CAMDEN – Members of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission addressed the Catholic Business Network of South Jersey during November, which is recognized in the Church as Black Catholic History Month.
Blanche Toole and Cheryl Wright, members of the diocesan commission, addressed the two dozen gathered Nov. 15 and recounted the history of two pillars for Black Catholics in South Jersey – Saint Monica Church in Atlantic City and Saint Bartholomew Church. This month’s CBN meeting was held at Saint Bartholomew, a worship site of Sacred Heart Parish.
The roots of Saint Monica Church, Toole explained, are due to the tireless efforts and deep compassion of Mother Emma Lewis.
Born in 1868 in Ohio to Baptist parents, Mother Lewis grew up in a time of deep prejudice and discrimination, “witnessing the hardships of Black individuals, even among the Catholic community,” Toole explained.
She moved to North Philadelphia in the 1900s, where she became inspired by the example and guidance of now-Saint Katharine Drexel and her attentiveness to the Black and American Indian communities. Mother Lewis’ commitment to the spiritual and catechetical needs of Black Catholic children and adults brought Mother Lewis notice among local and global Catholic leaders, including Pope Pius X, and earned her the nickname “Mother.”
Eventually, she brought her efforts to Atlantic City, renting a small house on 11 Delaware Ave., and Saint Monica Mission, named after the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo, was established Feb. 8, 1917.
“Mother Lewis started to bring black Catholics into a community that welcomed them, an essential need in a city where they felt excluded by Catholic churches,” Toole said. “The need was urgent; prejudice was rampant, and many in the Black community felt they had no place to worship.”
In 1921, Mother Lewis died at age 51. Seventeen years later, Bartholomew J. Eustace, bishop of the nascent Diocese of Camden, made the mission a church.
Saint Monica Church attracted those of diverse backgrounds, including Black Catholics, Nigerians, Haitians and Filipinos. “It became a testament to the deep faith represented by each culture, and their unique journeys,” Toole said.
In 2015, the four Catholic Churches in Atlantic City (Saint Monica, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Saint Michael and Saint Nicholas of Tolentine) merged into one, becoming the Parish of Saint Monica. Although the original Saint Monica Church has been closed, a bust of Mother Lewis remains in Atlantic City, remembering the seeds she planted.
In addition to Saint Monica, Saint Bartholomew Church began as a place of worship many Black Catholics could call home.
Camden-born Cheryl Wright said that though she did not grow up Catholic, she always knew of Saint Bartholomew. Her family lived only a few blocks away from the community that was established in 1940 as a mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for the city’s African-American residents. In 1947, the mission became a parish.
In 2020, the church was added to the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places, based on its mid-20th century vernacular ecclesiastical architecture.
The community’s Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, founded by Saint Katharine Drexel, “were in our lives every day. They played rope with us, they played hopscotch with us. We knew them all, and they knew us,” Wright said.
At the time, she would attend Friday night dances at the church, as well. “We were always welcome there. It was the type of place you wanted to be. You felt like you belonged.”
Becoming Catholic after marriage, Wright said she will always be “thankful for all the clergy, sisters and our ancestors who prepared me to be able to do the things I’ve done here,” including time as a catechist.
“It’s important for us to have a place where we call home,” she said, adding, “All are welcome. We are a beacon of light to so many.”
After their presentations, Father Vincent Guest, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and coordinator of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission, shared the lives of six American Black Catholics on the path to sainthood: Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, Venerable Henriette Delille, Servant of God Julia Greeley, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton and Venerable Pierre Toussaint.
“It’s very important for you, as business leaders, to know the stories of what Black Catholics endured in our Diocese and country in order to overcome and to practice their faith,” he said. He prayed that these holy women and men “inspire us to continue our good work as Catholics here in South Jersey. May all of them inspire us to be saints ourselves one day.”
Paula Straton, a member of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, Gibbsboro, said she found the day to be “inspirational, informative, healing and unifying during this time of division.” Straton, a Certified Personal Finance Counselor at Project Thrive LLC, appreciated the opportunity for all present to “work together, improve the Diocese and understand different cultures.”
Though some attendees “might have come out of their comfort zone,” Straton said she found it “encouraging that they came to learn a different perspective. We’re all united by our faith and belief in Christ and the Eucharist.”
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