Photo Gallery - Commemorating Black Catholic History Month
Crystal Newton, whose family lineage traces the Queen, Johnson, Guy and Hawkins lines, lays a white carnation at the gravesite of her ancestor, Monica A. Queen, during a cemetery walk at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2025. Her son, Adrien McLean, 14, stands behind her. At left, Kevin Porter — a descendant of both an enslaved person and an enslaver — addressed the more than 100 people who attended the event, where the archdiocese announced a new initiative to honor those who were enslaved. (CS photos by Nicole Olea)
Prior to the announcement of the “Honoring Those Who Were Enslaved: Do Justice, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly” initiative, a commemoration and reflection was held in the parish cemetery, where descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits shared reflections during the walk through the cemetery as part of the Nov. 15 “On Holy Ground: Pilgrimage of Remembrance” at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, Maryland.
The Sacred Heart Parish chapel is built on property that was part of one of the plantations owned by members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in Maryland in the 1700s and 1800s. Unmarked graves were discovered there through the use of ground penetrating radar.
It is believed that the graves of more than 600 enslaved people who worked at that plantation may be located on parish property there. Some of those buried in the graveyard may be related to the 272 enslaved men, women and children the Maryland Society of Jesus sold in 1838 to Louisiana plantation owners which helped finance Georgetown College, which is now Georgetown University.
People gather Nov. 15 in the cemetery at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland to honor and remember persons enslaved by the Jesuits in the 1700s and 1800s and who were buried on the former plantation property. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. said, “We are doing what is right and just to those who knew no justice during their lives.” (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
Bishop Campbell blessed the graveyard, and said the event is a way “to honor those of our ancestry and those who lived, worked and died without us knowing who they were.”
During a Nov. 15, 2025 Black Catholic History Month commemoration, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell, Jr. blesses the cemetery at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland where recent archaeological research has uncovered the graves of persons enslaved by the Jesuits in the 1700s and 1800s. The blessing was part of a program that honored those enslaved by the Catholic Church in Maryland and unveiled the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s eight-point “Honoring Those Who Were Enslaved: Do Justice, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly” initiative. (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
Those in attendance laid white carnations on the ground and at marked gravesites, a gesture of remembrance for those who were enslaved.
Some unmarked gravesites identified through ground-penetrating radar are marked with pink flags.
“They (the enslaved buried in unmarked graves) were children of God,” Bishop Campbell said. “I am more than happy; I am more than thrilled; and I am more than honored to be a part of this.”
Some of the graves are marked by stones. (CS Photo by Nicole Olea)
Delores Missouri, another advisory board member, said that as a lifelong Catholic, “I was surprised and disappointed to learn we (her family members) are Catholic because our ancestors were enslaved by the Jesuits.”
For Kevin Porter, who is a descendant of an enslaved person and a person who enslaved others, called on the Catholic Church to “measure, track and witness” to the past and “recognize the generational harm it has done.”
“As a descendant of an enslaver, I say we can do much better than our ancestors,” he added.
While standing at the gravesite of Monica Queen, Kevin Porter points toward the nearby burial site of another ancestor who was a person who enslaved others. Porter is a descendant of both an enslaved person and an enslaver. (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
Wendi Williams, the executive director of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, speaks during a Nov. 15 Black History Month commemoration at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, Maryland where she announced the archdiocese’s “a prayerful and powerful initiative” titled “Honoring Those Who Were Enslaved: Do Justice, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly” initiative. She called the eight-point plan “an honorable and proud act because this is not just a Black Catholic history issue, this is a social justice issue.” (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
Descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits were able to share reflections during the walk through the cemetery. Henrietta Pike, one of the descendants, noted that “it means a lot to us to be able to gather like this.” (C S photo by Nicole Olea)
After the cemetery walk, a discussion session was held. There Stephanie Jacobe, the director of Archives for the Archdiocese of Washington, who has conducted extensive research into the harsh reality of the Catholic Church in Maryland owning, and selling, enslaved persons, outlined the historical record, and Wendy Williams presented the archdiocese’s plans for future work to honor and acknowledge those who were enslaved.
“We need to investigate our history,” Dr. Jacobe said. “We need to honor our history, and we need to tell the truth about our history.”
Lynn Nehemiah, a member of the initiative’s descendant advisory board, said she was “proud and encouraged by the response of the Catholic Church” to confront its dark history. “We are uncovering names because names are so important to our history, to our heritage,” she said. “Our people were here. We are significant. We belong.” (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
Delores Missouri, another advisory board member, said that as a lifelong Catholic, “I was surprised and disappointed to learn we (her family members) are Catholic because our ancestors were enslaved by the Jesuits.” (CS photo by Nicole Olea)
In his homily during the Mass, Bishop Campbell explained why it is important to look at the past and honor those who were enslaved by the Jesuits.
“If we do not know and acknowledge where we have been, how will we know where to go,” he said. “Black Catholic history is an integral part of American history.”
Catholic Standard photos by Nicole Olea
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