When Michael Howard was 12 years old, his grandmother Henrietta Delyons left Georgia to live with his family in Washington D.C. He remembers fondly that she would read to him from the Bible. After several afternoons and conversations about the Scriptures, Delyons predicted young Howard would become a minister. Now, decades later, it turns out she was right. Howard is a nationally recognized leader in Black Catholicism and in October he will join LMU, as a fellow housed in the Center for Religion and Spirituality. Howard’s two-course online program is titled “The Presence of Black Catholics in the Church Today and Tomorrow.”
Howard is eager to start teaching at LMU. “The future of evangelization is going to be online. We have to start evangelizing globally,” said Howard. “LMU is taking the lead in evangelization online. No longer do we want to defer the dreams; we want to make dreams into a reality. We want to include everyone, giving everyone the opportunity to grow spiritually. We have to think from a global perspective.”
Robert Hurteau, director of center, said this program is in response to a reexamination of the racial injustices that have come to light in the past few years. At the nation’s one Catholic historically Black university, Xavier University of Louisiana, there is a program focused on ministry, but LMU’s program is geared for Catholics who are not looking for advanced degrees. “We’re trying to reach out to Black Catholics where they are and say, ‘here’s an opportunity for you to think about what your faith means to you, and what it means to be Black and Catholic at this time,’” said Hurteau. Once students complete both the fall and spring course, they will receive a certificate in Black Catholic Spirituality.
Renee McCracken, a single mother who lives in the Washington D.C. area, attends St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, and works with patients in metal health, has already signed up for the course. “I am so excited about it,” she said. “You can’t learn enough about your faith and your walk with Jesus. I hope this course will help me on my own journey.”
Click here for more information or to register for the class.
