One day after the neighborhood surrounding St. Peter Claver in Sandtown-Winchester erupted in violence following Freddie Gray’s funeral, Josephite Father Raymond Bomberger stood with a broom in hand, helping clear broken glass and other debris left in the wake of the unrest.
Gray died from injuries sustained while in the custody of Baltimore City police. Outrage over the circumstances of his death sparked riots on the same day as his April 27, 2015, funeral.
Looking back, Father Bomberger said there was no other place he was meant to be. “West Baltimore was my home,” said Father Bomberger, who served as pastor of St. Peter Claver/St. Pius V from 2008 to 2020. “I was there, so you’ve got to take care of it.”
A constant presence in the neighborhood, Father Bomberger joined ecumenical leaders in praying for peace, and his parish became a center for calls for police reform.
The response reflected the spirit of the Josephites, he noted, the Baltimore-based religious community formally known as the St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart.
Now serving as superior general of the Josephites, Father Bomberger hopes to encourage his fellow priests and brothers to continue the society’s tradition of ministry beyond the parish, serving as active and visible presences in the communities around them.
After several years as the order’s vicar general, Father Bomberger, 82, was elected in late July to succeed the late Bishop John H. Ricard as leader of the society. He will serve the remainder of Bishop Ricard’s term, which ends in June 2027, when a new superior general will be elected.
As leader of the Josephites, Father Bomberger oversees a religious community founded in Baltimore to serve Black Catholics. In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Josephites minister at St. Veronica in Cherry Hill and at the society’s headquarters in North Baltimore. They also serve in several Southern states; California; Washington, D.C.; and Michigan.
The society counts 62 priests and brothers, including 52 in active ministry. It has seen growing success in attracting vocations from Africa in recent years. Father Bomberger, a former novice director, said those efforts will continue while the Josephites also seek to attract more American vocations.
“You can’t separate yourself from the local community and engagement,” he said. “With Freddie Gray, that was one issue that highlighted so many others – poverty, housing, health care, policing and a whole host of justice issues. Being an essential part of the community is what the Gospel is all about.”
Father Bomberger hopes to involve more laypeople, especially young adults, in serving both the church and their communities.
“It’s an opportunity to engage the people of our parishes and our neighborhoods to build up individuals and strengthen communities,” he said. “We want to strengthen our presence in the areas where we serve.”
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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