Archbishop Lori: National Black Catholic Congress is ‘vitally important’

Archbishop William Lori stood in the foyer of his residence on North Charles Street in downtown Baltimore, ready to greet invited guests. These included several of the 74 delegates from the Archdiocese of Baltimore to this year’s 13th National Black Catholic Congress to be held in Fort Washington, Md., July 20-23. His smile was quick, his handshake warm.

The archbishop, himself a delegate to the NBCC, said that the congress is and has been “vitally important” for the Archdiocese of Baltimore because it enables “the Black Catholic community to come together to acknowledge and share their gifts, to discuss pastoral needs and opportunities, and to plan for evangelization, to plan for exerting influence and even transformation in the life of the larger church, and particularly on issues of combating racism.”

This year’s congress at National Harbor, held every five years, will develop its next five-year pastoral plan based on the theme “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.”

Archbishop Lori proudly noted the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s distinction as the site of the first such congress, held in 1889, since at that time, the District of Columbia and surrounding counties were still a part of the Baltimore archdiocese.

He further noted that his residence has been functioning since 1829, and that the room where the delegates were gathered is where the bishops of the 19th century met to consider the issues of the day.

“Some of those issues they considered really quite well, and some they did not consider as well,” he said, “and I think you know what those are.”

Several nodded in agreement.

Archbishop Lori added, “Like every place, we have a very long history … of human beings, and we human beings are fallible. So, we have some great chapters and we have chapters that you and I have to work to overcome.”

He cited the process throughout the archdiocese that has involved a great deal of “listening deeply” and gathering feedback on matters of importance to the Black Catholic community. Some 3,600 people have been heard in different forums as part of the Seek the City to Come planning process for parishes in Baltimore City and close-in places in Baltimore County.

“Every single parish and worship site (in the project region) has been visited,” he said. “Now we’ll move into the phase of asking ‘What is?’ and then ‘What needs to be?’”

Archbishop Lori emphasized that “we will move into the next phases as thoughtfully and thoroughly as we can, but the goal always is growth and evangelization.” He clarified that “the number of parishes does not equal growth; it’s the number of people that feel the embrace of the Lord.”

The archbishop told his guests just before dinner, “I think it is a wonderful, beautiful thing for us to come together as a local church and as a delegation to this congress. … It is so important that your voices be heard, … that we pray together.”

Archbishop Lori drew a roar of laughter from delegates when he shared the time his now-103-year-old mother visited his residence when he was appointed archbishop of Baltimore 11 years ago.

“She came in and took a look at this place and said, ‘Bill, you mean to tell me they’re going to let you live here?’” he recalled, assuring her, “Honest, Mom, I’ll pick up all my clothes.”

On a more serious note, he explained that he always believed God gave him “this ol’ place” for a reason, and “the reason is simply to open it to everyone. So, I am glad and honored that you are here tonight.”

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