People attending the National Black Catholic Congress XIII in the Washington, D.C., area from July 20-23 had the chance not only to celebrate their faith, but to reflect on their history.

Some congress participants arrived by a fleet of buses at the National Museum of African American History & Culture on the evening of July 21 for live music, food, and to explore the museum's many exhibits.

The emcee for the event, Paula Gwynn Grant, the Secretary for Communications of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, introduced former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele.

“My faith is part of the definition of who I am, how I was raised,” Steele told the crowd. His mother converted to Catholicism when she married his father in the 1950s. 

Steele described an event he attended recently at Mount Vernon with Lonnie Bunch, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and former Washington Mayor Sharon Pratt. 

“It all kind of comes together, you're here, you’re now part of this history, not just of this building, but the expression of the African American experience in Washington and around the country,” said Steele, who is a political analyst for MSNBC.

Erika Gault, the Director for the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life at the museum, spoke about the center’s “mission to globally tell the story of African American religious traditions.”

"We're so happy for each of you that have joined us here tonight, for you to fit within that mission. The long-standing traditions of the congress are a part of the wonderful and rich fabric of African American religious life, and we're so pleased to have you here and to welcome you," Gault said.

Teddy Reeves, who serves as the museum’s Curator of Religion, said the museum recently received Sister Thea Bowman’s gown. Sister Thea, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and dynamic evangelist from Mississippi, is being considered for sainthood and has been recognized with the title Servant of God by the Catholic Church.

“Since 2018, the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life has added more than 150 items related to Black Catholics to the museum's permanent collection,” Reeves said. “...The center has acquired artifacts related to the Sisters of the Holy Family, who donated more than 50 items to the museum, including photographs, early ledgers, and habits.”

Venerable Henriette Delille of New Orleans, the foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family who died in 1862, is also one of the six U.S. Black Catholics being considered for sainthood.

Reeves told the audience about the various exhibits and offerings at the museum they could see. 

"We are continuing to be committed to collecting and preserving and sharing the stories of Black Catholic history. That Black Catholic history is American history, it is Black history, and it is Black church history," Reeves said. 

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., the president of the National Black Catholic Congress, followed Reeves in addressing the crowd.

“I hope that after today’s program, an evening like this will let you see some of the history of Black people in this country and look forward to what we can contribute to our country and to our Black history and culture going forward,” Bishop Campbell said. 

That evening at the museum, the Catholic Standard had the opportunity to speak with Ashley Dixon and her mother, Karen Paige-Womack, who were visiting from the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Norfolk, Virginia. Although this was Dixon’s first time at a congress event, Paige-Womack said she attended one of the first events a while ago.

Dixon emphasized the importance of having events that celebrate being Black and Catholic as a community.

“It's important because we are here. We have been here. This is our faith, and representation and visibility is very important, especially for younger people in the church who are not necessarily looking for role models, but looking to see themselves,” Dixon said.

Dixon, who is on the pastoral council at her parish, said the National Black Catholic Congress is important for the younger generation of the Church as well.

“I think that’s the best way to keep younger people engaged and not just younger people, but to draw people in from other faiths or for people who have no faith to see there are people who look like me within the Catholic Church, and are here and we’re welcomed and we contribute. What we bring is special, and it’s instrumental to the faith. And this shows not just appreciation for that, but it’s a celebration for that,” Dixon said.

Wallita Sykes Bush, visiting from Oakland, California, and Sandy Figueroa, visiting from Long Island, New York, are part of an African American task force for the national Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This was their first time meeting in person, as their coast-to-coast communication has primarily taken place on Zoom.

“I have enjoyed this, and I’ve enjoyed meeting with people, and finding that there are a lot of Black Catholics in smaller places. Not so much in the larger cities, but in smaller places, which I found very interesting, because we never hear about that. I’m looking around at the people and going, ‘I did not know there were this many Black Catholics around,’ and I’m so excited. I’m hoping that if I can come, I’m getting older, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back again, but this was a great experience for me,” Sykes Bush said.

Figueroa had attended the congress previously and hopes to continue attending. 

“It’s a wonderful event. That’s why I came the second time, and I’ll come the third time, until the time that I can’t come anymore. But because it’s the spirit of being with our people together, it’s celebrating Mass the way we would like to. In some of our parishes we really can’t do that. To be in communion with people who look like us, and to say things that we don’t have to code and make sure that people understand what we’re saying,” Figueroa said.

Sister Isabelle Maina, who is a Franciscan Sister out of Steubenville, Ohio, and grew up in the Washington area, said it was impactful to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception filled with members of the Black Catholic community at the opening Mass for the congress earlier that afternoon.

“So many of us have the same story of being the only minority in our parishes or in our spheres of influence, so to be able to be in a place where we are not the minority, it’s not about perpetuating any sort of division in any way, but so when we go back home, we can remember this moment,” Sister Isabelle said. “We can remember that, okay, I’m not alone, and I’ve never been alone and I’ll never be alone. It’s empowering.”