'Black Catholics Concerned.' Washington, D.C. -- Black Roman Catholics across the country -- about 1 million -- are being asked to contribute to a special collection on Sunday, Oct. 8, as part of a "Black Catholics Concerned" program sponsored by the National Office of Black Catholics (NOBC). The campaign is seeking to support several major programs being developed by the NOBC, including recruiting black vocations to religious life, developing black Catholic lay leadership, underwriting continuing education for black nuns, priests and Brothers, and the establishment of a national training center for black priests. This panel illustrates the aims of the campaign. Top left -- A black layman at prayer. One of the aims of the program is the development of strong black Catholic lay leadership. Top center -- Brother Anthony Clark, S.V.D. (center), tells two young men about the religious life at the Society of the Divine Word's recruiting booth at Black Expo in Chicago. A successful campaign will enable black Catholics, for the first time, to develop their own direct effort to encourage more vocations from among black Catholics. Top right -- Using a tiger pelt as an altar cloth, Father Kenneth Brigham, Father George Clements and Father Dominic Caromon (left to right) celebrate a "black unity Mass" at Holy Angels church in Chicago. A goal of "Black Catholics Concerned" is to stimulate an authentic black contribution to Catholic worship. Bottom left -- Father Ivan Hughes, O.S.B., confers his first blessing after ordination to the priesthood at the Benedictine St. Pius X Monastery in Pevely, Mo. Through the establishment of a training center for priests, the program hopes to prepare black candidates for the priesthood. Bottom center -- Auxiliary Bishop Harold Perry of New Orleans (center), the nation's only black bishop, is principal celebrant at a Mass during a meeting of the National Black Sisters Conference in Pittsburgh. Black nuns bring the Offertory gifts to the altar. Continuing education programs for black religious is another of the program's aims. Bottom right -- Artists Eugene Edaw (left) and William Walker stand in front of the facade of Detroit's St. Bernard church, which they designed. The work depicts the struggle of blacks, including a painting showing a black Moses confronting a black Pharaoh, demanding that he "let my people go." Black Catholics are being urged to combine Afro-American cultural elements and their Catholic heritage in worship and the arts.
