BCIM Historical Notes/ Scope and Content

Commission Historical Notes/ Scope and Content

The Catholic Negro American Mission Board (formerly, The Catholic Board for Mission Work among Colored People) comprises one of three record groups within the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records and one of three affiliated agencies of the Black and Indian Mission Office (Washington, D.C.). CNAMB has supported Catholic evangelization among African Americans in the United Sytates through advocacy for and grants to African American Catholic schools and parishes that have needed financial assistance, 1907-present. Its holdings include correspondence, reports, publications, audio and video recordings, photography, government documents, and webpages.

Gift of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, 1977-[ongoing].  Processed by Philip C. Bantin, 1977-1986, and Mark G. Thiel, 1986-2021. Selected series microfilmed, 1980-2010.  De Rancé, Incorporated (Milwaukee), provided generous support for the initial acquisition, processing, and microfilming of the records, 1976-1980. 

See e-Archives for select materials available online.

Restrictions: Restricted records are described below in the Scope and Content Notes. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult a Marquette archivist for further information.

Historical Notes

Notable events: Notable events among Catholic African Americans.

1785	Father John Carroll, the Prefect Apostolic of the United States, wrote to the Vatican about his pastoral concerns for Black Catholics, many of who then resided in Maryland.
1875-1900	Bishop James Augustine Healy (1830-1900) served as Bishop of Portland in Maine and became the first African-American Catholic bishop in the United States.
1793	Black Catholics from Haiti settled Fells Point, Maryland, near Baltimore.
1829	Mother Elizabeth Lange (1784-1882), O.S.P., and others began religious life in Baltimore as the Oblate Sisters of Providence, which became the first Black community of women religious in the United States.
1837	Henriette DeLile, a mixed-race African American, founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans. Initially, it was known as the Sisters of the Presentation.
1871	The St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart (Josephite Fathers and Brothers) became established in Baltimore.
1874	Patrick Healy, a mixed-race African American, served as president of Georgetown University, and became the first African American president of a Catholic university.
1875	James A. Healy, a mixed-race African American, served as Bishop of Portland (Oregon), and became the first African American Catholic bishop.
1878	Mathilda Beasley (1832-1903) founded the Third Order of St. Francis as a community of women religious for African Americans.
1886	Rev. Augustus "Father Gus" Tolton (1854-1897) of Quincy, Illinois, became the first publically identified African American Catholic priest.
1887	The Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians (now known as the Black and Indian Mission Collection) held its first annual Lenten appeal to support African American and Native American evangelization in the United States.
1889	Daniel Rudd founded the National Black Catholic Congress, a lay organization, which met for the first time first in Washington, D.C. Subsequent lay congresses were held almost annually during the 1890s. An 1893 congress in Chicago cited practices of racism and segregation in the United States with such practices in some U.S. Catholic churches as well.
1891	Saint Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, which focused on evangelizing African Americans and Native Americans in the United States.
1904, January	Archbishop Diomede Falconio, O.F.M., the apostolic delegate of Pope Pius X, received a letter from Cardinal Girolamo Maria Gotti, O.D.C., the cardinal prefect of the Congregation of the Propaganda, commanding the Church in the United States to cease unchristian practices of racism and discrimination found in some U.S. Catholic institutions. At this time, the Catholic Church still regarded the United States as a mission territory, which gave Propaganda special jurisdiction over the U.S. Church.
1905	At their annual meeting, Cardinal Gotti's letter prompted the U.S. archbishops to discuss the annual Lenten collection. They concluded that it did not provide adequate funding for Black evangelization and that a special organization should be established to provide additional support.
1907	The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board (CNAMB) was established in New York City as the "Catholic Board for Mission Work Among the Colored People" to provide a second funding stream for mission work in the black community.
1909	The Knights of Peter Claver was founded as a predominantly Catholic African American fraternal organization.
1916	Rev. Ignatius Lissner, S.M.A., founded the Franciscan Handmaids of Mary in Savannah, Georgia, as a community of African American women religious to teach African American children. In 1924, it relocated to New York City.
1916-1980	In search of a better life, millions of African Americans migrated within the United States from the South to the North and West.
1922?-	The Catholic Board raised funds through its publications, Our Colored Missions, 1922?-1974?, and Educating in Faith, 1974-.
1925	The Federated Colored Catholics was founded as a national lay religious organization of Catholic African Americans to promote mutual cooperation and Catholic education.
1970	The Catholic Board renamed itself The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board.
1980	The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board (CNAMB) joined the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and the Commission for Catholic Missions among Colored People and Indians (Lenten collection) at the Black and Indian Mission Office. The three agencies have continued their respective missions with one shared office, staff, and a consolidated board of directors that holds two meetings per year (spring and November).
1980	The CNAMB began to award select need-based grants directly to Catholic African American missions, schools, parishes, and ministry programs.
1980	The Marquette University Archives became the archival repository for the CNAMB.
1988	The Catholic Church beatified Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S.
	The Archdiocese of New York initiated a canonization cause for Pierre Toussaint.
1989	The Archdiocese of New Orleans initiated a canonization cause for Mother Henriette Delille, S.H.F.
1991	The Archdiocese of Baltimore initiated a canonization cause for Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, O.S.P.
2000	The Catholic Church declared Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., a saint in heaven.
2008	The Black and Indian Mission Office launched a joint website for the BCIM, Lenten Collection, and CNAMB.
2008-[ongoing]	The BCIM and CNAMB jointly sponsored the Monsignor Paul A. Lenz Art Contest for students in Catholic schools and/or Catholic religious education programs funded by these agencies.
2009-2010	The Black and Indian Mission Office established the National Advisory Council on Catholic Missions among Black and Native American Peoples, a board comprised of lay Catholics.
2011	The Archdiocese of Chicago initiated a canonization cause for Rev. Augustus "Father Gus" Tolton (1854-1897).

Notable People: Officers and personnel of the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board.

Executive Directors

1907-1925	Reverend John E. Burke (1852-1925); obituary: Our Colored Harvest, 13(1925):4:1-2.
1925-1962	Reverend Edward C. Kramer (1882-1962); obituaries: "A Farewell to Fr. Kramer 'Bill Bailey' has gone 'Home'", Our Colored Missions, 48(1962):3:1-3 (not paginated); "Quartermaster for Christ", Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, 80(1968):2:14-17.
1962-1980	Reverend Benjamin M. Horton, S.S.J. (1918-1988)
1980-2007	Monsignor Paul A. Lenz (1925-2017); priest of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
2007-2015	Reverend Wayne Carroll Paysse (1960-); priest of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
2015-	Reverend Maurice Henry Sands (1956-) (Ojibwa-Ottawa-Potawatomi); priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit

Administrative Assistants

1980s-2007

Patricia O'Rourke

Presidents of Board of Directors

1907-1910	James Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921), Archbishop of Baltimore
1910-1913	Archbishop James Herbert Blenk (1856-1917), S.M., Archbishop of New Orleans
1913-1918	John Murphy Cardinal Farley (1842-1918), Archbishop of New York
1918-1925	Archbishop John W. Shaw (1863-1934), Archbishop of New Orleans
1925-1938	Patrick J. Cardinal Hayes (1867-1938), Archbishop of New York
1938-1968	Francis J. Cardinal Spellman (1889-1967), Archbishop of New York
1968-1980	Terrence J. Cardinal Cooke (1921-1983), Archbishop of New York
1980-2000	John J. Cardinal O'Conner (1920-2000), Archbishop of New York
2000-2003	Anthony Joseph Cardinal Bevilacqua (1923-2012), Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia
2003-2007	William H. Cardinal Keeler (1931-2017), Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore
2007-2009	Edward Michael Cardinal Egan (1932-2015), Archbishop Emeritus of New York
2009-2011	Edwin Frederick Cardinal O'Brien (1939-), Archbishop of Baltimore, Resigned
2011-present	Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan (1950-), Archbishop of New York

Notable Evangelization: Selected African American missions, parishes, schools, and ministry programs supported by the Black and Indian Mission Collection and the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board.

State	Place	Institution	Years
Alabama	Birmingham	Holy Family Church	1938-
		Our Lady of Fatima Church	1905-
	Chastang	St. Peter the Apostle Church	1860-
	Mobile	Most Pure Heart of Mary Church	1899-
	Montgomery	St. John the Baptist Church	1908-
	Phenix City	Mother Mary Church	1940-
	Prichard	St. James Major Church	1925-
	Tuskegee Institute	St. Joseph Church	1940-
Arkansas	Little Rock	St. Bartholomew Church	1907-
	Pine Bluff	St. Peter Church	1894-
California	Los Angeles	African American Catholic Center for Evangelization
		St. Odilia Church	1926- (no longer African American)
Delaware	Wilmington	St. Joseph Church	1889-
District of Columbia	Washington	Epiphany Church	1923-
		Holy Redeemer Church	1919-
		St. Vincent de Paul Church	1903-
Florida	Jacksonville	St. Pius V Church	1919-
	Miami	St. Francis Xavier Church	1927- (merged)
	Pensacola	St. Joseph Church	1891-
Georgia	Atlanta	Our Lady of Lourdes Church	1912-
	Savannah	St. Benedict the Moor Church	1874-
Illinois	Chicago	Holy Angels Church	1880-
		St. Elizabeth Church	1881-
Indiana	Indianapolis	St. Rita Church	1919-
Kansas	Leavenworth	Holy Epiphany Church	1874-1953 (closed)
Kentucky	Louisville	St. Augustine Church	1870-
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	St. Francis Xavier School	1918-
	Breaux Bridge	St. Francis of Assisi Church	1923-
	Lafayette	Immaculate Heart of Mary Church	1934-
	Lake Charles	Sacred Heart of Jesus Church	1919-
	Marksville	Holy Ghost School	1919-
	New Orleans	All Saints Church	1919-
		Blessed Sacrament Church	1915-
		Corpus Christi Church	1916-
		St. Augustine Church	1841-
		St. Peter Claver Church	1920-
		Xavier University of Louisiana	1915-
	Opelousas	Holy Ghost Church	1920-
	St. Martinsville	Notre Dame de Perpetual Secours Church	1938-
Maryland	Baltimore	St. Francis Xavier Church	1864-
		St. Peter Claver Church	1888-
Michigan	Detroit	St. Peter Claver Church	1920s-
Minnesota	St. Paul	St. Peter Claver Church	1892-
Mississippi	Bay St. Louis	Society of the Divine Word, St. Augustine Seminary	1923-
	Camden	Sacred Heart Church	1844-
	Canton	Holy Child Jesus Church	1947-
	Clarksdale	St. Elizabeth Church	1891-
	Greenwood	St. Francis of Assisi Church	1951-
	Jackson	Holy Ghost Church	1908-
	Mound Bayou	St. Gabriel Church	1949-
	Natchez	Holy Family Church	1891-
	Pascagoula	St. Peter the Apostle Church	1907-
Missouri	St. Louis	At. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Church	1872- (African American, 1940s-)
		St. Charles Lwanga Center	1978-
		St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church	1873-1951 (closed)
Nebraska	Omaha	St. Benedict Church	1919-
New Jersey	Patterson	Our Lady of Victories Church	1882-
New York	Brooklyn	St. Peter Claver Church	1921-
	New York	St. Benedict the Moor Church	1883-
		St. Mark the Evangelist Church	1907-
North Carolina	Greenville	St. Gabriel Church	1936-
Ohio	Cincinnati	Holy Trinity Church	1926-
		St. Ann Church	1866-1938 (merged)
		St. Ann - St. Edward Church	1938-1965 (closed)
		St. Edward Church	1864-1938 (merged)
	Cleveland	Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament	1922-1961 (closed)
		St. Adalbert Church	unknown-2009 (closed), 2012- (African American, 1960s-)
Ohio	Columbus	St. Cyprian Church	1912-1957 (merged)
		St. Dominic Church	unknown- (African America, 1950s-)
Oklahoma	Tulsa	St. Monica Church	1926-
Pennsylvania	Bensalem	Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Center for Evangelization	1970s-
	Philadelphia	St. Peter Claver Church	1889-1985 (closed)
South Carolina	Charleston	Sacred Heart Church	1920-
	Georgetown	St. Mary Church	1899-
	Orangeburg	Holy Trinity Church	1917-
Texas	Beaumont	Our Mother of Mercy Church	1937-
	Corpus Christi	Holy Ghost Church	1914-
	Dallas	St. Peter Church	1905-
	Galveston	Holy Rosary Church	1888-2008 (merged)
	Houston	Our Mother of Mercy School	1930-
		St. Nicholas Church	1887-
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	St. Benedict the Moor Church	1908-

Scope and Content

These records contain extensive and diverse historical narratives about African Americans and their communities, and especially those who are African American Catholics and their Catholic parishes and events. Also detailed are the Catholic missionaries and their evangelization through parishes, schools, and special events. These accounts are especially valuable whenever related historical records have not survived elsewhere.

Archivists have made extensive efforts to properly identify, arrange, and copy the documents. However, researchers should be aware that, in at least a few instances, legibility and misinterpretation of handwriting has compromised the order of documents, e.g. abbreviations for both "January" and "June" may appear as "Jun." Also, some marginally legible original documents are unreadable in the microfilm version. Patrons coping with such issues are invited to ask the archivist.

Reformatted records: Records that have been microfilmed are so noted, most of which are available throughout the United States via interlibrary loan. These and other records are or can be made available in digital formats via email. Reformatting fees may apply. Ask an Archivist for details.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 1-3 Correspondence Charters, and By Laws:

Only scant correspondence exists for the first three administrations of Rev. John E. Burke, Edward C. Kramer, and Rev. Benjamin M. Horton, S.S.J. [Josephites]. Note that correspondence from transition years (1925, 1962, 1980, and 2007), is filed under the previous administration. 

1907-1925 -- Rev. John E. Burke: Includes the charter, constitution, bylaws, minutes of meetings of the board of directors, and general correspondence received during the administration of Father Burke, the first director, 1907-1925.

1926-1962 -- Rev. Edward C. Kramer: Includes the amendments, resolutions, and related correspondence from the administrations of Father Kramer, the second director, 1925-1962. Minutes of meetings of the board of directors

1963-1980 -- Rev. Benjamin M. Horton, S.S.J.: Includes the amendments, resolutions, and related correspondence from the administration of Father Horton, the third director, 1962-1980. Also included is a needs survey and funding initiative of Black Catholic schools begun by Monsignor Lenz, 1979-1980. The correspondence is divided into general and grant correspondence, which is arranged chronologically in annual increments. General correspondence includes bequests, inquiries, unfunded requests, and perpetual memberships in the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, whereas grant correspondence includes funded requests with related correspondence and enclosed documentation.

1981-2007 -- Monsignor Paul A. Lenz: General correspondence of the administration of Monsignor Lenz, the fourth director, 1981-2007. The correspondence is divided into general and grant correspondence, which are arranged chronologically in annual increments. General correspondence includes bequests, inquiries, unfunded requests, and perpetual memberships in the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, whereas grant correspondence includes funded requests with related correspondence and enclosed documentation.

Minutes of the combined annual and special meetings of the Boards of Directors of the BCIM (Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions), the Collection (Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians) and CNAMB (Catholic Negro American Mission Board) are arranged in annual increments, which are interfiled among those within the series 1-2 general correspondence.

2008-2015 -- Rev. Wayne Carroll Paysse: Father Paysse served as the fifth director, 2008-2015. 

2015- -- Rev. Maurice Henry Sands: Father Sands served as the sixth director, 2016-.

Series 1-3 Restrictions: Records are restricted for 25 years after their date of creation. These records are not included in the microfilm edition.  For more information, please consult with the archives staff.

Black and Indian Mission Collection (Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians) and the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board (The Catholic Board for Mission Work among the Colored People), Joint Series 9, Photography:Contains two format-based sub-series pertaining to African American Catholics -- Black and white prints and color prints.  Both series are contained in folders arranged alphabetically by U.S. states and the District of Columbia, followed by foreign countries and there under by communities and Catholic institutions.  Many of the prints were sent on request by pastors and school principals. Some prints were submitted to illustrate publications (series 7) or accountability reports (series 5-5). With few exceptions, the Collection created or collected all photography before 1980, whereas CNAMB created or collected all photography thereafter. Portraits of Collection and/or CNAMB office personnel, e.g. Reverend Tennelly, Monsignor Lenz, Reverend Paysse, plus office visitors, are filed in BCIM series 9-1 (black & white prints) and 9-3 (color prints) under "District of Columbia, Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions". Similarly, those of Saint Katharine Drexel are filed in BCIM series 9-1 (black & white prints) and 9-3 (color prints) under "Pennsylvania, Bensalem, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament". Select images are included online in the collection, African American Catholics, which is linked here: Marquette e-archives, A-Z.

Other series within the records of the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians and other Marquette University collections also contain documentation relating to this series.

For each folder, the dates noted are limited to the first and last known years when images were created with intervening years, if any, not included. These are followed by “undated” to indicate images for which the year of their creation is not known. However, if approximate dates are known, they are given in parentheses as follows:

· “undated (Received Commission for Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians)” = No creation years known; the years given identify when the Commission received the images, which typically was less than five years after they were taken.

· “undated (Used Our Negro and Indian Missions)” or “undated (Used Other Title)” = No creation years known; the years given identify when Our Negro and Indian Missions or Other Title first published the images, which typically was less than 10 years after they were taken.

· "undated (ca. year-year)" = No creation years known; the years given identify the approximate years derived from clues within the images and related text.

The institutions listed are mostly local churches and schools and were the sources for the Commission’s photography. Most photographs within these folders document local events of the institutions and nearby communities. However, many nearby communities also have separate institutions and corresponding folders as do those distant places that have been identified. Events located far from the institutions that sent the photographs, including those taken out-of-state and outside of the United States, are arranged by the place where the photographs were taken rather than by the institution that provided the prints.

Restrictions: Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. These records are not included in the microfilm edition.  For more information, please consult with the archives staff.

Series 9-2, Black and White Prints: Pastors with consumer-grade portable cameras captured most images, which include scenes such as school graduations, retreat weekends, first communions, confirmations, and dedications of new buildings. Professional photographers also captured a few black and white images before 1930. Most prints were scanned in 2011 (total: 77 images).  After 1930, the Collection secretary also served as the director of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. Portraits of Bureau personnel are filed in series 9-1 under "District of Columbia, Washington, Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions" and those of Saint Katharine Drexel are filed under " Pennsylvania, Bensalem, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament". Prints from the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board are also included and so-noted in the container list.

Series 9-4, Color Prints: Pastors, school administrators, and diocesan program directors with consumer-grade portable cameras captured most images, which include scenes such as school graduations, retreat weekends, first communions, confirmations, and dedications of new buildings. Several images pertain to activities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Most prints were scanned in 2011 (total: 102 images).  After 1980, the Collection secretary also served as the director of the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board (CNAMB). Portraits of CNAMB personnel are filed in series 9-4 under "District of Columbia, Washington, Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions" and those of Saint Katharine Drexel are under " Pennsylvania, Bensalem, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament". Prints from the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board are also included and so-noted in the container list.

Series 9-10, Born Digital: Pastors, school administrators, and diocesan program directors continued to capture images of local events. Portraits of CNAMB personnel are filed under "District of Columbia, Washington, Black and Indian Mission Office" and images from events that honor Saint Katharine Drexel at the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Motherhouse are filed under " Pennsylvania, Bensalem, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament".

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series13, Maps: This series contains the U.S. map, Catholic Percent of Black Population, 1982, which was collected by the Black and Indian Mission Office.

Restrictions: Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. These records are not included in the microfilm edition. For more information, please consult with the archives staff.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 14-2, General Publications: Monograph and serial publications on Catholic evangelization of African Americans collected by the Black and Indian Mission Office. Some items include contributions by Commission personnel or research conducted with Commission documentation. The arrangement is alphabetical by key word.

Other series within the records of the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians and other Marquette University collections also contain documentation relating to this series.

Restrictions: These records are not included in the microfilm edition. Researchers assums full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 16-2, Government Publications: The other U.S. Department of the Interior documents (Series 16-1-4) include Black Education, 1928, 1930-1931, which pertains to African Americans and was collected by the Black and Indian Mission Office. All other U.S. Government documents in this series pertain to Native Americans. Other series within the records of the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians and other Marquette University collections also contain documentation relating to this series.

Restrictions: These records are not included in the microfilm edition. Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 17-3, Video Recordings: Video recordings about African American Catholics collected by the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board.

Restrictions: Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 18, Publications: This series includes the periodicals, Our Colored Missions and Educating in Faith, and general publications, e.g. appeal letters, general form letters, application forms, published presentations, by CNAMB and its officers. Our Colored Missions began as an illustrated 32-page monthly magazine in 1922 and continued unchanged into the 1970s, featuring current events from African American Catholic schools, biographies of notable Catholics, and inspirational prose and poetry. Then while retaining the existing format, it was renamed Educating in Faith and issued bimonthly.  In 1981, its format changed to a quarterly 4-page illustrated newsletter. New York City Public Library produced the microfilm edition of both periodicals.

Marqcat, the online catalog of the Marquette University Libraries, provides bibliographic records for the publication titles in this series, which are so noted with a call number in the descriptive inventory.

Restrictions: These records are not included in the microfilm edition. Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

The Catholic Negro-American Mission Board, Series 19, Websites: By employing the online service "Archive-it," the Marquette University Archives has captured the website of the Black and Indian Mission Office twice a year since 2011. This includes all public web pages of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, the Black and Indian Mission Collection, and the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board with their respective photography and video recordings plus attached newsletters and handouts in PDF format. NIA [e-newsletter], 2011-2012, is included.

Restrictions: For more information, please consult with Archives staff. Researchers assume full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records.