Black History Lecture at Seminary Tonight! St. Meinrad’s 2020 Father Cyprian Davis Lecture
Special Series: Black History Month (February)/Black Catholic Month (November)series synopsis: Each February and November my apostolate will have special series of posts celebrating Black History Month (Feb.) and Black Catholic History Month (Nov.). February’s celebration will include posts involving Black history generally often with the Church’s relation to it. November’s celebration will include a showcase of Black Catholic saints/holy ones and topics from history. Black (and Catholic) Like Me entries will often be made during these months. Check out more posts from this article-series here.
Tonight my seminary will host its annual lecture on Black History! Also, this will be the first time it has gone under the title “Father Cyprian Davis Lecture.” It is freshly dedicated to Fr. Cyprian Davis (September 9, 1930 – May 18, 2015) who was a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana. He was born Clarence John in Washington D.C. He converted to the Catholic faith when he was still a teenager. He later felt a call to the priesthood and monastic life and entered the Order of St. Benedict in 1950 at Saint Meinrad becoming the first Black monk of that community. A year later he took the name Cyprian. He was ordained a priest in 1956. Fr. Cyprian went on to become the leading scholar on the history of African American Catholicism. The acclaimed The History of Black Catholics in the United States is his pinnacle work.
The theme of last year’s lecture was on the history Black religious sisters in the U.S. and it was given by Dr. Shannen Dee Williams. I gave a full recap which can be read here.
This year’s theme is entitled “Journeying with the Saints: Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood” and the speaker is Dr. C. Vanessa White who is an assistant professor of Spirituality and Ministry at the Catholic Theological Union, A Graduate School of Theology and Ministry located in Chicago.
From her faculty bio:
“She is Past Convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, an interdisciplinary theological association of Black Catholic theologians and scholars and a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. A Secular Franciscan (over 30 years). Dr. White works with Bishop Joseph N. Perry (postulator for the cause) promoting the cause of Fr. Augustus Tolton and in coordinating annual pilgrimages to the birthplace, ministerial site, and burial site of Fr. Augustus Tolton. She serves as an advisor/consultant for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service. The subcommittee assists the US bishops in reviewing and approving certification standards and procedures to be used by arch/dioceses and national organizations in the certification of specialized ecclesial ministers.”
This should be great! And just like last year I will be providing a recap as well.
C. Vanessa White’s Catholic Theological Union faculty page
Follow White’s Twitter