Jamie Phelps, director emerita of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, passed away on November 22. She was 84 years old.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, Dr. Phelps received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Sienna Heights College (now University) in Adrian, Michigan, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois Chicago, a master’s degree in theology from St. John’s University in Minnesota, and a doctorate in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.