Black History Month
Prayer for the Close of Black History Month
God of justice and mercy, we give you thanks for the faith, courage and perseverance of Black leaders, saints, prophets and everyday witnesses who have shaped our Church, our nation and our world.
We remember the dream proclaimed by Martin Luther King, Jr., the quiet strength of Harriet Tubman and the enduring witness of Sr. Thea Bowman, who call the Church to rejoice in every culture and every voice.
Heal the wounds of division that still mark our communities. Give us courage to confront injustice, humility to listen deeply and hearts ready to build a future rooted in dignity and belonging.
May we carry forward the work of justice all year long. Make us instruments of your peace, where every person is honored as your beloved child.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
February 22, 2026
Take a Look … Black History Month Bulletin Board
As you enter or leave Mass, stop a minute to take a look at the Black History Month bulletin board in the main hallway. The bulletin board highlights four Black History makers: Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, John Lewis and Frederick Douglass. Short biographies of each person are available if you wish to learn more. Take a look and be inspired!
February 15, 2026
As you enter or leave Mass, stop a minute to take a look at the Black History Month bulletin board in the main hallway. The bulletin board highlights four Black History makers: Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, John Lewis and Frederick Douglass. Short biographies of each person are displayed with their words and portraits. Take a look and be inspired!
In 1989, Sister Thea Bowman addressed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, becoming the first Black American woman to do so. At one point, in her address to the bishops, she answered this question …
What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?
It means that I come to my Church fully functioning. … I bring myself; my black self, all that I am, all that I have, all that I am, all that I hope to become. I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture my African American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility — as gifts to the Church. I bring a spirituality that … is contemplative and biblical and holistic, bringing to religion a totality of mind and imagination, of memory, of feeling and passion, and emotion and intensity. A faith that is embodied incarnate praise — a spirituality that knows how to find joy even in the time of sorrow — that steps out on faith that leans on the Lord.
