Black Catholic religious sisters grace Baltimore at national event as they seek new members

TOWSON – Members of the National Black Sisters’ Conference (NBSC) held their annual assembly July 26-30 at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel. Under the banner of “Reflect, Renew, Respond,” the sisters and their associate members reflected upon the legacies that shaped their journey, renewed their commitment to justice and service, and relied upon courage to continue responding to God’s call.

Being together itself was a celebration as they acknowledged their longevity, their dead in Christ and strategized over ways to attract new members.

NBSC was founded in 1968 in Pittsburgh when more than 150 Black Catholic women religious from 79 national and international congregations gathered to make plans for incorporation.

They were responding to what they saw as an urgent need for the Catholic Church in the United States to develop a greater relevancy for Black people. They also wanted to promote positive images among themselves and their race as they witnessed to Christ’s Gospel.

Today its ranks are bolstered by the inclusion of associate members, women and men who firmly support their mission, live exemplary lives of faith and support the advancement of African American women in leadership.

Oblate Sister of Providence Marcia Hall, superior general of the Baltimore-based Oblate Sisters of Providence, observed that attracting more members is a priority.

Sister Chioma Ahanihu of the Sisters of the Living Word based in Chicago reasoned that first they would have to identify prospective members.

“Superiors of congregations can be approached and asked, ‘Do you have Black sisters?’ We have this organization that could benefit your member,” she suggested. 

They, in turn, can encourage their participation and perhaps offer financial support, without which some sisters may be unable to join.

“We really have to think about our future,” agreed Sister Melinda Pellerin of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Springfield, Mass. “We’ve been learning that we have to do some things in a different way in order to sustain the organization.”

NBSC brought in noted speakers to conduct workshops for equipping participants in their faith journey. They included Sister Anita Baird of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary; a veteran activist for racial justice and voting rights, Michael P. Howard, whose Eat the Scroll Ministry promotes the rich traditions of Black Catholics, and Shea-Danielle Pines, a licensed marriage and family therapist who stresses the importance of self-care and emotional wellness.

Highlights of the assembly were a Mass for NBSC’s jubilarians and a banquet honoring its 2026 Harriet Tubman Award recipient, Blessed Sacrament Sister Lynn Marie Ralph.

The Jubilee Mass was held at St. Francis Xavier in East Baltimore, the nation’s first Black Catholic parish. There the faces and limbs of robed statues are tinted brown to reflect the congregation.

Jubilarians honored for 70 years of service were Mercy Sister Cora Marie Billings and Sister Josita Colbert of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and NBSC’s Vice President. Oblate Sister Rosetta Marie Brown was honored for 60 years while Sister of St. Mary of Namur Roberta Fulton and Oblate Sister Anita Smith marked 50 years. Oblate Assistant General Sister Anthonia Ugwu, Franciscan Sister Jannette Pruitt of NBSC’s board, and Sister Eucharia Okoye of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur were saluted for 25 years of ministry.

The celebrant, Jesuit Father Gregory Chisholm, stated that most Black men and women living consecrated lives and black laity serving the church focus on building the faith of people of African descent.

“In almost 400 years of our life in this country, there is not one year, not one month, not one day when our people have not needed to hear” God’s words of comfort, said Father Chisholm, superior of the Jesuit community at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore.

Oblate Sister of Providence Rita Michelle Proctor welcomed attendees at NBSC’s Harambee (“let’s pull together” in Swahili) Banquet. The Harriet Tubman Award, she said, is given to those who demonstrate the courage and servant leadership emblematic of Tubman whose strength came from her “unwavering belief that God never abandons those who walk in faith.

“She declared, … ‘I always told God, I’m gonna hold steady on you. You got to see me through.’”

Sister Lynn Marie, 43 years a religious, is the pastoral care coordinator at Holy Redeemer Food Pantry in Meadowbrook, PA, that serves over a thousand families monthly.

The educator, retreat director and projects editor was introduced by her identical twin, Josephite Sister Patricia Anne Ralph, who drew appreciative laughter when she remarked, “I was born five minutes earlier. … She likes to say she let me go first to see if it was safe. I like to say I’ve been looking out for her ever since. …

“People have said we look exactly alike. But I have never been confused about who she is. I have always known she is the brave one, … the person who stays late, who speaks up, who makes room for others, who carries people with her.”

In accepting the award, Sister Lynn Marie called it a “call to action.”

“Each of us has the power to be a conductor on the modern underground railroad,” she said, “whether that means mentoring, advocating for policy change or simply refusing to be silent in the face of injustice.”

NBSC president Sister Barbara Spears of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary credited the Ralph twins’ family for “planting the seed” to live exemplary lives. Sister Barbara, who holds an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Maryland, noted that their late mother, Lila Mae Ralph, was also a NBSC associate.

Later that evening, Sister Chioma and Franciscan Sister Ronnie Grier of Philadelphia, herself a past recipient of the Harriet Tubman Award, considered a Black Catholic woman working at the banquet and asked her directly if she ever considered becoming a NBSC associate.

“Some people will hear of something” and explore it “whereas others need a little bit of a push,” remarked Sister Chioma, smiling.

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