STONY THE ROAD WE TROD

Harriet Thompson, Pierre Toussaint, and Daniel Rudd -- all three of these 19th century African American Catholic laypersons could loudly proclaim: stony the road we trod. All three faced civil and ecclesial racism. All three remained deeply committed Catholics. In her 1853 letter to Pope Pius IX Harriet Thompson, a New Yorker, wrote:

"I humbly write these lines to beseech your Holiness in the name of the same Saviour if your will provide for the salvation of the black race in the United States who is going astray from neglect on the part of those who have care of souls....The reason of this neglect is...that most of the Bishops and priests in the country is either Irish or descended from Irish and not being accustomed to the black race in Ireland they can't think enough of them to take charge of their souls....Hence it is a great mistake to say that the church watched with equal care over every race and color, for how can it be said they teach all nations when they will not let the black race mix with the white."

Harriet Thompson told the Holy Father that a black Catholic delegation met with Father Loughlin. Their inquiry concerned having black Catholic children attend a school conducted by the Sisters of Charity. Loughlin, known as sympathetic to and involved with black Catholics in New York and in Brooklyn (where he became Bishop), spoke with the Sisters. The Sisters told Fr. Loughlin that white children would not attend class with blacks. Case closed. Thompson's letter was signed by twenty-six other black Catholics.

These black Catholics sowed the seeds of faith for later generations. They voiced convictions nurtured by hope and strengthened by courage. Stony was the road they trod to overcome systemic prejudice and institutional racism.

The faith of black Catholics cultivated holiness. On July 2, 1853 a funeral was held for Pierre Toussaint at old St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street. Toussaint had been born a slave in 1766. In 1787 he left Santo Domingo/Haiti and came to the United States. He was freed from slavery in 1807. Toussaint manifested holiness in a number of ways. He was a devoted and loving husband. His work as a hairdresser enabled him to become a man of charity and benefaction. He personally cared for the sick. He took homeless youth into his home where his wife and he trained them for work and loved them. His joy and kindness became legend. We await the day he will be know as Saint Pierre Toussaint.

On January 4, 1889, close to one hundred African Americans Catholic men met with President Cleveland at the White House. This was the last day of their four day Congress of Colored Catholics. The gathering, a forerunner of Call To Action, was organized by Daniel Rudd. This Kentucky born newspaperman, lecturer, and publisher was one of the leading Catholic laypersons of his day.

Thompson, Toussaint, Rudd: three black Catholic laypersons who learned their voice in sacred song. All three cherished the liturgy. The Eucharist was the center of their lives. All three helped to craft the syntax of African American sacred speech. We thank God for their persons and their witness.