The act of being raised to great holiness by the Catholic church is a magnificent and awe inspiring event for the Universal church and for everyone connected to the newly-made saint. For centuries, the Catholic church has raised many individuals and groups to this level of holiness. Black Catholics have been among these saints. But, how is this possible if Black people have just recently turned to the Universal church? To answer this question, let us consider the beginning of our church.
In Acts 8: 26-40, we learn that Philip encountered an Ethiopian Eunuch. This unnamed Eunuch is " a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury". He must be an important and influential man as he occupies such a high office in Ethiopia. Often, we browse over this text without thinking that Ethiopia is on the African Continent. This is significant because the Eunuch returned to his homeland with the faith. Acts tells us that "he continued on his way rejoicing". This is evidence that our Catholic faith existed in Africa as early as the first century.
Cyprian Davis, the wonderful author of The History of Black Catholics in the United States", provides us with historical evidence that Christianity existed in Nubia(Ancient Kingdom located in the northeastern part of the African continent) as early as the 6th century. Fr. Davis tells us the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Justinian and his wife, Theodora both sent missionaries to Nubia. The missionaries did arrive and began their evangelization efforts among the Nubian population. This history and spiritual reality aligns people of color with the Catholic church. It also supplies the world with enough evidence that Black people have been Catholic since the beginning of our church. Black Catholicism is not a new phenomenon. We have, in fact, not just turned to the church because we are now allowed, rather, we have always been present.
As long time members of the Catholic Church, Black Catholics have become saints. In fact, over the last nine years since I been teaching college level courses, I have an accumulated research count of 701 Black Catholic Saints. Saint Josephine Bakhita from the Sudan made 701 in 2000. While keeping a running total, I have also realized that many saints were unnamed as groups were martyred and no records of names remain( for example, the Martyrs of Alexandria in 261 A.D. and Saint Maurice of Aganaum and Companions around 237 A.D.) The Martyrs of Alexandria were canonized due to their heroic virtue of assisting plague victims and burying the dead. There were no miracles, only countless acts of bravery as Christians in hiding risked their lives by coming to the aid of those affected by the plague. In Aganaum, St. Maurice and his companions(6,000 soldiers ) were martyred by Emperor Maximian as they refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. These are just a few examples of the many unnamed saints. These have not been included in the 701 tally. This total only reflects specifically named individuals who can be identified with their approximate dates of martyrdom.
These specific individuals lead interesting lives and showed extraordinary courage in their martyrdom. The lives of the Black Catholic Saints should be studied and emulated just as their European counterparts. Black Catholic Saints have been omitted from books on the lives of the saints. The one clear exception to this omission is St. Martin de Porres who was born in Lima, Peru to a freed slave and Spanish nobleman. St. Martin de Porres is known for his cures, visions and universal care for the sick and dying. He is certainly a saint to embrace but what of the other identified 700 saints? When will the African American Catholic Community and the world embrace them?
There are other names that perhaps we have heard but did not connect to Black Catholicism. Many may have heard of Sts. Felicitas(Felicity) and Perpetua, St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Charles Lwanga and Companions( Matthias Mulumba, Joseph Balikuddembe, Denis Ssebuggwawo, Pontian Ngondwe, Andrew Kaggwa, Athanasius Bazzekuketta, Gonzanga Gonza, Noe Mwaggali Luke Banabakintu, James Buzabaliawo, Gyavira, Ambrose Kibuka, Anatole Kiriggwajjo, Achilles Kiwanuka, Kizito, Mbaga Tuzinde, Mugagga, Mukasa Kiriwawanvu, Adolphus Ludigo, Bruno Serunkuma and Jean-Marie Muzeyi ), St. Cyprian of Carthage, St. Moses the Black, St. Benedict the Moor and St. Athanasius. These are the more popular names but what about:
- St. Josephine Bakhita from the Sudan who was enslaved
but became a Canossian Sister of Charity. She was known as the Universal Sister due
to her genuine care and prayers for all people regardless of their color.
- Sts. Timothy and Maura from Egypt, the newlyweds who
were tortured for failing to turn over sacred texts to government officials.
- Blessed Marie Clementine Anuarite from the Belgian Congo
where she entered religious life and was martyred in 1964 while protecting her virginity.
- Blessed Victoria Rasomanarivo from Madagascar who was a
devoted wife and strong lay leader during the late nineteenth century anti Christian
sentiment in her country.
- St. Mary of Egypt, who embraced Christianity as a hermit
in the 5th century.
- St. Thais from Egypt, the wealthy prostitute who gave all
of her wealth to the poor, then dedicated her life to Christ.
- As noted earlier, the list of saints could go on -
accumulating at least 701.
This litany of Black Catholics would not be complete without some acknowledgement of the three black popes. According to The Book of Pontiffs(Liber Pontificalis), there were three popes from Africa. Pope St. Victor I was the first. He reigned from 186-197 A.D. as the 15th Pope. We should thank Pope Victor I for settling the controversy about when to celebrate Easter. Pope St. Militiades was the second pontiff from Africa. He reigned from 311-314 A.D. as the 32nd or 37th Pope (there are conflicting accounts as to his place in the Papal line). He was very busy during his tenure in the papacy while being consumed with promoting papal infallibility and writing hymns and epistles. The third African Pope was Pope St. Gelasius I who reigned from 492-496 A.D. as the 49th Pope. He was pope during a time of peace and religious toleration as Constantine became emperor and legalized Christianity. All three of these Catholic heroes embraced the faith with sincere hearts and complete devotion to our Lord and the Universal Church.
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention several Black Catholics who I have termed "Saints In Waiting". These extraordinary heroes will become saints one day. Their lives serve as African American models of charity, faith and hope for the entire world to embrace. In this light, I must mention Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Mother Elizabeth Lange, Mother Theodore Williams and Henriette Delille.
Black Saints in the Universal Church are nothing new. There have always been black Catholics. We did not decide just recently to embrace the Catholic faith. Rather, we have always been contributing members to the spiritual growth of the church as well as the global community at large. Our gifts, talents and contributions were often not documented but indeed, we were present, even if only God gives us the credit.
Dr. Camille Brown is the Principal of St. Cyprian School in Philadelphia. She is an adjunct faculty member at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and Strayer University. Dr. Brown's latest project is The Bakhita Fund which provides spiritual and educational assistance for children around the world. Currently, she is working on her book about the lives of African Saints.
