Black Catholic History in Baltimore

November as Black Catholic History Month

was established in 1990 through the advocacy of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus.
During the same year, the first celebration of Black Catholic History Month
began in November in various cities in the United States with the celebration of
St. Martin de Porres’ Feast Day. On November 3rd of that year, a liturgy
celebrated the 150th anniversary of St. Martin’s transition to eternal life.
In the world today there are more than 200 million people of African
descent in the Roman Catholic Church.

The reason for the selection of November to celebrate Black Catholic History is
the number of important dates within this month:

November 1st – All Saints Day – an opportunity to review the lives of saints of
African descent living in the first 300 years of Church history;
November 2nd – All Souls Day – a time to remember the Africans lost in cruel
treatment in the Middle passage crossing the Atlantic Ocean;
November 3rd – Feast of St. Martin de Porres, the only saint of African descent
in this hemisphere;
November 20th – the death of Zumbi Palmares in Brazil, the South American
founder of a free state for Blacks.

Black Catholic History Month is a time for us to celebrate the contributions of
Black Catholics to the Roman Catholic tradition.