Black Catholic Messenger

Last updated

Black Catholic Messenger
Type of businessNonprofit
Type of site
Online newspaper
Available inEnglish
FoundedOctober 2020 (2020-10)
Country of origin United States
Founder(s) Nate Tinner-Williams, Preslaysa Williams, Alessandra Harris
EditorNate Tinner-Williams
Parent Black Catholic Messenger Foundation
URL blackcatholicmessenger.org
Current statusActive

Black Catholic Messenger (BCM) is a nonprofit media publication covering stories of interest to African-American Catholics. [1] [2] [3] [4] Its coverage has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer , La Croix , The New Yorker , Black Enterprise and The Root . BCM established a republishing partnership with National Catholic Reporter in 2022.

Contents

History

The publication was founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, in late 2020. Nate Tinner-Williams—inspired by the model of Daniel Rudd, the 19th- and 20th-century Black Catholic journalist from Ohio—formed a group of young African-American Catholics to create a publication that could possibly revive Rudd's journalistic legacy. [1] [2] [5]

The group, consisting of Tinner-Williams and authors Alessandra Harris and Preslaysa Williams, began their work in October of that year. [6] [7] [8] [9]

The publication reports on various issues in the Catholic Church and the Black community, to include politics, education, episcopal governance, racism, vocations, abuse, and notable deaths. [10] [11] [12] The Messenger also publishes interviews and art, including photography and poetry. [13] [14] BCM established a republishing partnership with National Catholic Reporter in 2022. [15]

BCM's general coverage has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer , La Croix , Aleteia , Black Enterprise , The Christian Post , National Catholic Register , the New Pittsburgh Courier , the Rockford Register Star , WIFR-LD, the Catholic Worker and the Baltimore Afro-American . [1] [12] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] In 2025, the publication was among the first to report on the Black ancestry of Pope Leo XIV, resulting in citations from The New Yorker , The Root , and other outlets. [25] [26] [27] [28] The fifth anniversary of BCM was covered by the National Press Foundation and Word in Black . [29] [30]

Editor

Nate Tinner-Williams serves as editor of the publication and in that capacity has been featured in NPR, CBC News, America, National Catholic Reporter , and The Philadelphia Inquirer , among other outlets. [16] [17] [7] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bailey, Deborah (February 19, 2022). "Black Catholic Messenger brings young, Black Catholic voices and perspectives". AFRO American Newspapers. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "History & Vision". Black Catholic Messenger. November 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  3. "Conversion begins with healing - Our Sunday Visitor". Our Sunday Visitor. March 5, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  4. "Mapping Black Media". City University of New York. November 30, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  5. Daniels, Josiah R. (May 28, 2024). "Black Catholic Hope in the Shadow of America". Sojourners. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  6. Muller, Madison (November 11, 2021). "Catholic Leaders Say Social Justice Isn't In Conflict With Faith". Sojourners. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Rasmussen, Erika (February 24, 2021). "Should the Catholic Church have an African-American rite? This Black Catholic convert thinks so". America Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  8. "10 Black Catholic Women You Should Follow on Social Media • FemCatholic". www.femcatholic.com. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  9. "The Vision and Mission of the Black Catholic Messenger: An Interview with Nate Tinner-Williams". Millennial Journal. September 15, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  10. "Michael Howard Named Inaugural Fellow in New Black Catholic Program at Loyola Marymount University". LMU Newsroom. March 22, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  11. "Black sisters group takes archbishop to task for comments on social justice". Global Sisters Report. November 16, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Black Catholics in US dismayed after archbishop calls protests pseudo-religions". international.la-croix.com. November 9, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  13. "President Garibaldi featured in interview with Black Catholic Messenger". Detroit Mercy Campus Connection. April 29, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  14. "Black Catholic poet shares experience in verse". Today's Catholic. March 30, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  15. "Black Catholic Messenger, NCR announce partnership". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Days, Michael (February 25, 2021). "Black Catholics deserved recognition in PBS doc on Black churches". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  17. 1 2 Mauro, JP (September 1, 2021). "Stage production on life of Venerable Augustus Tolton soon to be a movie". Aleteia. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  18. Abdur-Rahman, Nahlah (December 22, 2024). "New Orleans Archdiocese To Sell Historic Black Catholic School To Fund Abuse Settlements". Black Enterprise. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  19. Blair, Leonardo; Reporter, Senior (October 6, 2024). "Black Catholics lament as Archdiocese of Baltimore plans to cut parishes by half". www.christianpost.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  20. "Black Catholic Leader Condemns Threats, 'Loss of Civility' After Kirk's Assassination | National Catholic Register". www.ncregister.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  21. Kolkey, Jeff. "Late Rockford Diocese priest added to list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  22. "The Catholic Worker, Volume 88, Number 1, 1 January 2021: The Catholic Worker". Catholic Worker. January 1, 2021.
  23. Stoffregen, Sydni (July 16, 2025). "Former Rockford priest added to list of those with 'credible allegations' of child sex abuse". WIFR. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  24. Conversation, The (February 4, 2026). "The pioneering path of Augustus Tolton, the first Black Catholic priest in the US – born into slavery, he's now a candidate for sainthood". New Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  25. "Pope Leo XIV Has Creole, Black Family Lineage to New Orleans". www.theroot.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  26. Elie, Paul (May 9, 2025). "Will the First American Pope Be a Pontiff of Peace?". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  27. Adams, David (October 26, 2025). "Pope Leo's first six months: Unity, migrants, AI and a US style without the fireworks". Sight Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  28. Brown, Stacy M. (May 9, 2025). "Barrier-Breaking Pope Leo XIV: The First American Pontiff Has Black Roots". The Washington Informer. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  29. "How the Black Catholic Messenger Tells the Full Story". National Press Foundation. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  30. Boulware, Rev Dorothy S. (November 6, 2025). "The Black Catholic Messenger Turns Five". Word In Black. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  31. McCormick, Bill (April 29, 2021). "Was Joe Biden preaching Catholic social teaching to the Congress last night? Supporters think so". America Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  32. Fraga, Brian (August 16, 2021). "As Southern states restrict voting rights, local bishops remain largely silent". National Catholic Reporter . Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  33. Westwood, Rosemary (June 3, 2025). "Why Black Catholics in New Orleans feel a special connection to Pope Leo XIV". NPR. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  34. Armstrong, Jenice (April 24, 2025). "It's time for a Black pope for the Catholic Church. Actually, it's way past time. | Jenice Armstrong". Inquirer.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  35. Wong, Aloysius (January 5, 2023). "Pope Benedict XVI's legacy will 'continue to reverberate,' says Catholic journalist". CBC. Retrieved February 10, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)