Thank you. I know...it's probably the same with Asian Catholics, everyone thinks that we're just Buddhists. LOL There have also been 3 African popes. I don't know if you have ever heard of Alex Jones, a black pentecostal minister, who converted to Catholicism a while back. You should read about his conversion story if you haven't, it's pretty interesting. He converted half of his parish to Catholicism as well, and caused controversy amongst the black Protestant community.

It is sad that black Protestants have converted to Islam because many have been brainwashed to believe that Islam was their "native" religion, before they became slaves in America, and had to convert to Christianity, and that Islam "never owned slaves," when as a matter of fact, St. Josephine Bakhita, an African woman who was owned by an Arab slave trader, and was forced into Islam. I think that is what the Nation of Islam teaches, and many black Christians converts to Islam believe. Africa used to be Catholic, until Islam took over and converted Africans. I believe that evangelization amongst black Protestants who want to join the Nation of Islam is important; they need to know truth.

Hey Anthony, I'm Michael. I will be praying for you as wheel, and I want to encourage your discernment of the priesthood. I am completely African-American although that's an oxymoron because being African-American in itself is a mixture of cultures as well as ethnicities. I speak spanish as my second language, I have studied it since the sixth grade, 6 years. I have to clarify that I do not observe the abstention from meat every friday, sadfuly. However, I do during Lent, obviously. I do not know any Black Catholics personally who do, but I am sure there are. I notice that we, as Catholics often forget that the Catholic Church is so Universal. You don't usually think of other ethnic groups being Roman Catholic besides the stereotype of only Irish,Italian, and Latino. African and African-American Catholics have been living the faith for thousands of years. I find it very interesting when you research these things, New Orleans has a long history of Black Catholics. I just saw the movie, the courage to love, about sister Henriette Dellille. There are even Black Saints like, St. Martin DePorres of Perú, and others, common even debatably St. Augustine (born in Africa).

Before I rant anymore, you know I LOVE history and religion. I don't go to Mass as often as I'd like, mostly on holy days because I don't really have complete control over that. Any ways, talk to you later.

Hi, my name's Anthony. I will be praying for you. I am sorry that you are a closet future Catholic, living with Protestants. It must be really hard. I have read about Protestant converts to Catholicism, and they have been through difficult times. You say that you are black, and you speak spanish. Are you half black, half hispanic? I didn't even know that traditional catholics abstain from meat on regular Fridays. LOL.

Ummm...ok, about me. This is going to be long. I like to read Catholic apologetics. I have always struggled spiritually during my teen years. I was brought up Catholic, but I questioned the existence of God. I became sort of an atheist I guess. I then watched Montel and believed Sylvia Brown and her teachings on reincarnation. After that, I wanted to be Muslim. Weird huh? Muslims teach that Jesus was just a prophet, and that he wasn't crucified on the cross. God sent another man who looked like Jesus to the cross, and Jesus escaped, and ascended into heaven, and the Christians were "deceived." I thought that this could have been a possiblity and Islam was the correct religion. I finally found a book in my uncle's room, about the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, and I finally believed. I couldn't believe that no one in my family told me about Marian apparitions, even about Fatima, even though they knew about it!. I thought to myself "oh no wonder the statues at the bottom say 'Fatima'" LOL But my spiritual struggles didn't end there, I started to talk w/Protestants on myspace, and believed that catholics "worshipped" Mary, the Eucharist wasn't real, etc. I now again, doubted Catholicism. I finally came upon the writings of the Early Church Fathers, here on Catholic.com. I was so estatic, and got so obssessed. I bought many Catholic books on apologetics, and conversion stories. I now have a whole library in my room. LOL. I am also discerning the priesthood.

Hi Tony, nice to meet you. I read on your wall that you are a Vietnamese Catholic, I have a friend who is a Vietnamese-Chinese Catholic. I am still converting, I plan to start RCIA next year. I guess you would say I am a Black Catholic. I love that, the Catholic Church is the Universal Church! I am a in High School in the midwest, but my family is from the south (Alabama) and some of my relatives live in your state. I would describe my beliefs as orthodox/traditional Catholic, I accept all the Church's doctrine, however I am not tradition in the sense of the TLM Mass, or abstaining from meat every friday (of course I do during Lent). I love languages, I speak English and Spanish, I also like French and Latin. So, what about you?