Walking the Way: Following in the Footsteps of Our Black Catholic Foremothers in Faith – Pilgrimage Resources

Dear friends,

We are so glad you are joining our pilgrimage from May 2 – 7, 2024, “Walking the Way: Following in the Footsteps of Our Black Catholic Foremothers in Faith.”

We are confident that you will be able to take this experience and training and build new ministries in your parish and community to confront white supremacy and heal racism our church and in our world. It is our hope that you will find the resources you need to work for racial and reparative justice.

There will be a series of meetings prior to our departure, the pilgrimage, and a series of meetings after we return.  All are designed to support your learning and ministry of healing and hope.  We invite you to take advantage of all of them as we work together to develop the spirituality, educational resources, and ways to take action in our communities.

Below are the educational resources:

PRE-PILGRIMAGE RESOURCES & MEETINGS

• January 2024 Reading and Reflections
  • A Meditation with Art:  Women Witnesses for Racial Justice Art for download (includes artist Chloe Becker reflections)
  • The Reading Packet:  Catholic Church, Slaveholding, Segregation, and Catholic Social Teaching 
  • How the Church Profited from Slavery with Rachel Swarns (NPR segment)
  • The Life of Sr. Thea Bowman
  • Sr. Thea Bowman Addresses the United States Bishops (Video) (Transcript)
  • Slavery and the Catholic Church with Chris Kellerman, SJ (Video)
  • Reflection Questions for you to complete:  CLICK HERE
  • There will not be an online gathering in January, but please respond to the reflection questions and we will talk about them at the February online gathering. 
• February 2024 Readings, Reflections, and Gatherings
  • The Reading Packet:  Black Catholic Women, Freedom Fighters
  • The Life of Sr. Antona Ebo (her life’s work for Civil Rights in Selma and beyond). 
  • Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change (video)
  • Reflection Questions for you to complete: CLICK HERE
  • Online Gathering for prayer, reflection, and discussion
    • Date and time: Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7pm ET (Link to join will be resent prior to meeting)
  • POWERPOINT FROM FEB 22nd MEETING on Slavery the the Catholic Church
• March 2024 Readings, Reflections, and Gatherings
  • The Reading Packet: Black Liberation Theology
  • Enfleshing Freedom, Eucharist, Racism, and Black Bodies by Shawn Copeland (Chapter Five was inadvertently left out of the reading packet).
  • The Life of Mary Louise Smith:  The Women Behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Audio, NPR) & Black Catholic civil rights activist Mary Louise Smith, predecessor of Rosa Parks, to receive historical marker in Montgomery (article in Black Catholic Messenger)
  • Jim Crow and Segregation (short article)
  • Reflection Questions for you to complete: CLICK HERE
  • Online Gathering for prayer, reflection, and discussion
    • Date and time: Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 7pm ET (Link to join will be resent prior to meeting)
• April 2024 Readings, Reflections, and Gatherings
  • The Four Women (powerpoint)
  • The Four Women (powerpoint with audio)
  • The Life of Venerable Henriette Delille (FutureChurch educational resource)
  • The Life of Mother Josephine Charles (FutureChurch educational resource)
  • The Life of Mary Louise Smith (FutureChurch educational resource)
  • The Life of Sr. Antona Ebo (FutureChurch educational resource)
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott Timeline with women involved (written resource)
  • Shannen Dee Williams on Henriette Delille and Josephine Charles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WvxJULJKRQ (listen beginning 19:30 – 27:00 minutes)
  • To a Dark Girl – a short PBS video on the history of quadroon society, Henriette Delille, and the Sisters of the Holy Family (15 minutes)
  • This week when we meet we will reflect on the lives of the four women we will meet on our pilgrimage –  Sr. Antona Ebo, Mary Louise Smith, Venerable Henriette Delille, and Mother Josephine Charles
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflection, and discussion
    • Date and time: Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 7pm ET (Link to join will be resent prior to meeting)
• Readings and videos that will enrich your pilgrimage journey
  • Education
    • Brown Vs. Board of Education  (Video)
    • Ruby Bridges, First Black Girl to Desegregate Public Schools in New Orleans (short article)
    • “No Schools, No Churches” (article) Black Catholic Women Work Against the Tide of Closing Black Catholic Schools
  • Civil Rights
    • Martin Luther King Jr. speech, “I Have a Dream” (video)
    • Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
    • John Lewis, Civil Rights Movement (PBS video)
    • Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Movement (PBS video)
    • Bloody Sunday video
    • Lyndon B. Johnson speech upon signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  (video)
  • Jim Crow
    • The Green Book – History and examples at Smithsonian
  • Superb Books
    • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
    • The 272 , The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church by Rachel Swarns
  • Fun Facts
    • The King Cake – A Catholic tradition (short summary)

THE PILGRIMAGE 

• May 2 – 7, 2024 Pilgrimage
  • Gather together for our prayerful, educational, experiential pilgrimage to Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, and New Orleans
  • Please bring a journal so that you can reflect on your experience as often as possible

POST PILGRIMAGE RESOURCES & MEETINGS

• June 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflection, discussion, and project support/help
  • Sample project template for download
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join will be sent prior to meeting
• July 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflections, discussion, and project support/help
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join will be sent prior to meeting
• August 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflections, discussion and project support/help
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join
• September 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflections, discussion and project support/help
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join
• October 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflections, discussion and project support/help
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join
• November 2024 Reflections and Gatherings
  • Online gathering for prayer, reflections, discussion and project support/help
    • Date and time TBD
    • Link to join

PROJECT LAUNCH

• Online celebration – we will gather to share our final projects and celebrate your ministry!