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We are an interracial, intercultural community of priests and brothers who work in the African American community. We are the only community of men in the American Catholic Church engaged exclusively in this ministry. Most Josephites work and live in the parish setting. Our goal of developing warm, welcoming parishes is done through vibrant worship, solid Catholic teaching and ministries that speak to the needs of the faith communities. A Josephite priest or brother may be found in the parish school, at C.C.D. or the R.C.I.A. programs, counseling or involved with parish youth. In New Orleans, the priests and brothers operate St. Augustine High School, an all-male, Black Catholic school with an enrollment of over 800 students. The Josephite Pastoral Center is the educational and research arm of the Josephite Society. It offers Black-oriented publications, videos, calendars and service development programs. We invite single Catholic men of all races to consider involvement in our vital ministry. The requirements for admission to the formation program include good physical and mental health, a high school diploma, the ability to do college work, a religious spirit and the motivation to consecrate oneself to God through service to the African American community.
BEGINNINGS
The start of it all will take you back a century, back to the days of reconstruction following the Civil War. In December of 1871, a British priest, Fr. Herbert Vaughan, landed in Baltimore. With him were the first priests of his newly-formed mission society. These priests, Mill Hill Fathers, left their base near London at the request of the American bishops, following the Tenth Provincial Council of Baltimore. They came to devote themselves exclusively to the evangelization of Black Americans. The emancipated Negroes, numbering at that time about seven million, were mainly poor, uneducated, and often the victims of unscrupulous persons. The Archbishop of Baltimore welcomed the future Cardinal and his priests, seeing in their arrival as "a golden opportunity to reap a harvest of souls." It was not to be that easy. There were, of course, African-American Catholics before that time, but they were few in number and found in but a few areas, e.g. in Maryland and Louisiana. Most of the African-American populace lived in the South where the Catholic Church was weakest in numbers and held in deep mistrust. Protestant sects made the greatest strides, and African-American preachers quickly emerged to aid that growth. The Catholic Church was clearly at a disadvantage, for baptism in the Church required lengthy instruction and an abundance of well-trained teachers. Moreover, priests were few, inasmuch as training for the priesthood involved long years of preparation. Confronting the American Church at this period was a need requiring more pressing attention - the fifteen million immigrants who poured into the United States in the latter half of the nineteenth century. All available priests were needed for the spiritual care of those who were already Catholic. Consequently, convert-making was not the first priority at that time. Josephites found themselves almost alone in their apostolate, a situation to last for many years. Their patience and dedication would be tested.
AMERICAN SOCIETY FORMED
By the year 1891 it became clear to the Mill Hill Fathers that a foreign-based mission society could not adequately handle the uniquely American problems. Thus, in 1893, through reorganization, a new group, St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart, came into being. The small founding group of Josephite priests had among their number Fr. Charles R. Uncles, the first African-American priest trained and ordained in the U.S. The commitment of the new Society to the African-American apostolate was the same as before - to teach the doctrines of the Catholic Church and to promote the Church's teachings on social justice.
WHERE JOSEPHITES WORK
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