Saint Benedict Institute to Host Talk on African American Saints in the Making
The Saint Benedict Institute will host the Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry for a talk titled “African American Saints in the Making” on Monday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at Hope College in the Haworth Hotel.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
A video recording of the event will be made available online afterward on the Saint Benedict Institute website.
As noted in the presentation’s abstract, “African American Catholics have a rich and complicated history. At present, there are three million African American Catholics in the United States. Six African American Catholics have active formal causes for sainthood before the Vatican. Some of these figures escaped slavery and others died as recently as 1990. Any one (or more) of them could become the first canonized African American saint.” The lecture will discuss the path to sainthood for some of these important figures.
This event is co-sponsored by Hope College’s Department of Religion, Department of History, Center for Ministry Studies, and Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, a recently retired Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, is a professor of canon law at Mundelein Seminary, chair of African American Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the postulator for the cause of sainthood for Venerable Father Augustus Tolton (1854-97), and a past vice-president of the board of the National Black Catholic Congress.
The Saint Benedict Institute is a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. It seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community. More information can be found at saintbenedictinstitute.org.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
The Haworth Hotel is located at 225 College Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.