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We Are

The Josephite Society of the Sacred Heart is an interracial, intercultural community of priests and brothers who work to advance the teachings of the Church in the African American community. The Society is the only community of men in the American Catholic Church that is engaged exclusively in this particular ministry

Most Josephites work and live in parish settings, with goals of developing warm, welcoming parishes through vibrant worship, solid Catholic teaching and ministries that speak to the needs of the faith communities.

A Joseph priest or brother may be found in the parish school, at C.C.D. or the R.C.I.A. programs, in counseling sessions, and/or involved with parish youth. In New Orleans, the priests and brothers operate St. Augustine High School, an all-male, African American school with an enrollment of over 800 students.

The Josephite Pastoral Center is the educational and research arm of the Josephite Society. It offers African American-oriented publications, videos, calendars and service development programs.

Single Catholic men of all races and ages are invited to consider becoming involved with this 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 and dedicate oneself to God through service to the African American community.

Roots

The Josephite Society of the Sacred Heart traces its earliest service activities in America back to 1871, during the reconstruction years following the Civil War. Following the Tenth Provincial Council of Baltimore, at the request of the American bishops, Fr. Herbert Vaughn brought a group of priests to America to form a new mission society. These priests, known as the Mill Hill Fathers, left their base in London to devote themselves exclusively to the evangelization of Black Americans. At the end of the war, there were approximately seven million emancipated Negroes who were mainly poor, uneducated, and too often the victims of evil and criminal behavior.

The Archbishop of Baltimore welcomed the future Cardinal (Fr. Vaughn) and his priests, seeing their arrival as “a golden opportunity to reap a harvest of souls.” It was not to be an easy task. Of course, there were African American Catholics before the arrival of Fr. Vaughn and his priests, but they were few in number and were found in but a few areas, mostly in Maryland and Louisiana. Most African-Americans lived in the South where the Catholic Church was the weakest in numbers and was, generally, held in deep mistrust.

Protestant sects were able to make the greatest strides, following the war, and African-American preachers quickly emerged to aid in 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. It seemed easier to opt for something other than the Catholic Church. Moreover, priests were few, inasmuch as training for the priesthood involved long years of preparation.

Also confronting the American Church, at this period, was another need, requiring pressing and immediate attention: the 15 million immigrants that poured into the United States in the latter half of the nineteenth century. All available priests were required for the spiritual care of those who were already Catholic. As a result, conversions to Catholicism were not given top priority, at the time. The Josephites found themselves almost alone in their apostolate, a situation that lasted many years. Their patience and dedication would be tested.

By 1891, it became clear to the Mill Hill Fathers that a foreign-based mission society could not adequately manage the uniquely American problems. In 1893, through reorganization, a new group, the St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart was formed. The small founding group of Josephite priests had among them, Fr. Charles R. Uncles, the first African-American priest trained and ordained in the United States. The commitment to the African-American apostolate by the new Society was the same as before; to teach the doctrines of the Catholic Church and to promote the Church’s teachings on social justice.