Nate Tinner-Williams of Black Catholic Messenger reports on a recent gathering of Black Catholic Young Adults in New Orleans:

Amid national exodus, Black Catholic young adults gather to plan renewal

African-American Catholics have been statistically noted as the most likely ethnic group in the country to leave the Church upon reaching adulthood, but few avenues of renewal have been forthcoming to stop the bleeding.

This week, Black Catholic young adults from varying walks of life around the country gathered at Xavier University of Louisiana with an aim to change that.

Assembled in the Crescent City by noted youth ministry expert Dr. Ansel Augustine of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, with assistance from Fr. Maurice Henry Sands of the Black and Indian Mission Office, the dozen young adults met to share insights from their respective contexts. They also formulated an action plan with concrete recommendations for parishes, dioceses, and relevant national organizations.

Among them were lay ministers, students, parish volunteers, entrepreneurs, and working-class professionals from nearly every region of the country. It was fitting that they should meet alongside locals from New Orleans, which is often seen as the nation’s Black Catholic hub.

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