anything stated by a speaker on ETWN.

            I take a particular interest in the Fidei Donum priests who come to my Diocese. They are carefully screened before they are formally invited. This decreases the likelihood of difficulties developing. In many cases, they or their superiors are known to me personally. When they arrive they are not assigned immediately. Instead, they live with me at my residence for at least two months for a period of in-depth orientation and acculturation. We pray together and share meals and conversation. They receive an in-depth overview of every aspect of the Diocese with a particular emphasis on the similarities and differences between our Diocese and the diocese that sent them to us. They even learn about differences in meal preparation and personal hygiene. They meet with the Vicar General and key leaders of the Diocese. They visit the primary offices and agencies in order to learn how they function. They have weekend ministry experiences in a variety of parishes. They are presented to the Diocese at the Cathedral and via the Diocesan newspaper, The Messenger. Once they are assigned to a parish they maintain contact with the orientation staff. They are assured of direct contact with me. All international priests meet together with me quarterly in “the wisdom community.”

6.)  Can you help us understand the present situation of religious sisters in the U.S.?

            We have been blessed with many communities of sisters who have made enormous positive contributions to the Church in the U.S. Their educational ministries and healthcare ministries have significantly shaped the fabric of our Catholic communities. Without the important contributions of religious sisters the Church in this country would be impoverished. At this juncture, priests and sisters from Africa will encounter sisters who are continuing to make remarkable contributions. At the same time you will quickly note that our religious communities have taken very different paths in their interpretations to the Vatican Council’s call to renewal and adaptation.  Some orders have retained or modified their habits, continued their traditional ministries, and maintained convent community life. Other orders have replaced the habit with secular garb, moved into non-traditional ministries, and developed new models of community life outside of the convent.

            Each group or religious order interprets Pope John Paul II’s Vita Consecrata in significantly different ways. These differences have had an impact on the ability of orders to attract new members. The differences may come as a surprise to you because in Africa most orders of nuns have followed the more traditional path of renewal. I believe that it is important for you to remain completely faithful to your African understanding of the renewal of religious life. At the same time, I would urge you not to take a judgmental attitude toward sisters who have interpreted consecrated life quite differently from the interpretation of the Church in Africa. When you encounter sisters in secular garb, wearing make-up and living alone in an apartment and serving as a parish pastoral associate, do not make assumptions about her based upon these differences. You will benefit from getting to know members of our various communities of sisters who are continuing to have a major impact on the Church.

7.)  Would you share some observations about African American Catholics?

            The U.S. is the most racially and ethnically diverse country in the world. Each year the number of African emigrants increases. Currently, there are three hundred million Americans; 13% or forty million of whom are African-Americans. However, only approximately three million are Catholics out of a total of more than sixty-five million Catholics. The number of African-American priests, deacons, and sisters are counted in the hundreds not the thousands. Many have never had the opportunity to visit Africa. The history taught in our schools focuses on western civilization with only a minor treatment of Africa.

       Catholic schools have long played an important role in the Black community. In the past these schools were a key instrument for evangelization. Among the challenges to evangelization today are the lingering perception that the Catholic Church does not welcome People of Color, the long-standing allegiance of Black people to various Black Baptist churches, the attraction of Islam, and the alienation of young people from institutionalized religion. 

            You will notice that many People of Color identify themselves today as African- Americans. However, you will also notice that everyone does not embrace this term, which has in fact been retrieved from an earlier era. At the time of the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960’s most American descendants of the people brought to this country from West Africa in the slave trade called themselves and were called “Negroes” (from a Portuguese word meaning “black”); “Colored people” was equally used during this period. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a new “Black consciousness” emerged. Expressions such as “Black Power” and “Black is beautiful” entered the vocabulary of the culture. With that, “blacks,” (lower case b) became the preferred name of many. The media picked up this usage. In time, many rejected this designation because it was impersonal and lacked ethnicity. (It was thought unseemly to speak, for example, of “Jews, Hispanics and blacks,”).  A subtle shift to “Black People” (always upper case) was brought about by some leaders and writers. However, by the 1980’s a more positive appreciation of African rootsled to the use of a variety of expressions: “Afro-American,” “African-Americans,” “Africans in America,” (or in the Diaspora).

            Lurking below the surface of this evolution is the so-called “N”word, considered a vile and literally unspeakable pejorative term on the tongue of Americans of European background and, paradoxically, a term of endearment on the tongues of some urban poor Black youth.  Some commentators have asked what’s in a name. Why is it that the sons and daughters of the Middle Passage cannot call themselves simply “Americans”?  Is this all a matter of political correctness? Others stressed that the evolution of these names is an outer expression of the long and tortured history of a people in search of an identity precisely because they are not treated as “simply Americans.” The Middle Passage robbed them of their “home country.” They are strangers in a strange land, more likely to be called “minorities” than Americans.  They have no expression similar to “Irish-American” or “Italian-American.” Deprived of their “roots” in a specific African country by America’s original sin of the slave trade, they have embraced an entire continent as their “homeland.” To this day you will find all of these names used by different groups of people in different places and circumstances.

            A noteworthy indicator of the progress made by African-Americans to achieve full equality is the current and much discussed candidacy of Illinois Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.  It is certainly impossible to know at this juncture whether he will be elected or not. Apparently, significant numbers of African-Americans think that in spite of his leads in the polls, he will ultimately be defeated by Senator John McCain and they believe his race will be a factor.

            Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy presents particular challenges for Black Catholics. Many find it difficult to believe that Senator Obama has reached the position of a serious candidate for the presidency barely forty years after the great struggles, amidst attack dogs and water hoses, for voting rights led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960’s. His position as the Democratic nominee generates an inevitable degree of pride and hope in the heart of African-American Catholics. Like the larger Black community, Black Catholics realize that the gifted Senator’s history is distinct from the history of the majority of African-Americans whose ancestors were captured in West Africa and brought to this country to be sold as “beasts of burden” to become slaves on the plantations of the south. Mr. Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and a Kansas mother of European heritage, is bi-racial and, as a result, he is as “white” as he is “black.” However, he has deliberately chosen to identify himself as a Black man, embracing not only his African roots but also the anguish of the Middle Passage.

            You should not assume that Black Catholics will easily vote for Senator Obama in large numbers. In “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” American Bishops articulate seven key moral and social priorities that should inform the consciences of Catholic voters. The first of these is the respect for the sanctity of every human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. In spite of the sad fact that a disproportionately high percentage of Black women obtain abortions, Black Catholics, likemost other Catholics, are pro-life. They oppose abortion, not for political reasons but for moral reasons. Senator Obama, while saying that he will work to decrease the number of abortions, has a long record of supporting pro-choice policies including vigorously defending Roe V. Wade and the Freedom of Choice Act. While many Black Catholics might support Mr. Obama’s positions on the war in Iraq, education, health care, the economy, energy, diplomacy, and tax reform it will be difficult for them to reconcile their support with his pro-choice position and his support for same-sex civil unions. The American Bishops wisely do not instruct Catholics to vote for specific candidates. In past elections Catholics, including African- Americans, have voted in large numbers for pro-life as well as pro-choice presidential candidates. Studies indicate that those who vote for pro-choice candidates do so not because they support abortion but because they think the president has much less direct day-to-day influence on the issue of abortion than he has on other issues, which are of great importance to them and to the country.

            Over and above their anxiety about voting for a pro-choice candidate, Black Catholics often express two other deep anxieties. If Senator Obama were to be elected, they fear that social commentators will declare that this is proof that the Civil Rights Movement was a success. Prejudice and racism have been overcome and America has become a trans-racial society. There is no longer a need for People of Color to lament that systemic racism endures in American society and in Catholic communities. The second anxiety is almost too painful to articulate. However, it lurks just below the surface of any discussion of this “historic” election. Stated plainly, there is a fear that, if Senator Obama becomes President Obama, someone, full of hate and anger, will eventually assassinate him. African priests and religious serving in the U.S. at this time are certainly here at a turning point in our history. I can assure you that the faith of African-American Catholics is strong and joyful.

IV. Conclusion: A Spirit-Filled Blessing

            Now, I must conclude. This presentation has had a moving viewpoint. Each topic addressed is worthy of a full presentation. But that would not have responded to your mandate. You have chosen the words of Jesus Himself as the overarching theme of this Convention. “You shall be my witnesses.” This is indeed what you are. As African Catholic clergy and religious ministering in the United States, your service is necessarily counter-cultural and cross-cultural. You are not simply “making the best” of two worlds. You are building bridges between the “churches of more recent origin” in Africa and the “long-established churches” in the United States. You will find helpful insights relevant to this bridge building in Dean Hoge’s study, International Priests in America: Challenges and Opportunities and Reverend Oliver Onwubiko’s, African Thought, Religion and Culture, (especially chapter two on African cultural values). I also recommend to you Brothers and Sisters to Us: A Pastoral Letter on Racism in our Day, by the Bishops of the United States and What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization by the African-American Bishops.
  
            I note with happiness that this afternoon His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, will address us on the topic: “African Clergy and Religious in the Diaspora: Hopes and Expectations of the Church at Home.” With you I look forward to the presentation by the distinguished President of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa. It is my hope that our remarks will complement each other, one from the perspective of the Church in America and the other from the perspective of the Church in Africa.

            I will conclude as I began with Pope John Paul II’s Redemptoris Missio. The Holy Father devotes an entire chapter of his Encyclical to the topic of the Holy Spirit as the true agent of mission, the one who enables the Church to carry out her mission to all people. Everything that I have spoken about this morning has no meaning if we are not guided by the Holy Spirit. The missionary service that the Church in the U.S. brought to Africa a century ago and the missionary service that the Church in Africa brings to us today are a gift of the Holy Spirit. The many challenges that the Church faces in Africa and in America are faced with the help of the Spirit. Let us listen to the voice of the wise and saintly Pontiff.
            “Our own time, with humanity on the move and in continual search, demands a resurgence of the Church's missionary activity. The horizons and possibilities for mission are growing ever wider, and we Christians are called to an apostolic courage based upon trust in the Spirit. He is the principal agent of mission!
            The history of humanity has known many major turning points which have encouraged missionary outreach, and the Church, guided by the Spirit, has always responded to them with generosity and farsightedness. Results have not been lacking. Not long ago we celebrated the millennium of the evangelization of Rus' and the Slav peoples, and we are now preparing to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the evangelization of the Americas. Similarly, there have been recent commemorations of the centenaries of the first missions in various countries of Asia, Africa and Oceania. Today the Church must face other challenges and push forward to new frontiers, both in the initial mission ad gentes and in the new evangelization of those peoples who have already heard Christ proclaimed. Today all Christians, the particular churches and the universal Church, are called to have the same courage that inspired the missionaries of the past, and the same readiness to listen to the voice of the Spirit.”(No30)
            The missionary service of African priests and religious to the Church in the United States is indeed a Spirit-filled blessing for us. And we thank you for it!  I wish to thank you again for inviting me to address you this morning. Please join me in praying for vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life in the dioceses of the United. States.  May God bless you all.