Care for minority and ethnic communities in Washington was a part of Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle’s priorities from the beginning when he came to Washington in 1948. One of his first initiatives was to desegregate schools and parishes within the Archdiocese of Washington. Though Archbishop O’Boyle wanted it done quickly, it was a process that took several years to accomplish.
With the rise of the Civil Rights movement, Archbishop O’Boyle supported the Catholic Interracial Council of Washington, providing them with a home at the V Street Center adjacent to St Augustine’s Parish. After the death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent riots that destroyed parts of the city, then-Cardinal O’Boyle focused the archdiocese’s resources in rebuilding the city through its Urban Redevelopment Corporation with a group of Black Catholic leaders who helped direct those resources not only to charities to assist Black families in the city but also to direct support for Black-owned businesses in the form of small business loans.
A meeting of Black Catholic representatives was held at Archbishop Carroll High School in December 1973. More than 500 people attended. The purpose of the assembly was to hear from the community in the formation of an office within the archdiocese to support Black Catholics. In 1974 then-Washington Archbishop William Baum created the Secretariat for Black Catholics. The office was established at 1419 V Street, and a 24-member advisory board was established to provide input on the work of the office from the community.
Josephite Father John H. Ricard was appointed the first secretary for Black Catholics for the Archdiocese of Washington. Bishop Ricard was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Baltimore in 1984 and as bishop of Pensacola–Tallahassee, Florida in 1997.
Cynthia A. Roberson was appointed as the first executive director for the archdiocese's Secretariat for Black Catholics in 1975. In 1979, Jacqueline E. Wilson became that secretariat's executive director, a position she held until 2002. Under Wilson’s leadership the office produced several publications; fostered a Black Catholic history research project; the Rejoice! conferences on Black Catholic liturgy; archdiocesan Black Catholic revivals; and tutoring and employment programs.
Jacqueline Wilson, shown in a 1978 photo, became the executive director of the Archdiocese of Washington's Office of Black Catholics the next year. (Catholic Standard file photo)
Though Black Catholics had been an active part of the Catholic Church in Washington from its beginning, Spanish-speaking Catholic represented new immigrant groups coming into the city after World War II. Today the Archdiocese of Washington has a large and vibrant Spanish-speaking community in the city of Washington and surrounding Maryland counties, but to give an idea of how long the Spanish-speaking Catholic community has been present in the nation’s capital, it’s noteworthy that the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle started publishing bulletin announcements in Spanish in 1957.
The Archdiocese of Washington’s Spanish Catholic Center was dedicated in December of 1967 by Washington Auxiliary Bishop John Spence and Mayor Walter Washington. Father Leo Beato was the first director. The center provided after school homework sessions for children in need of help, and also English and Spanish classes, with the Spanish classes intended for members of the Metropolitan Police and Fire Departments, social workers and anyone else working with the Spanish-speaking community. The center also offered assistance with employment, legal, and immigration issues, in addition to classes about credit and consumer finance.
The originally named “Catholic Spanish Center” was located on the first floor of the Kenesaw Apartments on the southwest corner of 16th and Irving Streets, N.W. Today it is located several blocks north off 16th Street on Monroe Street, N.W. After more than 50 years, the center – now a part of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington – still provides immigration, employment and family services as well as English classes.
At the same time that archdiocesan officials created the Secretariat for Black Catholics, they also created one for Spanish-speaking Catholics. Capuchin Franciscan Father Sean O’Malley, who was also the director of the “Catholic Spanish Center,” was appointed the first secretary. Father O’Malley – who now serves as the cardinal archbishop of Boston –continued to expand the center’s activities. In 1974, he organized a Good Friday Procession from what was then-Mackin High School at 2200 California Street to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Father O’Malley had founded the Capilla Latina at Mackin High School, which became the basis for the creation of Our Lady Queen of the Americas Parish in 1987. Three Masses were celebrated in Spanish each weekend at the chapel at Mackin. But the center also held 20 different types of classes for the Spanish-speaking community on weekends using classrooms and other facilities at Mackin, including classes for English, GED and business skills. Mackin High School was merged with Archbishop Carroll High School in 1989, and Our Lady Queen of the Americas Parish took over most of the high school facilities for its use.
Created in 2015, the Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach is the modern successor to the Secretariats for Black and Spanish-speaking Catholics created in 1974. Today the office provides resources and promotes appreciation for the richness of the diverse heritages present within the archdiocese through working for integration within the life of our Catholic community.
(Dr. Jacobe serves as the director of the Archives for the Archdiocese of Washington.)
