Celebrating Black Catholics Month

Celebrating Black Catholics Month

A Closer Look at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish

By: Deacon Raney Johnson

IN THE MONTH of November, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Black Catholic History Month. One parish in the city of Shreveport has particular importance for the history of Black Catholics in the diocese. Nestled in the heart of the historic Allendale neighborhood of Shreveport, not far from downtown, is the third oldest Catholic Church in the city.

Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Parish was founded in 1923. It is a small church compared to other Catholic churches in the area but has one of the oldest Catholic communities in Shreveport. Blessed Sacrament is known as a personal parish, which means that it does not have defined geographical boundaries in the same way as other Catholic parishes. It was created as a personal parish for all African-American Catholics in the Shreveport-Bossier area. Although Blessed Sacrament is a personal parish for African- Americans and indeed all Black Catholics of various ethnicities and nationalities, it does not mean that the parish is only for Catholics who are Black. Personal parishes are open to any Catholic who wishes to attend, just like any other parish. However, personal parishes are created to provide a place of worship for a specific culture, nationality, or rite in the Catholic Church. For example, there are personal parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans for Vietnamese and Vietnamese- American Catholics where the Mass is usually celebrated entirely in Vietnamese. Many personal parishes for African-Americans were created throughout the country during the time of segregation, and many of those parishes still exist to this day.

Other personal parishes were created after segregation when there was still a need to give African-Americans their own place of worship for various reasons. These personal parishes exist not as places of division and isolation, rather, each one exists to offer the universal Church a diverse expression of the faith that all Catholics can take part in and celebrate.

The Church always seeks to have unity with a respect for diversity, and personal parishes are a way to accomplish this. In Shreveport, Blessed Sacrament parish was created not because of the evil of segregation and racism, but as a pastoral answer to those two evils. The parish of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was founded to give African-Americans in the early 20th century a place where they could worship safely and confidently. As Blessed Sacrament approaches its 100th anniversary in three years, it has remained vibrant throughout the growth and development of the city of Shreveport. The parish has the only Mass in the Shreveport- Bossier area with a gospel choir, which is one important expression of the faith for many Black Catholics. The parish also has an active Council and Court of the Knights of Peter Claver, a group that holds particular importance in the history of Black Catholics, with members who come from around the Shreveport-Bossier area. Blessed Sacrament continues to be a parish where Black Catholics and indeed all Catholics celebrate the Mass together with a unique cultural expression.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament has grown along with the Catholic faith in the Diocese of Shreveport, and it continues to be a place that celebrates diversity in the Catholic Church. It is a parish that generations of Black Catholics in the Diocese of Shreveport have called home for nearly a century.