Tamika Royes

3 weeks ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Alexander Walton |Efran Menny |Tamika Royes |Nathaniel Tinner

In the Hebrew Bible, the prophet Ezekiel excoriates the leaders of Israel with the following words:“You shepherds of Israel are doomed! You take care of yourselves while ignoring my sheep. You drink their milk and use their wool to make your clothes. Then you butcher the best ones for food. But you don't take care of the flock! You have never protected the weak ones or healed the sick ones or bandaged those that get hurt.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Paula Langford |Efran Menny |Tamika Royes

An event meant to honor the descendants of African Americans enslaved at Saint Louis University has been postponed, following alleged deviations from a full reckoning on the part of university officials. The erstwhile Wednesday gathering, “A Path Towards Reconciliation,” was to include a prayer service and a public apology for the university’s involvement in human trafficking.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Efran Menny |Tamika Royes

A long-lost opera from the Black Creole composer Edmond Dédé had its world premiere this year in New Orleans, including a series of performances in Louisiana, Washington, and New York. “Morgiane,” a tale of political resistance set in Persia, is the oldest extant opera by a Black American. Its score had been lost since the late 19th century, when Dédé composed the work while living in France amid rising tensions in his native United States.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Efran Menny |Tamika Royes |Nathaniel Tinner |Sara Chinakwe

Last summer, I was invited by the director of the Texas Southern University’s Catholic Newman Center to experience a concert of the Psalms with a gospel influence. They sang plenty of songs I had heard at Mass over the years, but their renditions were soul-stirring. Inspired by their uplifting melodies and lustrous voices offering praises to God, I longed for my former days experiencing Black gospel music as a Protestant.

1 month ago | blackcatholicmessenger.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Tamika Royes

For the first time in seven years, the summer event circuit will include both the Archbishop Lyke Conference and Unity Explosion, which attract devotees of Black Catholic liturgy. The two gatherings will take place during the same week, the Lyke Conference from June 17-20 in Tampa, Florida, and Unity Explosion from June 18-20 in Houston. Both events were canceled for several years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lyke Conference, named for the late Archbishop James P.