Black Catholics
Vocal and Visible via Today's Media
By Carole Norris Greene
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The new Roman Missal. Health care. The battle to end abortion. The Dream Act. Immigration reform. Vocations. Church relations with Jews, the Orthodox, Evangelicals, Lutherans, Muslims, Reformed Christians. The New START Treaty. Grants awarded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Rebuilding Haiti. The changing face of church leadership.

I can surf today's headlines and read about everything and everybody -- except the 3 million Black Catholics in the United States.

Perhaps this is a good thing if it means that we who are black and Catholic are simply low-key about burgeoning with new members in our parishes and never need to be seen alongside the more visible faces of Catholicism in the United States.

Perhaps this is a more disturbing sign that, as a whole, we are a back-burner issue; we've had our day in the spotlight, particularly during the Civil Rights era, when we were captured in the media, tearing our shrouds in indignation about the blatant forms of racism in the church and in society.

The church's response to that outcry was to name black bishops, establish diocesan offices of black Catholic ministry and even a Secretariat for African American Catholics. It gave additional financial support and its blessing to other endeavors that sought to highlight the cultural contributions of blacks to Catholicism in the United States.

But several of these undertakings are now defunct as a result of restructuring, unavoidable budgetary cuts or maybe just an unspoken weariness of funding celebrations of who U.S. black Catholics are and who our ancestors were that didn't seem to reach out enough into the broader church.

"Cultural diversity" is the preferred terminology today for ministries to mostly people of color, swallowing up African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Native Americans, a minority of Europeans, migrants, refugees and travelers.

Or maybe the problem is that black Catholics only appear to be quiet and self-contained. We've grown so accustomed to not being a part of the "meeting before the meeting" when it comes to addressing major developments in the church that a good number of us have withdrawn into either ourselves or our local parish because of its welcoming atmosphere.

We appreciate those who stand alongside us, but we aren't sure that we are adequate apologists when it comes to urging our more outgoing Protestant relatives and neighbors to do what we do: cling to the sacraments and tune out the rest!

But just as we've counseled one another countless times when we've bemoaned hurts or injustices perpetrated by dysfunctional parents or some lover who jilted us, we need to "get over it" and move on with life.

There are souls out there to win for Christ. We've already said, "Here I am, Lord; send me"!

Why visibility matters

So why should it matter whether or not black Catholics are both vocal and visible about who we are and what we are doing to promote the Gospel of Christ?

It should matter because not to be this way allows well-intentioned people who only glimpse into our communities to define who we are and what we are doing.

For example, media outlets will send a reporter and/or photographer to cover a major anniversary celebration in significantly black parishes, a conference with a lofty goal or some needy situation -- homelessness, poverty, unemployment, crime -- automatically associated with blacks.

But we are about much more than predictable celebrations of major anniversaries that go hand in hand with colorful pageants, rhetoric, singing, dancing and feasting.

While we have our indomitable champions who articulate our dreams and concerns, it is in the ordinariness of life that we are a ready comfort to one another: through our presence, our instantaneous praying, our generosity in the midst of limited resources, our honestly in calling a spade a spade, our willingness to do the hard work and say, "Oh, don't worry; I didn't mind," and our tendency to confront pain by unabashedly holding each other and wiping away the tears.

More importantly, however, not to be vocal about our ministries as black Catholics keeps hidden from others, who are in search of a faith community, what we have to offer as prospective family in Christ -- regardless of race!

Since we cannot look at strangers and discern the spiritual longings of their hearts, we need to make it clear that we are available to walk along side them on their journey to Christ.

A plan for action

Where to begin?

There are three steps:

(1) First, know yourselves better so that you can speak with confidence about the parish environment that you are inviting others to become a part of. Consider how you would feel if you came to your parish for the first time. If you only know a few of your fellow parishioners well, suggest town meetings on weekends or whenever and invite people to come forward to introduce themselves, telling something about themselves and their households. Such a step enhances your ability to become mutually supportive.

You may also wish to circulate a roster with a name and contact number for a family that needs a specific form of assistance. Other parishioners who see this roster have the opportunity to offer help in the name of Jesus, or someone may simply wish to write next to a specific request "praying for you.

(2) Know your parish's surrounding neighborhood: What does it have that it is proud of? What are its strengths, businesses, civic organizations? What are its problem areas, issues screaming for attention? What other faith communities are neighbors? Are there ecumenical endeavors that are missing a Catholic presence?

Determine where representatives of your parish can lend their support, but be careful not to take on what is inappropriate for you as a Christian community. Abide by some basic guidelines supported by the church.

For example, in its 2008 document entitled "The Bible and Morality," the Pontifical Biblical Commission essentially said that biblical morality "is not so much a set of dos and don'ts as it is a set of principles meant to help Christians grow in perfection and contribute to establishing God's kingdom on earth," according to an article published by Catholic News Service.

As such, when it comes to deciding what we as Catholics are to become involved in, the document presented two main criteria/questions for consideration: Will it protect and promote the human person's dignity? Is it something Jesus would do?

For instance, three women from your parish who for years have had a ministry of visiting a local nursing home after Sunday Mass can expand their effectiveness by posting notice of this effort and inviting other like-minded people to join them, once a time and meeting place have been set.

If there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a homeless shelter that was built by a local Baptist church, send a congratulatory letter to the church, letting its leadership know that a contingency of your parishioners plans to attend the ceremony to lend support.

(3) Get the contact information -- the name and phone number/e-mail address of the person who decides what stories are covered -- for all media in your area (newspapers, newsletter, television and radio stations), including respected bloggers. Also find out who in your parish is skilled in utilizing accounts with the new social media -- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, etc. -- so that, when the time comes, you'll be ready to make known what you are doing that holds the potential of positively impacting others' lives.

Contacting local media may not be a regular occurrence, but when the time comes for it, be ready to move expeditiously.

The "how" of writing press releases, 30-second community service announcements for radio and television, etc., is a project that is worth pursuing. Check first to see what training is offered by your diocese. And if it isn't offered yet, request it. And while you are at it, familiarize yourselves with the offices and committees governing your arch/diocese, ask to sit in on meetings that interest your constituency, then see where you or other talented members of your parish can become involved. This is usually welcomed by church leadership, and it increases your own visibility at the same time.

Utilizing media in our evangelization efforts is very critical today for the church universally. Even Pope Benedict XVI encourages the use of the new media in evangelization efforts.

At their annual meeting in Baltimore in November, the U.S. bishops were told that, although today's new social media have been around for less than a decade, they aren't simply a fad that will pass, considering the staggering number of people who use them; they represent a paradigm shift that will necessitate training for themselves and diocesan and parish staff.

These new social media are "causing as fundamental a shift in communication patterns and behavior as the printing press did 500 years ago," the bishops were told, encouraged at the same time not to abandon newspapers, radio, television and books for information since many people still rely on them.

The bishops were also warned that, as "digital immigrants," they need "lessons on the digital culture," just as they expect missionaries to learn the cultures of the people they are evangelizing.

Black Catholics can choose not to take the utilization of media more seriously, making it a priority in their budgets and strategies, but we will do so at great peril to our own effectiveness as ministers of the Gospel of Christ.

(Carole Norris Greene has been an associate editor in the Special Projects Department of Catholic News Service for 20 years.)