Alessandra Harris

1 week ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Alessandra Harris

Abuse — Crime — Illinois — Chicago — Bishops — Young people — Education — Black parishes — Law — Black men Two defendants are among some 30 individuals alleged to have conspired in filing false claims against notoriously former priest Daniel McCormack. The Archdiocese of Chicago is suing to stop payments to individuals it says made false claims of child sexual abuse at a Black Catholic parish to rack up monetary settlements, according to court documents.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Alessandra Harris

Two Catholic schools in the Diocese of Albany will close at the end of the 2024-25 academic year due to financial challenges, according to an announcement from the embattled northeastern chancery. One of them, All Saints Catholic Academy, is majority-minority, and another Albany-area school—Blessed Sacrament, with a 40% Black student population—will lose its middle school and convert to pre-K-5. “This was a difficult, but necessary decision,” the diocese said in a statement on March 14.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Sara Chinakwe |Daryl Grigsby |Tim Tilghman |Alessandra Harris

There's a certain irony in my story that I've come to appreciate. In short, I had to leave the Catholic Church to truly find my way back. Perhaps not physically, but spiritually I had to lose my way to find it again. About 17 years ago, I began pursuing the Catholic faith through RCIA. I was welcomed into a wonderful church family who guided me through the Bible and helped deepen my relationship with Christ. Life moved forward in beautiful ways.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Daryl Grigsby |Tim Tilghman |Alessandra Harris |Dorothy Dempsey

Since 2021, Pope Francis has asked Catholics to consider “synodality” as a fundamental characteristic of our Church. Synodality and “synod” derive from two words, syn (“together”) and hodos (for “door,” or “journey”). The Holy Father says our journey together toward the Kingdom of God also includes a mission of mercy and justice. The Synod on Synodality began with parishes, schools, religious orders, and other Catholic institutions being asked to listen to each other and those on the margins.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Tim Tilghman |Alessandra Harris |Dorothy Dempsey |Nathaniel Tinner

This is a time of celebration. In the Archdiocese of Washington, we are still celebrating the priesthood of our recently retired archbishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory. Not only have we seen his picture in the cardinal’s red, but over the last year we have also seen his picture as one among ten African-American Catholic bishops who penned the pastoral letter “What We Have Seen and Heard” just over 40 years ago. How is it that this cause for celebration came about?