By Thea Jarvis

The Office for Black Catholics opened it’s doors on the first floor of the Catholic Center this month, fleshing out an eight-year effort to strengthen and support the faith of blacks in north Georgia.

The office expands and complements activities of the Commission for Black Catholic Concerns, formed in 1981, with representation from St. Anthony’s, St. Paul of the Cross, Our Lady of Lourdes, Sts. Peter and Paul, Blessed Sacrament and St. John the Evangelist parishes. It also stands on the shoulders of those who pioneered, planned, and organized for over two years prior to the establishment of the Commission.

Rhonwyn Rogers, director of the Office for Black Catholics, feels the department can be an effective means of reaching the black community at large as well as identifying black Catholic leadership within the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

“We need to get in touch with people and find out their concerns,” said Mrs. Rogers, who holds a master’s degree in school psychology from Georgia State University and has involved herself extensively in the Church since converting to Catholicism in 1970. She identified the goals of the new office as closely in line with the 1984 pastoral of 10 American black Catholic bishops, “What We Have Seen and Heard.” These goals include evangelization, support of Catholic schools, renewed focus on liturgy and worship, development of lay leadership and encouragement of vocations.

According to a recent Glenmary survey, the Archdiocese of Atlanta ranks 13^th out of 154 dioceses in the country with respect to black population. Blacks account for 27 percent of those living within the boundaries of the archdiocese, yet only one percent of this number are Catholic. The figures hint at the challenge the Church faces inside and outside the Catholic community.

Addressing the challenge, Rhonwyn Rogers emphasized that black leadership and participation needs to be nurtured. “We need to participate to the fullest to do the work of Christ. That means being involved in the Church.”

She has planned a series of meetings with parish priests all over the archdiocese to “get an idea of the overall population of parishes.” Sixty-six parishes, including those in remote rural areas, will have an opportunity for input.

“Many blacks drive considerable distances to get to a predominantly black parish,” Mrs. Rogers noted. This fact needs to be identified and questioned. “Does this mean people are comfortable or uncomfortable?” within parish communities, she asked.

Recognizing and supporting a strong black Catholic leadership is key to encouraging spiritual growth among blacks, according to Mrs. Rogers. She plans workshops that will train lay people to reach out to the unchurched in the black community, using a small group approach that allows the evangelization process to unfold naturally. Initially, a core of Catholics would meet for training, sharing faith experiences along the way. Eventually, non-Catholics would be invited to participate.

“The group could have any range of people, old and young. It would be beneficial for everyone involved, Catholics and non-Catholics alike,” said Mrs. Rogers.

In spite of the large numbers of blacks living in north Georgia, the Catholic church has been less than successful in drawing new members from the black community. Father Bruce Wilkinson, pastor of St. Anthony’s Church in southwest Atlanta and head of the Commission for Black Catholic Concerns, attributes this to racial bias and a lack of visibility on the part of the church. For most blacks, he said, the Catholic Church is perceived as one that will always be there to help, but not one they would necessarily want to join.

“They see it mainly as a white Church,” Father Wilkinson said. And Catholics don’t attempt to evangelize the unchurched in traditional Protestant strongholds.

Glenmary statistics indicate that in the five-county metro Atlanta area alone, 44 percent of blacks are unchurched. It is this segment of the black populations that the Office for Black Catholics hopes to reach.

“We are trying not so much to sway people from their own choice of church as to reach people not involved in any organized church,” Rhonywn Rogers explained.

Within the church itself, blacks need to realize how much they have to share in the area of liturgy and spirituality, she said. “Our liturgy is appropriate, but we don’t know if it meets the needs of all.” Music, for example, is an area where blacks might contribute an alternate style to liturgical celebrations and share one of their strongest gifts at the same time, Mrs. Rogers feels.

Recognition and acceptance of blacks within the Catholic community will be made easier because the Office for Black Catholics is in place. It means “there will be a person on the diocesan level working full-time to address the issues of the Catholic Church in the black community,” according to Father Bruce Wilkinson, “a person who is from the community and has a vision of where the church should be.”

The office “is a signal to blacks that the archdiocese wants them to be a part of the Church,” he continued. “It’s something that’s long overdue. The archdiocese is maturing and growing and coming into its own, ready to reflect the makeup of its people.”