WHERE WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN CATHOLICS?

by

Cathy Green Miner

Volunteerism, in all its forms, is primarily a matter of the heart, of a heart that knows how to open itself to the needs of others, recognizing in them the highest human dignity, which reflects the greatness of God himself in whose image every human being is created ( cf. Gn 1: 27; Mt 25: 40).
John Paul II, 2001

The New Year is a perfect time to reflect on the past year . To remember events that shaped our lives; decisions that worked and those that did not; the people we encountered; those we shunned; and the work we have left to do in the upcoming year Last year, I told a friend, “I feel like an Israelite , wandering in the desert,” as I explained to him how we evacuated to Texas for Hurricane Katrina, and then back to Louisiana for Hurricane Rita a few weeks later. What we faced then changed us forever. It was a year of tears, fears, instability, homelessness, anxiety, sweat, blood, isolation, confusion, disappointments, and depression. It was also a year of hope, faith, blessings, and kindness.

It is in the disappointments that positive action is borne. My family returned to our home shortly after Katrina struck and surveyed the extensive damage to our home and our community. Days later, we returned to clean the mess. In a fog, we brought little food and water and began searching for those necessities. My own parish church, two minutes away from our home, was undamaged and closed. Closed!

The neighborhood Baptist church was opened and distributed food, water and clothing to everyone. We were able to replenish and return to cleaning out the house. We saw Baptist groups from all over the United States, some as far away as New York, who pitched tents and sent volunteers out to gut out people’s houses, clear out debris, cut down trees, feed, clothe and comfort our community.

With gloved, aching hands, my husband asked, “Where are the Catholic volunteers?” My question was, “Better still, where are the Black Catholic volunteers?” The evangelical volunteers, whose faces were white, came in vans, trucks, cars and RVs. They spread throughout the Slidell, New Orleans and Gulf Coast regions lending a helping hand. For months we looked for our own Catholic Christian brothers and sisters to help, feed, clothe, and comfort us. Catholic Charities, not a first-responder, did set up shop in Slidell months after Katrina helping those in need.

This is not a blame game. It is a perfect opportunity for growth within the Catholic Church and within Catholic organizations. How proud are we to say that we belong to this Catholic group or that we received an award from that Catholic organization! How proud are we when we attend those Catholic conferences or make pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Rome!

Our opportunity for growth lies in our volunteerism, especially among African Americans. How many of us volunteer at church or within the community? How many of us teach our children to volunteer? Are our African American children educated about their Christian duty to open their hearts to the needs of others?
Where were our African American Catholic organizations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas? Where were the busloads of Catholics, shovels in hand, who were so needed by their brothers and sisters who lost everything?

We thank God for sending our brothers and sisters of other denominations during our time of need. However, as Catholics, and African American Catholics specifically, this should serve as an example that we, too, must reach out and volunteer in our own communities and others hit by natural disasters.
Through it all, my faith is stronger and I’m a bit wiser. I recognize my blessings and I am more cognizant of the needs of others in disaster situations. One of my New Year’s resolutions (and I don’t make many) is to organize a group of Black Catholics who will be a disaster relief team from Louisiana. We will caravan to the disaster sight, clean up debris, gut houses, and provide comfort to our Christian brothers and sisters.

Wouldn’t Jesus do the same?