African-American Catholics

Never really paid attention to hand temperature of fellow parishioners during the sign of peace...interesting observation though.

I don't know if anybody is still here. But maybe someone will see this. I have a funny question or observation.

Now, it's very cold and when I go to Church and greet people during the sign of peace, I have noticed that the temperature of the hands I shake vary according to skin colour. Have you ever noticed this? If so, what did you notice?

Well it's time for a little revival here!!! I have been busy enjoying everything. I just completed my first semester of college. I am active in my parish on campus and the Catholic student group. I have a great Black Catholic community at my parish from all over the world. Many are from West Africa and the United States.

I won't be able to post here until next week. I hope this group would still be alive by the time I return.

Kelvinf.. can we take this to the forum? I want to talk more on this (interesting to me) topic. I also want to use some emoticons! Do you mind?
Just below the line in blue that says 'Social Group', and the large letters that read 'African American Catholics', there is a link to "Visit the forum of this group." See you there

Apryl, I get your point. Actually, there is no reason to stress that a given saint is from "North Africa" or so. I normally use such generic terms like North Africa or West Africa when I mention the specific African country to someone and he/she doesn't know where it is.

You have posed a very interesting question: whether those from certain parts of Africa are more African than others? Analogously, whether some blacks are more black than others? Or whether certain Catholics are more Catholic than others?

Personally, I would say: It seems so. . I believe people from North Africa would relate more to people from the Middle East than to those from other parts of Africa. I am from West Africa and I have met Africans from both the North and South and I tend to relate more to the guys from Central Africa downwards. Based on this, are African-Americans more of Americans with ancestors from certain parts of Africa???

Are some blacks more black than others? I would say it seems so. For instance, we often make descriptions like: "He is light" or "He is dark". This is used to differentiate certain blacks from others.

We also differentiate between devout and lapsed Catholics.

Regarding biracialism, for me, it's just what it is. A person with black and white parents is biracial. Meaning he or she is both black and white. But it seems as if most people just consider such a person as black. The parents of a black person are both black. The parents of a white person are both white. And the parents of someone who is biracial are black and white. Someone who is biracial belongs to both cultures for me. But again, I think they are generally just considered black.

Kelvinf... the point I'm making is that if someone is from Africa, and they are nationally from Africa, they are usually called 'African'. Why is there this 'need', esp when describing Saints and others from the church, to specify, 'NORTHERN African', since I would believe that unless there is a separate continent called 'Northern Africa', they are still an African. Why the need to specify? As for Obama, yes, he is Bi-Racial by American descriptions. But his father was an African, his mother an American.. so while I don't agree with that fully, there is validity to calling him an 'African American'..... Barack Obama, depending on the lighting, doesn't always look 'Black', but he is, isn't he? OR is he not? Does a person need to be a certain shade before they can be 'Black'? Is Vanessa L. Williams Black? What about Mariah Carey? What's the difference?
Sadly, in America, while there has been external things that caused division within the Diaspora that is all over America, there is division among those of the Diaspora, too.
And we consider those from certain parts of Africa more African than others?

Re the "look black" issue. People from North Africa are not biracial as compared to someone like Obama. I personally cannot say that they are black because they don't look black. But they are Africans for sure.

CO-rrection!
There are now two American born saints. Kathrine Drexel was canonized in 2000 as the second American born. The first was Elizabeth Ann Seton - I should have remembered that. This is from wikipedia
The following is the list of American saints, including the year in which they were canonized.
Three of the eight North American Martyrs (1930), missionaries to the Hurons:
St. Isaac Jogues
St. René Goupil
St. Jean de Lalande
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1946), missionary and founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1975), founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph.
St. John Neumann (1977), missionary and bishop of Philadelphia.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1988), missionary to Native Americans.
St. Katharine Drexel (2000), school builder and founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People
St. Mother Théodore Guérin (2006), missionary and founder of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai (2009), leper priest of Molokai.
Seton and Drexel are the only American saints who were born in the United States. Jogues, Goupil, de Lalande, Duchesne, and Guerin were all born in France; Neumann in Bohemia; Father Damien in Belgium; and Mother Cabrini in Italy.

Lead Me Home... what does 'look Black' have to do with whether or not a person is African? Do we (as Blacks in America) need to perpetuate that 'One Drop Rule' stuff? which would actually make MORE people Black ..... or the 'You're not a Black as someone else is'? Aren't Angela Davis and Nikki Giovanni Black? Is Barack Obama Black? Is Yaphet Kotto more Black than I am? And why? Because he's darker? Ooh boy.. yes, this is a hot button for me. But yes, Sts Monica and Augustine were AFRICAN.