 A PROVEN FOUNDATION FOR FRUITFUL MINISTRY
CONGRESS X PLAN OF ACTION
Most Reverend John H. Ricard, S.S.J.
President of the Board of Trustees
(Article: Page 1 of 19)
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December 1, 2007
Dear Friends,
The 10th National Black Catholic Congress met from
July 12-15, 2007 in Buffalo, New York. It was an empowering and life-giving event
(in my own experience and according to our post-Congress evaluation survey).
 Congress X engaged hundreds of youth and over
two thousand adults and affirmed the value and the vibrancy of the Black Catholic Movement.
We affirmed that our Movement is grounded in the sacramental life of the
Catholic Church and committed to working for positive change in our community,
particularly regarding Africa, Catholic Education, HIV-AIDS, Parish Life,
Social Justice, Spirituality, Racism, and Youth and Young Adults.
A Proven Foundation for Fruitful Ministry:
Congress X Plan of Action is our guidebook for the next five years.
You will find here theological insights and practical steps that your
parish and diocese can use to carry out our shared commitments. Those
commitments are rooted in the evangelization mission of the National
Black Catholic Congress.
Evangelization is challenging.
We need to reclaim apathetic or alienated Black Catholics, as well
as to strengthen the faithful, by helping our people to appreciate
what God has given to us in the Catholic Faith. We will continue to
promote liturgical celebrations that are "authentically Black" and
"truly Catholic." Reports from Diocesan Days of Reflection affirm
a continuing need, addressed in previous Congress documents, to
reflect the genius of our cultures through our liturgies,
catechetical instruction, spiritual direction, and pastoral counseling
for formation in Christian discipleship.
The specific challenges to our mission of
evangelization are many--some longstanding and well-known; others still
evolving. My list here is not exhaustive, but I urge your prayerful
awareness and active attention to the following realities:
The challenge of declining numbers
of predominantly-Black Catholic parishes. This nationwide trend
results partly from parish closures and mergers, but also from people
moving to new neighborhoods and joining parishes there. In decades
past, Black Catholics more often stayed with their parishes of
origin regardless of where they lived. Consequently, today's
Congress Movement encompasses Black Catholics from various
parochial settings, including multicultural and predominantly white
or Hispanic parishes. In some ways, it is progress that our people
are feeling at home in many parishes. Nevertheless, Black parishes
have been at the heart of the Congress Movement to evangelize
Black Catholics, through inculturation of music, liturgy, and
stewardship. We must discern how to sustain traditionally
Black Catholic parishes and also how to bring our unique
traditions to other parishes.
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