“There is a richness in our Black experience that we must share with the entire People of God.”
–What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization from the Black Bishops of the United States issued September 9, 1984, Feast of St. Peter Claver.
Though ministry to Black Catholics in our archdiocese dates back to the late 1800s, this ministry is still evolving to meet the needs of contemporary times. In 1994, parish mergers in Milwaukee’s Central City prompted the drafting of a pastoral plan, “The Future of the Catholic Church of the Central City.” Within the past year, Archbishop Weakland requested an update on the implementation of that plan and an overall status report on African American Ministry throughout the archdiocese.
In response to his request, the African American Ministry Office, in consultation with Black Clergy and Religious of Wisconsin, the African American Ministry Board and appropriate parishes and offices in the archdiocese, prepared The African American Ministry Status Report and Recommendations: A Working Document. This report provides an assessment of the ministry to Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and provides recommendations for concrete steps that parishes and schools can adapt to their particular situation or use as models in developing new strategies and approaches. Recommendations for archdiocesan offices and agencies appear as well.
To direct the implementation of the report’s recommendations throughout the archdiocese, this spring Archbishop Weakland appointed an African American Ministry Commission. In a letter to commission members, he stated, “ I support these recommendations as initial points for dialogue and can see that we have much work to do as the number of African Americans in the archdiocese continues to increase. The needs that were identified in the report call for our attention.”
What does this report mean to you as a parish leader? It means that in your parish and cluster meetings, careful consideration of the recommendations will be important. We belong to a culturally rich Church in southeastern Wisconsin, and study of The African American Ministry Status Report and Recommendations: A Working Document will enrich your understanding of our Church. This report parallels the report on the growth in Hispanicpopulation in the archdiocese and the creation of a task force to respond to their pastoral needs, which you read about in the Winter 2001 issue of the Parish Leadership Newsletter.
A Wonderful Opportunity
A key thrust of the recommendations in this report is to support and empower a much stronger African American presence throughout the diocesan Church. Many parishes are already actively engaged in this ministry, and the report highlights some of these positive examples. Though the central city of Milwaukee is the historical point of departure for ministry to African American Catholics, all parishes now have the opportunity to minister to and with African Americans who live or work in their vicinity. Whether or not specific parishes have African American members, elements of this report apply to the standard mission and ministry of every parish as a community of faith.
Using the report as a resource, each parish is encouraged to engage in thoughtful dialogue about the various ways the African American presence is experienced in the parish, school and neighborhood. In light of what this initial dialogue reveals, each parish, cluster and district is asked to do four things:
- Study the recommendations for all parishes and schools;
- Study the recommendations specific to its district or area of ministry;
- Revise and prioritize the recommendations as needed;
- Contact the Office for African American Ministry or the designated parish consultant for assistance in the initial dialogue and development of an action plan.
Please keep in mind that the report is a working document which will continue to evolve as parishes and districts make it their own. The report will be distributed to the deans of the 16 districts of the diocese and will also be available through the archdiocesan web page or by contacting the Office of African American Ministry. An executive summary will be mailed to all parishes.
Included in The African American Ministry Status Report and Recommendations: A Working Document is “Our Story: The African American Jubilee Celebration,” the text of Archbishop Weakland’s presentation to the African American community in Jubilee Year 2000. It is vital that all parishes realize the importance of the African American presence and work within their communities to bring the report’s recommendations to life. We extend an invitation to the entire Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to embrace and actively welcome the African American presence in our midst.
For more information contact Schauneille R. Allen, director of the Office of African American Ministry, phone 414-769-3411 or toll free at 800-769-9373, x411; e-mail africanamericanministry@archmil.org.
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