Cecily Tyson

Cecily Tyson (1924–2021) was an actress who shattered stereotypes for Black women in the entertainment industry. By only accepting roles that portrayed Black women in a positive light, Tyson elevated herself beyond the confines of race — her choices earning her an Oscar nomination, Emmy Award, Tony Award and Kennedy Center Honor. As the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, Tyson was taught the value of hard work by watching her parents build a life for her and her siblings. Faith was also at the center of her life, recalling that “we did everything in the church. I played the organ. I played the piano. I taught Sunday school. I sang in the choir. And then on Monday, we had prayer meeting, and Tuesday, we had young people’s meeting. Wednesday, we had old people’s meeting. Saturday, we cleaned the church and Sunday, we were right back in the church. My entire social life was in and about the church. And so that is the basis of my foundation.”

This Christian foundation gave Tyson a path on which to walk and thrive, becoming a role model for many Black actresses. Her legendary status was not one she strived to create, but came out of her inner strength and drive to succeed in her craft. Tyson placed a focus not on what would enhance her career or fame, but what would advance the image and understanding of Black people and their stories.

In an interview only a week before her passing, Tyson was asked “when the time comes, what do you want us to remember about you?” She replied: “I done my best. That’s all.”

As St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church continues to work for Racial Justice through our parish wide initiative, we reflect on the life of Cecily Tyson. She came from the poor and lowly, put honor and respect before fame, and worked for the benefit and good of all. Cecily Tyson was a face of Christ.

The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ 

— Matthew 25:23

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John Lewis

John Lewis (1940-2020) got into a lot of good trouble. That is what he called his more than 40 arrests in the 1960s while fighting for Racial Justice and Civil Rights. He would continue to peacefully protest and cause “good trouble” throughout his career as a representative from Georgia; being regarded as the ‘Conscience of Congress.’

Born and raised in rural Alabama, Lewis was the third of ten children to a sharecropper family. His chore was to feed and care for the chickens — a task he believed included evangelization as he would baptize, preach and provide funerals to his flock. Being that the only strong, Black leaders he saw in Alabama were through the Church, Lewis emulated them in his youth and attended Seminary after high school. It was there that he learned the concepts of non-violent protest, was exposed to the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and understood the stories of Christ as a call to activism and justice.

Lewis became involved with the civil rights movement throughout the 1960s. From organizing sit-ins in Tennessee, leading the Selma march for voting rights and being Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (which gave him the platform to speak at the March on Washington with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) — Lewis was just beginning his lifelong fight for the fair and equal treatment of all children of God. Throughout his decades in Congress, Lewis opposed legislation that would support war efforts or harm to any group of persons; even when that vote split from the larger view held by his political party. In anticipation for his funeral held at the renowned Ebenezer Baptist Church, Rev. Raphael Warnock said of Lewis: “When you take stock of his courage, it’s a courage that is rooted in his faith. He’s always been a church boy. He wrestled with a call to ministry early in life. But instead of preaching sermons, he became one. That is his legacy.” John Lewis leaves a legacy of getting into good trouble through his activism for justice.

As St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church continues to work for Racial Justice through our parish wide initiative, we reflect on the life of John Lewis. He was a suffering servant, advocate for the mistreated and disciple of the Gospel. John Lewis was a face of Christ.

“In my estimation, the civil rights movement was a religious phenomenon. When we’d go out to sit in or go out to march, I felt, and I really believe, there was a force in front of us and a force behind us, ’cause sometimes you didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know what to say, you didn’t know how you were going to make it through the day or through the night. But somehow and some way, you believed — you had faith — that it all was going to be all right,” 

— John Lewis, 2004.

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Sister Antona Ebo

Elizabeth Louise Ebo (1924–2017), later known as Sister Mary Antona Ebo, became the face of Black Catholicism and Religious Life during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and beyond. As one of 48 religious leaders of varying faiths who gathered in Selma after Bloody Sunday to march, she told the press: “I’m here because I’m a Negro, a nun, a Catholic and because I want to bear witness.”

Sister Ebo’s life was filled with hardship from an early age. Her mother died when she was 4 years old, and her father had to send her and her siblings to a Colored Children’s Home after losing his job in the height of the Great Depression. However, as Ebo said, God’s providence was with her. A family friend gave her a home and access to Catholic education, leading to her conversion and Ebo being the first African-American graduate of her high school in Bloomington, IL. The beginning of many firsts in her long life — most due to the racial barriers Ebo would break.

After high school, she was denied admission to Catholic nursing schools. Eventually Ebo enrolled at St. Mary’s (Colored) Infirmary Training School and became a nurse. By 1946, the Sisters of St. Mary lifted their ban on Black members, allowing Ebo to become a novitiate, along with three other Black women. They went through a separate novitiate program and were restricted access to shared spaces in accordance with segregation trends. Even Ebo’s ceremony in which she professed her religious vows was a segregated, separate event from that of her white sisters. Her fight for racial justice in religious life started in her own community and spread throughout the country over many decades — with her voice often being the only one representing Black religious life in sacred and secular contexts. Understanding the need for large, impactful, continual progress, she helped found the National Black Sisters Conference and served as its president. Sister Ebo also was the first African-American woman to administer a hospital in the United States of America. During a standing ovation when she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Louis (one of six awarded to her in her lifetime), she said: “Give your glory to God. Give your prayers to me.”

As St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church continues to work for Racial Justice through our parish wide initiative, we reflect on the life of Sister Antona Ebo. She was a voice for the excluded and worked within the Catholic faith to expose our own brokenness. Sister Antona Ebo was a face of Christ.

National Black Sister’ Conference Mission Statement:

As women religious and associates, we draw strength and courage from God, support one another in the faith; and hold our elders in high esteem. We study, speak and act on issues that impact the social, educational, economic and religious milieu of the United States and the world community. We promote a positive self-image among ourselves, and all African Peoples. We believe that through the power of the Spirit working in and through us we can be witnesses of Jesus Christ in the communities where we live and serve.

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Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron (1934-2021) is a legend for many reasons. His baseball career was impressive: rising up from a small program in Alabama, through the Negro leagues, to the Braves organization for 23 years. Aaron is probably most known for breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record — which elevated him to a national figure. But Aaron stated many times that the racism that was exhibited toward him throughout his career tainted his ability to enjoy his success. Even his Catholic faith was challenged due to racism. When the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta, he declared to his friend, Fr. Michael Sablica, that “down there, they won’t let me go to Mass.” Even so, throughout his career Aaron was known to keep a copy of the devotional book “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas à Kempis in his locker.

Hank Aaron continued his groundbreaking work in Major League Baseball after his retirement through a push for equal promotion of black and white players to the league. Continually stating his frustration with league management, Aaron was an advocate for equality and justice in the sport.

As St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church continues to work for Racial Justice through our parish wide initiative, we reflect on the life of Hank Aaron. He broke down barriers, fought for the downtrodden and carried the cross of racism throughout his life. Hank Aaron was a face of Christ.

“It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men.”

~ Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

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Toussaint L’Ouveture

Father of Haiti

(St. Thomas has a long standing Twinning relationship with Ste. Marie-Madeleine in Duchity, Haiti.)

Toussaint L’Ouverture (1743– April 7,1803) was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. Louverture’s military and political acumen helped transform the fledgling slave rebellion into a revolutionary movement. Louverture is now known as the “Father of Haiti”.

Louverture was born a slave on the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti. He became a free man and began his military career as a leader of the 1791 slave rebellion. Louverture gradually established control over the whole island and used his political and military influence to gain dominance over his rivals.

Throughout his years in power, he worked to improve the economy and security of Saint-Domingue. Worried about the economy, which had stalled, he restored the plantation system using paid labor and negotiated trade agreements with the United Kingdom and the United States. He promulgated an autonomous constitution for the colony in 1801, which named him as Governor-General for Life.

In 1802, in the midst of the revolution, he was invited to a meeting by the French, but was arrested and taken to France and jailed. Deprived of food and water, he died in 1803. Although Louverture died before the final stage of the Haitian Revolution, his achievements set the grounds for the Haitian army’s final victory. The Haitian Revolution continued under Louverture’s lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared independence on January 1, 1804, thereby establishing the sovereign state of Haiti.