About 370 people from 32 dioceses across the United States participated in the July 2-6 Archbishop Lyke Conference held at National Harbor, Maryland, to celebrate the gifts that Black Catholics bring to liturgies and ministries. The annual gathering is named for the late Atlanta Archbishop James Lyke. Describing that prelate's legacy, the conference's program noted “he strove to bring the riches of Catholicism to African Americans and the riches of his black heritage to the Catholic Church.”

 Workshops dealt with a variety of topics including Black spirituality, and programs were offered for young adults, music ministers and liturgical dancers. Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory celebrated the closing Mass on July 6, where Dominican Father Jeffery Ott, the homilist, encouraged participants to “be reconcilers in our work and ministry, to lift up the name of Christ in all we say and do.” (CS photos/Andrew Biraj)