Visiting St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School in Beltsville, Maryland to celebrate a Black History Month Mass on Feb. 26, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory told students that Jesus and their own school teachers, “are wonderful because they reveal to us the lessons we need to learn.”
“Jesus teaches us that everyone is loved by the Lord in our community,” he said. “That lesson is still important today. Jesus tells us to bring everyone together in discipleship.”
He told them that “Jesus teaches us lessons of life, of faith, of harmony, of peace and of unity.”
The cardinal was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrants included Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr.; Father Shaun T. Foggo, pastor of St. Joseph’s; and Father Timothy Baer, pastor of St. Nicholas Parish in Laurel.
The school is jointly sponsored by St. Joseph Parish, on whose grounds it is located; St. Nicholas Parish in Laurel, Maryland; and St. Hugh of Grenoble Parish in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Erin Meunier, the principal of St. Joseph’s, in welcoming the cardinal reminded the students that “while we are in Ordinary Time (in the Church calendar), today is anything but ordinary.”
“I am so happy to visit St. Joseph’s once again and to see so many wonderful students and teachers and administrators and a sprinkling of parents and grandparents,” the cardinal said.
Calling on the students to “make friends with people of different languages, people of different cultures and different nations,” Cardinal Gregory urged them to “bring people together and go out and be friends with your fellow students and your neighbors.”
“Let people know they are welcomed, they are loved, they are treasured in our community,” Cardinal Gregory said.
To emphasize that point, during the Mass prayers were offered that “people recognize each human life comes from God, belongs to God and will return to God.”
During the offertory, gift bearers presented the cardinal with items representing the contributions of African Americans to the Church and to society: a portrait of St. Josephine Bakhita to celebrate Black Catholic history; fruit and bread to recall the gifts of the earth; a book by Maya Angelou to honor African American contributions to literature; a trumpet to recall the gifts of spirituals and gospel music; and a candle to represent that all are called to bring forth the light of Christ.
After Mass, Cardinal Gregory was presented with a portrait drawn by fourth-grader Oyinkansola Amole. “She made me look good,” Cardinal Gregory quipped as he held the picture aloft for all to see.
At the end of the liturgy, Father Foggo noted that the Mass is one of the last public events Cardinal Gregory will participate in before he is fully retired.
“Thank you so much for all you have done for our archdiocese and our church,” the priest told the cardinal as the congregation concurred with sustained applause.
On a quick tour of the parish school after Mass, the cardinal visited classrooms and stopped to admire the Black History Month artwork and writings the students created and posted on hallway bulletin boards.
Standing in front of a bulletin board celebrating Black Catholics, the cardinal noted that “I knew Sister Thea Bowman and I was at the canonization Mass of St. Josephine Bakhita.”
Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and a dynamic evangelist and noted educator from Mississippi who died of cancer in 1990 and who is one of six Black Catholics from the United States being considered for sainthood. St. Josephine Bakhita, a native of Sudan, entered the Canossian Daughters of Charity religious order after being freed from slavery. She was canonized in 2000.
Popping his head into various classrooms, the cardinal greeted the teachers and students. In one classroom where the students were praying the rosary, Cardinal Gregory asked that a “Hail Mary” be offered for the intentions of ailing Pope Francis.
Wendi Williams, the executive director of the Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said it was fitting that “the cardinal is celebrating diversity in one of our most diverse schools.”
She pointed out that Cardinal Gregory has been a strong proponent of the “Share, Learn, and Celebrate Initiative,” which seeks to highlight and teach multicultural awareness across the archdiocese.
“This school is a physical testament to Black History this month as it mixes faith and the secular world related to Black accomplishment,” Williams said as she joined the cardinal in admiring the students’ work. “St. Joseph is embedding multicultural awareness into each of their students and their community.”
