| The Roman Catholic
Church has always been a mainstay in
Chicago. The nature of the Church has
often defined its urban neighborhood.
The Archdiocese (the local governing
head of the Catholic parishes in
Chicago) acknowledged the cultural
identity of its largely European
parishioners. For example, although the
masses were spoken in Latin, the
physical appearance of these churches
reflected the ethnicity of their
parishioners, albeit Polish, Italian or
Irish, in the early to mid 1900’s.
However, in the late 1960’s and early
1970’s, the neighborhoods on the south
and west sides of Chicago went through a
demographic change. As Black families
moved into the area, many White
residents moved out to the suburbs. As a
result, the Archdiocese was left with
the task of trying to appeal to the new
African American population in the urban
neighborhood. To combat this problem,
the Archdiocese used their parochial
schools as a tool to recruit Black
parishioners (Lehmann 5). Ironically,
once they joined church, they would have
to check their cultural identity at the
door and adapt the cultural identity of
that parish, whether, Irish, Polish or
even Latino. They often felt like the
invisible minority (Wycliff 1). In a
12 year-old national poll, over 89% of
the Black Catholics who responded, felt
that racism is alive and well in the
Catholic Church (Lehmann 8). The Church
has often been accused of being almost
exclusively Eurocentric. "It prays
White, worships White, and thinks
preeminently White" says Reverend
Lawrence E. Lucas, of New York (Lehmann
1). "Roman Catholicism is so European
and White orientated that it can't help
but fail the spiritual, cultural and
social needs of its minorities Black in
particular" (Lehmann 1). As a direct
result, many predominately Black
parishes were experiencing falling
attendance records. For example; Our
Lady of Hungary had to permanently
closed its doors due to the drop in
attendance.
In response, ten African
American Catholic Bishops wrote a
pastoral letter to Pope John Paul II in
1987. They cited the exclusion that many
Black parishioners felt from the Church.
They wanted to find ways to strengthen
the Church's approach to ministering to
Blacks. They wanted the Church to
"encourage Black Catholics to deepen
their awareness and understanding of the
whole Black Church" (Cose 26). Finally,
the letter states that the Catholic
Church was not considered a White nor
Eurocentric, but essentially universal
and therefore Catholic (Cose 26). Even
though the Archdiocese has acknowledged
the concerns of the issues stated in the
papal letter, most Black Catholic
churches, like St. Felities and St.
Dorothy, have remained fairly
traditional.
In spite of this, St. Ailbe, St.
Sabina and Holy Angels are a part of a
small but growing number of parishes
that have adopted the philosophy of
Afrocentric influence. Prior to 1991,
St. Ailbe had been an integral part of
the Calumet Heights Catholic community
for 104 years. It evolved from a small
framed church in the 1800s to the
present church and school located at
9015 S. Harper (St. Ailbe 3). It was
founded by Irish and Polish working
class immigrants. In 1968-1973, the
parish changed from Irish and Polish to
African American. In the 15 years to
follow, the growth of the church
stagnated because the traditional
Catholic setting did not reflect the
cultural identity of its congregants. An
example of this was that all of the
statues of the Holy Family, i.e. The
Blessed Mother, Joseph and Jesus, were
all White. The pictures of the Stations
Of The Cross (these are a series of
pictures depicting Jesus’ journey to his
physical death on the cross) were also
White. Other than the red, black, and
green banners displayed in February,
Black History Month, there was nothing
in the church that reflected the
congregants cultural identity.
Nevertheless, in 1991, Father John
Breslin took over the pastoral duties of
St. Ailbe. Through his efforts and those
of Sister Katherine, the principal of
St. Ailbe, a once obsolete church and
school has been turned into a
spiritually fulfilling and distinctly
Afrocentric Parish.
For the past seven years, with Fr.
John Breslin at the helm, St. Ailbe
parish and school have been revitalized
and now it is an exception to this
trend. It became out-of touch with its
parishioners because it didn’t make an
effort to acknowledge the cultural needs
of its primary minority group, Black
Catholics. Before Fr. Breslin's tenure,
the parish was no different. In 1991,
Fr. John brought a new sense of cultural
identification and pride into every
facet in the parish. Of the 2.3 million
Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese, of
Chicago, 100,000 are African-American.
In addition, out of the 378 parishes in
the Chicagoland area, 43% are
predominantly African American
(Archdiocese).
Sandra McElrath has been a
parishioner of St. Ailbe since 1973. She
felt that when her family first joined
the church they were welcomed by the
congregation. St. Ailbe was very
friendly, she stated, but the issue of
race at St. Ailbe was never really
addressed (McElrath 1).
As a matter of fact, Father Breslin
has aggressively infused Afrocentric
themes and principles into St. Ailbe
both physically and spiritually. For
example, he renamed the remodeled rooms
in the church hall after the seven
principles of Kwaanza, an African
inspired holiday, and he uses those same
principles as themes for his rousing
sermons. While he is not African
American, nor from the South, his
preaching style is reminiscent of a
Black southern preacher. He grabs the
congregation's attention with humorous
story telling, vivid oration and call
and response techniques. He even
occasionally slips into "Black"
vernacular. He has encouraged the
choirs, who primarily were restricted to
textbook Catholic hymns, to expand their
repertoire with old gospel standards and
cutting edge urban contemporary
Christian music.
Not everyone has embraced the new
direction St. Ailbe has chosen. One
former parishioner, in her mid-forties,
who wants to remain anonymous states
that she was very annoyed with the
changes in the parish. Her major
complaints are the absence of kneelers
to pray and the wall that was erected to
close off the blessed sacrament (the
tabernacle where the Holy Eucharist is
housed). She also dislikes the Gospel
songs the Adult Choir has incorporated
in its repertoire, the absence of any
statues and/or symbols of the Blessed
Mother, and Fr. Breslin’s constant
pleading for money. This parishioner
also felt that Fr. John’s sermons are
loud but empty. Overall, she and her
family felt spiritually stifled. Her new
church home is more conducive to her
spiritual needs. "It is a colder
environment and there is even an element
of snobbery, however, it offers me the
traditional Catholic environment I grew
up with" (Anonymous).
In rebuttal, Fr. John addressed each
one of her complaints. He states, "In
the authentically Roman Catholic
tradition, there were never any
kneelers. Ironically, kneelers were
adapted from a Protestant tradition, so
actually, we went back to our origins by
omitting this. As far as the Blessed
Sacrament is concerned, when I arrived
in 1991, the way the chairs were
situated at the altar, my back was
facing the Blessed Sacrament, and that,
to me, was very offensive. The gospel
direction that the choir has taken has
received a positive response from the
congregation...with standing ovations.
The Blessed Mother is still cherished in
our parish." In response to her diatribe
about his constant pleas for money, Fr.
John stated, "In 1991 when I arrived,
the parish was $38,000 in debt. The
church had a back log of unpaid bills,
it was a financial mess, but through the
efforts of our congregation, we have
been able to reduce our debt to the
point where we are now debt free." As
one who never believed in hand outs, he
wanted to make sure that the parish dug
itself out of the financial hole it
made. Finally, he counters, "I am happy
that she has found a church that
fulfills her spiritual needs.
Nevertheless, we make no apologizes for
being Catholic. We are not a watered
down Christian church."
Some examples of the changes that Fr.
John, in conjunction with the
congregation, have implemented are the
14 new ministries in St. Ailbe. They
vary from a children's Sunday school, to
organized tours of historically Black
Colleges. In addition, Fr. John has
spearheaded a church supported project
that entails building a 77 unit Senior
Citizen housing facility on 93rd and
Kimbark. This building will not only be
an apartment complex, but it will also
house a library, meeting rooms, and a
garden area. He also wants the school
children to continue to have regular
contact with senior residents. The
ultimate goal is to foster an
intergenerational relationship. "I want
to honor the jewels of the church. They
could teach the children lessons that
you don’t find in school books"
(Breslin).
These changes have made a difference
in the way the parishioners view their
parish and their roles in it.
Physically, Father John has done much to
improve the church, with funds raised
from the capital improvement campaign,
the church has undergone a face-lift.
Prior to the renovation, the alter was
set far apart from the pews (where the
congregation sits during mass) and
priest seemed isolated from the
congregation during mass. It was very
difficult to relate to him and the
message he was trying to convey because
of that. Now the altar is situated in
the middle of the church among the pews.
"The atmosphere of the church is more
inviting. Although the altar does stand
out, it isn't isolated as it one was"
(Harnett 2).
Similarly, the school has also gone
through a tremendous transformation. The
decision to infuse Afrocentric themes
into the curriculum has had a positive
effect. "It has given the students a
sense of cultural pride" says Sr.
Kathryn Harnett the school principal of
25 years. She added, "We want our kids
to have a steady stream of their
cultural heritage all year round instead
of the customary 28 days in February." A
few examples of this are that children
in the primary grades, first-Fourth, are
taught to recite the National Black
Anthem "Lift Every Voice And Sing" and
"Hey Black Child" in conjunction with
their morning prayers. The older grades,
sixth-eighth, are required to read books
like, Malcolm X and Roots and Black Like
Me. Finally, the faculty must attend the
annual conference ‘The Urban Black
Child’. (A conference that addresses the
issues of black children that live in
urban areas.) "We have been blessed,"
says Fr. John, "to have wonderful
teachers that address the academic
cultural, and spiritual needs of our
students." One of the proudest example
of this is the Kente Club, which was
established in 1990. The concept of the
Kente club is for the school to have a
way to recognize a select group of hard
working students on a monthly basis. Two
students from every grade receive a
Kente sole to take home, to wear at
family get-togethers and family
services. The purpose of this is to
celebrate their achievements and to
reinforce in them the desire to strive
to do their best, no matter what age or
grade level. The Kente cloth was chosen
as a symbol because it identifies the
royalty of the person who wears it. It
ultimately fortifies self-esteem, which
translates into academic success.
Another example is the Children’s Choir.
They are the school's ambassadors. They
represent the best that St. Ailbe has to
offer. Their popularity has grown to the
point that they have been invited to
sing all over the state. "They are truly
a feather in our cap," says Sr. Kathryn,
"and we are very proud of them"
(Harnett). Lastly, in the beginning of
January of 1999, the school will offer
an African dance class for the students
who have to stay in the after-school
care program. Because of these changes
and new programs, a waiting list and an
entrance examination was developed to
address rising school enrollment.
Over all, the response to the growth
and development that St. Ailbe has taken
on has been very successful for both the
school and church. There has been an
increase in school enrollment and church
attendance has soared to the point that
almost every church service is standing
room only. Although the infusion of
afrocentricity in these churches has
angered some former parishioners, for
every family that has left, two more
families have replaced them.
In conclusion, Fr. Breslin and Sr.
Kathryn Harnett have found a way to mix
Afrocentric themes and principles into
the parish and school with successful
results. With this new direction, St.
Ailbe has the wherewithal to sustain
itself well into the next millennium.
The Archdiocese of Chicago should take a
serious look at the success of St. Ailbe
and other churches that have taken a
similar Afrocentric approach. Clearly,
these churches have filled the void that
many Black Catholics have felt in a more
traditional Catholic setting. It is no
coincidence that St. Sabina and St.
Ailbe, respectively, have the two
largest Black Catholic congregations in
the entire Archdiocese of Chicago. The
Catholic Church should continue to
embrace this diversity, and perhaps use
St. Ailbe as a model for other Black
Catholic churches that wish to
incorporate afrocentricity into their
churches.
Works Cited
- Anonymous. Phone Interview. 10
November 1998
- Archdiocese of Chicago, Media
Department. Phone Interview. 8
November 1998.
- Breslin, John Fr. Personal
Interview. November 1998.
- Cose, Larry. "Black Catholics Find
'Serious Excitement' at Holy Name."
Chicago Sun-Times 15 October1985,
Five Star Final: News 1.
- Harnett, Sr. Kathryn. Phone
Interview. 4 October 1998.
- Lehmann, Daniel J. "Black
Catholics Worries Told." Chicago
Sun-Times 15 October 1985.
- ---. "Catholics and Blacks in
America, Church Prays White, Black
Says." Chicago Sun-Times.17
September 1989.
- ---. "Catholic Schools Offer Way
to Bring Blacks into Flock."
Chicago Sun-Times 18 September
1989: News 1.
- ---. "White Folks Didn't Want
You." Chicago Sun-Times 18
September 1989: News 1.
- McElrath, Sandra. Personal
Interview. 27 November 1998.
- St. Ailbe Catholic Church.
100th Anniversary. Chicago:
Croatian Franciscan Press, 1992.
- Wycliff, Don. "Leaning on the
Lord. Trusting in His Holy Word. He's
Never Failed Us Yet." Chicago
Sun-Tribune 8 February 1989: News
1.
|
Legertha
Barner is a full-time working mom who still
volunteers generously to serve the children at
her parish. As a Youth Catechist at St. Ailbe
Parish in Chicago, she has brought effective
innovation to this ministry for many years.
Beginning with the example of her own children,
she has been effective in teaching teens to give
back to their parish. Graduates from her Sunday
catechesis program frequently return to act as
catechist assistants, as well as participate in
the "Youth for Christ" ministry.
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