NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Noted lecturer, author, leader in the national Black Catholic movement and Baltimore native Therese Wilson Favors was among nearly 90 presenters at the 13th National Black Catholic Congress held at National Harbor, Md., in July.
Her two complementary sessions addressed exploring the meaning of catechesis and then developing catechetical resources from an Africentric perspective. She was among fewer than five speakers invited to do two workshops.
“Africentric” is a focus centered on influences from Africa or cultures of African origin. Favors’ standing-room-only presentations applied “Africentric” to catechesis, rendering it a process of transmitting the Gospel as the African American community receives, understands, celebrates and lives it.
In Favors’ view, the task of those ministering in black Catholic communities is to do some “fattening up” of the faithful. If they are going to “rebuild the vision” of a fuller life in Christ, which is what the congress theme called for, they must “hatch a new thing called fattening houses.”
To understand the concept, attendees received a folded black-and-white handout with a small key taped to one of two panels to resemble a doorknob. Together she had everyone read the “true story” inside the panels that was taken from a presentation titled “Child Rearing Practices in West Africa.” It was given in February 1993 by Dr. Adjai Robinson, then a teacher at the now closed Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore. It read: “In a village in present-day Nigeria, as the colonists initiated their schools of learning, many elders of the community raised concern whether their children’s learning was sufficient enough.
“They questioned: ‘Would our children be fed spiritually, would they be fattened-up with our African traditions and wisdom; would they be strong enough to survive beyond the learning of reading, writing and arithmetic?’
“So, the elders instituted what was called ‘Fattening Houses’ to fatten up their own with spiritual knowledge, cultural wisdom and tips for survival.”
Favors’ morning session broke down common enough terms that the delegates themselves and those in ministry with them must fully grasp before attempting to teach others – words such as catechesis, education, culture, inculturation, enculturation and acculturation, and how to differentiate between them.
She also distributed a copy of her 20th anniversary edition of “Keep on Teaching,” a resource manual designed to assist catechists and youth ministers who serve in the African American Catholic community. The series was inspired by the African proverb that says God is always speaking somewhere. So, we must go to that place and listen.
She encouraged delegates to develop the same for their own ministries, being mindful that “we do not use the King James Version of the Bible.” Preferable is the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), one of the varied translations of the Bible approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
For the past 30 years, Favors has developed a manual with a different theme for each year that was taken from Scripture and from a black Catholic perspective for her “Keep on Teaching” series. Copies of all 30 booklets to date were lined along the walls.
In her afternoon session, she shared the manual developed for her 21st year. It was accompanied by a small, colorful green booklet that contained a red pocket of simple page markers and paper clips for noting Bible verses that stand out. She urged users to be prepared to share thoughts on why these verses stood out, what caught their hearts, how God is talking to them, and what spiritual wisdom was gained.
She peppered both talks with reminders such as, “If you want to learn a thing, teach a thing,” and “formation and not information is needed in order to be spiritually obese.”
She cited Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who noted that “oftentimes we think of ourselves as human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience. Rather, we are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.” We must ask ourselves “Who am I” and “What am I to do” with my life?
Pope Francis, she said early on, told youths at a World Youth Day something that applies to young and old today:
“The most important thing you can do with your life is to be in relationship with Jesus. It is a beautiful thing to be close to Jesus,” the pope said in 2013. “What God cares about the most is that we are his friends.”
“That’s why we’ve got to tell our children,” she added, fighting back tears.
Favors is a professor at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans. She grew up in Baltimore. For 19 of her 43 years of ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, she was the director of the Office of African American Catholic Ministries. She is also a former program director and executive director of the National Black Catholic Congress, headed today by Valerie Washington.
She was joined by her longtime presentation assistant Patricia A. Waddell, who said she considers herself from both the archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington.
“I was so glad to meet Theresa 30 years ago,” Waddell said, “because I had moved from a desert in Oklahoma. When I got here (Baltimore), I found some people who looked like me, and they were Catholic!” She has remained involved with her newfound community ever since.
Favors said that she and Waddell were “bursting to say that we did not get here all by ourselves” in developing teaching resources. “We were transformed and engaged and imbued by the research and writings” of three women in particular and whose teachings continue to form us,” she explained:
- Theologian Dr. Toinette Eugene, an expert on the African American family and an author and lecturer at the School of Liberal Arts, Saint Mary’s College of California. “Oh my God, you’re talking about a megamind with a megaheart for catechesis,” said Favors.
- Sister Dr. Eva Marie Lumas of the Sisters of Social Service based in California and the former Interim co-director of Xavier University of New Orleans. “If you’ve connected with her, your life has been transformed … because she shares so generously and is so real and challenging,” Waddell observed.
- Sister Dr. Oralisa Martin, an internationally acclaimed evangelist, keynote speaker and author from New Orleans.
“I am so inspired seeing you hungry!” Waddell told those gathered, “and I guarantee that when you leave here, you’re gonna be fat!”
Added Favors, “It’s alright to be a Dense Diva. It’s alright to be called Count Fatula!”
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