National Black Catholic Congress comes to Colorado

By Aisha C. Young

PHOTO: Members of the African Catholic Choir perform during the “Strengthened by the Spirit” conference held on Feb. 15 at Queen of Peace Parish in Denver. (Photo by Aisha C. Young)

To commemorate Black History month, the Black Catholic Ministry office of the Archdiocese of Denver hosted a mini conference titled “Strengthened by the Spirit” on Feb. 15 at Queen of Peace Parish in Denver.

The National Black Catholic Congress was founded by lay Catholic Daniel Rudd, a journalist from Ohio who started the first periodical printed for and by Black people. It was named The Ohio Tribune and started printing in 1855. It later expanded to the American Catholic Tribune. In 1889, Rudd founded the Colored Catholic Congress, which lasted until 1894. There were over 100 Black lay men in attendance at the first congress. President Grover Cleveland also joined those festivities on the day of its conclusion. Although there were only five annual meetings between 1889 and 1894, the results were profound! Daniel Rudd’s legacy was cemented in Catholic history. He died in 1933.

In 1985, the Colored Catholic Congress was reestablished as the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC). Their first conference was in 1987. NBCC convenes every five years in order to have the proper time to implement and execute the pastoral plan created during the conference. The conference numbers are sequential, to include the original five. Thus, the 13th National Black Catholic Congress convened in July 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Colorado is in NBCC Region 13, along with Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Following the encouragement of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, who exclaimed that Black Catholics have gifts to share with the church, Kateri Williams, the director of the Black Ministry Office of the Archdiocese of Denver, had the brilliant idea to bring NBCC to Denver. Queen of Peace Parish in Denver is also the home base of the African Catholic Choir (of Denver). This venue and music were a match made in heaven.

Additional presenters were the My Sister’s Keeper Praise Ministry Dancers and the Colorado delegates of NBCC. By bringing NBCC to Colorado, barriers to attending the national convening were addressed. Delegates brought their knowledge from various conference sessions to share with the Colorado Catholic community. Since the national convening had a junior track for high school students, that was also replicated.

 2025 marks the 41st anniversary of “What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization” published in 1984 by the Black bishops of the United States. This document was “an ambitious undertaking” that encouraged Black Catholics to embrace “the vital task of evangelization and deepening cultural pride in the gifts that God has bestowed upon us.” Bringing NBCC to Colorado is a key step to fulfilling the goals of that letter and including the Colorado Catholic community in the pastoral plan. We have much work to do!

(Aisha C. Young is president of the Colorado Springs Council for Black Catholics.)