THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL BLACK CATHOLIC SEMINARIANS ASSOCIATION
Vol. 2 No. 6
Onward in Brotherhood
“I will give you shepherds…”
PASTORES D ABO V OBIS
NOV/DEC 2011
A Message from the President
THESE
PAST FEW MONTHS SERVING AS PRESIDENT OF THE
NBCSA presented me with many grace-
filled opportunities. One such opportunity was a number of weeks ago in Chicago, where the Executive Board and a few members met to discuss the future of our organization. I came to the realization that the NBCSA has a most important role in our formation. It is our duty to ensure that the NBCSA is positioned to continue serving seminarians and the broader Church in the years to come. At our meeting in Chicago the Executive Board reviewed a set of bylaws prepared by Lorenzo Herman, SJ. We also began a discussion about developing a website for the NBCSA. Our weekend in Chicago came to a rewarding conclusion at the parish of Saint Benedict the African-West, where we joined that faith community in prayer at Sunday Mass. The priest advisor for the NBCSA, Redemptorist Father Maurice Nutt, was the celebrant and homilist. It gives me great joy to see the increased participation of seminarians in the NBCSA. This year the Executive Board was committed to reaching out to all seminarians who share the common interest of ministry in Black Catholic communities. It has been a year filled with great experiences, a year filled with blessings. I welcome the newly elected Executive Board. I am confident that the next leadership team will continue to foster the common goal of the NBCSA. I congratulate President-elect Dwayne Davis for his good work this year serving as vice president. I also wish to congratulate Vice President-elect Robert Boxie, III, as well as Michael Trail and Doug Hunter, who were reelected to serve as secretary and treasurer, respectively. I have greatly enjoyed my time as president and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. Let us remember to pray for one another! Ω
MAY GOD BLESS YOU TODAY, TOMORROW AND ALWAYS! Kareem R. Smith President
Jeremiah 3:15
PASTORES DABO VOBIS The Newsletter of the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association PRESIDENT Kareem R. Smith Archdiocese of New York
VICE PRESIDENT Dwayne Davis Diocese of Brooklyn
SECRETARY Michael Trail Archdiocese of Chicago
TREASURER Doug Hunter Archdiocese of Indianapolis
PASTORES DABO VOBIS is published bimonthly and is available to subscribers, free of charge, by electronic mail. ISSN 2159-1806 EDITOR Desmond Drummer Archdiocese of Atlanta To receive a subscription or to offer comments and story ideas, send an email to the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association.
NATIONAL BLACK CATHOLIC SEMINARIANS ASSOCIATION
NOTES: GATHERING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012 THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE Seminarians who will be in Washington with their dioceses or seminaries for the 2012 March for Life are encouraged to gather for fellowship on Sunday, January 22 at Theological College, the National Seminary of the Catholic University of America.
PHOTO: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
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On Sunday evening, immediately following the Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, seminarians are asked to meet at the Our Mother of Africa Chapel (pictured above) in the lower level of the basilica. Members of the NBCSA will then proceed to walk together to Theological College, which is located directly across from the basilica on Michigan Avenue.
Washington seminarian Robert Boxie, III, the NBCSA’s regional representative for the Atlantic region, is the principal organizer for this activity. Contact the NBCSA for more information. Ω
BLACK CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
www.bcts.org
CONTACT THE NBCSA
The Black Catholic Theological Symposium (BCTS), the only interdisciplinary association of Roman Catholics of African descent in the United States, elected new leadership at its 2011 meeting held in October.
Kareem R. Smith St. John Neumann Seminary College 201 Seminary Avenue Yonkers, NY 10704-1896
C. Vanessa White, DMin of Catholic Theological Union begins a three-year term as convener of BCTS.
The NBCSA is an affiliate of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus
nbcseminarians@gmail.com
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C. Vanessa White
The other leaders are Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, DMin (Associate Convener), Sr. Shawnee Daniels-Sykes, SSND, PhD (Secretary), and Robert Bartlett, PhD (Treasurer). Rev. Bryan Massingale, STD is the past convener. Ω
A NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR 2012 Leaders Emerge from Milestone Elections Process Desmond Drummer | Archdiocese of Atlanta
OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association (NBCSA) has become a renewed agent of unity, communication, and collaboration among seminarians of African descent in the United States. The new Executive Board, which will assume responsibilities on Monday, January 16, 2012, is poised to foster continued development in this regard. In the first issue of PASTORES DABO VOBIS (Jan/Feb 2010) thenpresident Christopher Rhodes (Louisville) announced a renewal of vision and purpose for the NBCSA. Thankfully, the bold vision of Christopher Rhodes was embraced by seminarians and other supporters, especially Valerie Washington of the National Black Catholic Congress. 2010 was a year of laying a foundation for necessary development. The 2011 Executive Board, under the leadership of Kareem Smith (New York), introduced additional organizational enhancements which have doubled the number of registered seminarians. With over sixty percent of registered seminarians casting ballots, this year’s elections process had the highest participation rate the NBCSA has experienced in recent memory. The milestone elections process to identify leaders for 2012 is a testament to the potency of the renewal which began in 2010. Ί
PRESIDENT
Dwayne Davis Diocese of Brooklyn Seminary of the Immaculate Conception Huntington, NY
Brooklyn seminarian Dwayne Davis served as vice president in 2011. He has been elected to lead the NBCSA in 2012.
VICE PRESIDENT
SECRETARY
TREASURER
Robert Boxie, III Archdiocese of Washington Theological College
Michael Trail Archdiocese of Chicago St. Joseph College Seminary
Doug Hunter Archdiocese of Indianapolis St. Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology
Washington, DC
Chicago, IL
St. Meinrad , IN
The NBCSA encourages seminarians to begin planning NOW for the summer of 2012!
INDIANAPOLIS THE SUMMER OF 2012 IN Faith Engaged:
...after my own heart.”
Empower Equip Evangelize
JOINT CONFERENCE
CONGRESS XI
Black Catholic Clergy, Religious, & Seminarians July 16-18 www.nbccc.us
National Black Catholic Congress July 19-21 www.nbccongress.org
Prayer for the Cause of
Father Augustus Tolton O God, we give you thanks for your servant and priest, Father Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful and paradoxical. His ministry helped lay the foundation for a truly Catholic gathering in faith in our time. We stand in the shadow of his ministry. May his life continue to inspire us and imbue us with that confidence and hope that will forge a new evangelization for the Church we love.
FATHER AUGUSTUS TOLTON PRAYER
Bishop Joseph N. Perry 2010
Imprimatur
Francis Cardinal George, OMI Archdiocese of Chicago
Father in Heaven, Father Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows; we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death. If it be your Will, O God, glorify your servant, Father Tolton, by granting the favor I now request through his intercession (mention your request) so that all may know the goodness of this priest whose memory looms large in the Church he loved. Complete what you have begun in us that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom. Not to us the glory, but glory to you O God, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever. Amen.
To report any spiritual or physical favors granted through prayer in Father Tolton’s name, please write: Office of the Cardinal Archdiocese of Chicago 835 North Rush Street Chicago, Illinois 60611