More than 150 Catholics gathered Nov. 16 for a day of reflection on the theme, “Ministering through the Lens of Evangelization.”
The event, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Ministry, featured a day of reflection on the African Diaspora and an African American Catholic History Celebration.
The celebration opened with a prayer service at St. Martin de Porres Church, 3112 W. Broadway. It included songs from the St. Cecilia Swahili Choir and the Archdiocesan Gospel Choir, as well as African drumming.
During the service, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre told the congregation that 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of “What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization from the Black Bishops of the United States.”
“Despite any challenges, we, as a people, forge on in faith. One such way to do this is by actively engaging in the work of the kingdom of God by recognizing and advancing the evangelization of God’s presence in our communities. This effort will bring about the transformation that we long for.”
— Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre
There were 10 Black bishops of the United States at the time. They published the letter to speak “directly to the Black apostolate about evangelization,” he said.
Calling the letter “groundbreaking” and “formative,” Archbishop Fabre said that four decades later, the letter still speaks to Black Catholics. It calls them to evangelize, a task entrusted to all Christians, he said.
The letter recalls “the imperative to go into the world to proclaim the Gospel to all creation, which is our universal call and fundamental mission as Christians,” he said.
Noting that the African American community has faced many trials, he said, “Despite any challenges, we, as a people, forge on in faith.”
“One such way to do this is by actively engaging in the work of the kingdom of God by recognizing and advancing the evangelization of God’s presence in our communities,” he said. “This effort will bring about the transformation that we long for.”
The archbishop presented several ways Catholics can participate in the mission of evangelization:
- “We commit to developing spiritual-formation strategies that foster encounters and support the family and the efforts of families to pass on the faith.”
- “We create opportunities for young people to become more involved with our parish ministries, to lead them to stronger participation in parish life.”
- “We commit to developing a culture of ministry that creates missionary disciples. We are encouraged to participate in and develop further opportunities for comprehensive spiritual formation to increase the number of properly formed people to serve in ministry.”
He concluded by asking members of the congregation to rededicate themselves “to revitalizing our commitment to actively participate in the church’s mission, especially in the efforts towards the evangelization of people and the salvation of souls now and forever.”
The remainder of the event was held at the neighboring Catholic Enrichment Center, 3146 W. Broadway. Participants joined in a variety of workshops on such topics as understanding the liturgy and social justice through the lens of evangelization. Workshops for children and older youth were also provided.
This event, and others sponsored by The Office of Multicultural Ministry, are supported by the Catholic Services Appeal.
