Black Catholic History Month
LA Catholics Study “Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood”
American Catholics celebrate Black Catholic History Month each November.
The annual celebration began in 1990, and this year, our LA Catholics family will focus our attention on the “Holy Six” — the Black Catholics who ministered in the United States and who are currently under formal consideration for canonization.
Beginning on November 9, we will unpack the lessons outlined in Michael Heinlein’s book, Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood (OSV, $9.95), and learn about the lives of Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, and Servants of God Mary Lange, Julia Greeley and Thea Bowman.
Purchase your book today and return to this webpage on November 9 for the first study prompts! You can also find the study prompts on the LA Catholics social platforms: Instagram || Facebook || Twitter.
Study Guides
Servant of God Mary Lange
Little is known about Elizabeth Lange’s early years. Likely born in Santiago de Cuba, she was known to be of Afri... READ MORE »
Venerable Augustus Tolton
Father Augustus Tolton, born the son of slaves on April 1, 1854, became the first priest from the United States who... READ MORE »
Mother Henriette Delille
Born in 1812 and raised Catholic in New Orleans, Henriette Delille was the fourth generation of freedmen. Delille... READ MORE »
Venerable Pierre Toussaint
Born a slave in Haiti, Toussaint came to New York as property of a French Haitian Bérard family, which later freed... READ MORE »
Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood
The first book to explore the lives of the six Black Catholics from the United States whose causes are under formal consideration by the Catholic Church for canonization. Including biographies and personal reflections from diverse contributors, this book shows how these six men and women provide a model of holiness for all Catholics and people of good will.
The inspiring witness of America’s Black Catholic communion of saints gives us hope that we can indeed free ourselves from the sins of our past, heal old wounds and divisions, and come together to work for a society that reflects God’s beautiful plan of love for the human person.
-Archbishop Gomez
For Black Catholic History Month, meet the ‘Holy Six’
The lives of each of these holy men and women show us what holiness looks like. More specifically, they show us what it means to love, even when we have been shown in this world everything but love. The Holy Six teach us how to remain faithful to Christ’s call for us and how to make his heart our own.
The holy perseverance of six Black Catholics on the road to sainthood
Their stories of self-sacrifice, devotion, and charity are living proof of what St. Paul calls “the folly of the cross.” Heinlein ensures that their witness can do nothing else but inspire fellow Christians to persevere in love even when facing the greatest of odds.
