Josephites (Maryland) facts for kids

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Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Societas Sodalium Sancti Joseph a Sacra Corde

Abbreviation	SSJ
Nickname	Josephites
Formation	May 30, 1893; 132 years ago (1893-05-30)
Founders	John R. Slattery Charles Uncles John A. Deruyter Dominic Manley Lambert Welbers
Founded at	Baltimore, United States
Type	Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men
Headquarters	1130 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Members	68 members (58 priests) as of 2020
Superior General	John Huston Ricard, SSJ
Ministry	Sacramental, Educational and Pastoral
Parent organization	Catholic Church

The Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephites, is a group of Catholic priests and brothers. Their main office is in Baltimore, Maryland. They are special because they focus on helping and serving African Americans in the United States.

The Josephites were started in 1893. A group of priests, called the Mill Hill Fathers, were already working with Black people who had recently become free after the American Civil War. Key founders included Father John R. Slattery, who became their first leader, and Father Charles Uncles, one of the first Black priests in the country.

With permission from their leaders and the Archbishop of Baltimore, these priests formed the Josephites. They became an independent group in America, fully dedicated to supporting the African-American community.

Since then, the Josephites have worked in Black churches, schools, and other ministries across the country. They played a big part in the Black Catholic Movement from the late 1960s to the 1990s. This movement helped Black Catholic traditions become a more visible part of the Black church. The Josephites also helped bring back the role of the permanent Deacon in the United States. In 1987, Josephite Bishop John Ricard helped start the National Black Catholic Congress.

In 2011, Father William Norvel became the first African-American leader of the society. He also started a training center for new Josephites in Nigeria. Today, many of the new Josephite priests and students come from Nigeria.

The Josephites: Helping African Americans for Over 100 Years
What the Josephites Do Today
The Josephite Harvest Magazine
St Joseph's Seminary
Important Josephite Members
Leaders of the Josephites
Bishops from the Josephites
See also

The Josephites: Helping African Americans for Over 100 Years

How It All Started (1865-1893)

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, a time called Southern Reconstruction began. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave citizenship to all people born in the U.S., no matter their race.

During this time, Catholic bishops met in Baltimore in 1869. They decided that it was very important to provide schools and missions for all Black Americans in their areas. Education was seen as a great need.

The bishops then asked Father Herbert Vaughan for help. He was the leader of the Saint Joseph's Society for Foreign Missions, also known as the Mill Hill Fathers, in London. Father Vaughan had started his group in 1866.

American Beginnings

In 1871, Father Vaughan brought some of his priests to Baltimore to help the newly freed people. At this time, many bishops in the U.S. did not have enough priests or programs to serve Black Catholics. The Mill Hill Fathers stepped in to help. They would lead churches, staff schools, and set up missions to welcome new members.

By 1893, Father John R. Slattery, a leader of the Mill Hill Fathers in the U.S., asked for a change. He wanted the American Mill Hill priests to form their own U.S.-based group. This new group would continue to focus on teaching the Catholic faith and promoting social justice for African Americans. The plan was approved, and the Josephites were formed.

Early Challenges and Key Figures (1893-1933)

One of the first Josephite priests in 1893 was Father Charles Uncles. He was the first African-American priest ordained in the U.S. and the first trained here.

Father Uncles faced many difficulties because of racism, both inside and outside the church. Many people did not want Black priests in local churches. This made it hard for Father Slattery's dream of many Black priests to come true. Black priests like Father Uncles often had to travel to preach or teach at the Josephite seminary in Washington, D.C.. Meanwhile, white Josephite priests continued to expand their work across the country.

John Henry Dorsey, SSJ, became the second Black priest ordained in America in 1902. He helped start the Knights of Peter Claver in 1909, a group for Black Catholic men. Sadly, he died in 1923.

In 1925, Epiphany Apostolic College opened as a minor seminary for the Josephites. That same year, the Josephites helped start Xavier University of Louisiana. This was the only Black Catholic university in the nation at the time. In 1932, the Josephites became a "society of apostolic life of pontifical right," which means they report directly to the Pope.

Father Slattery eventually lost hope because of the racism he saw. He left the priesthood and the Catholic faith. He became a lawyer and died in 1923. Father Uncles also died in 1933, feeling frustrated by the racism he experienced.

Growth and Continued Challenges (1933-1950)

After the difficult experiences with Father Uncles and a few others, later Josephite leaders were careful about accepting Black candidates. They accepted some mixed-race individuals but mostly avoided the question of Black priests, even as they continued to work with Black communities.

Black Catholics, like Thomas Wyatt Turner and his Federated Colored Catholics group, noticed this. Their efforts to push for more Black priests did not have a big effect for many years. However, the issue remained important as the Josephites grew in size and managed more churches.

Louis Pastorelli, who led the Josephites for a long time, continued the policy of limiting Black candidates. But he did support other religious groups that were trying to train Black priests. For example, he supported the Divine Word order's plan for a Black seminary in Mississippi. This seminary quickly produced new Black priests who were well-received.

As more Catholic groups began to accept Black candidates for priesthood, the Josephites slowly became more open. In the 1940s, Josephite leader Edward V Casserly made official rules to allow more Black applicants. During this time, the Josephites also added 20 churches and 20 schools. This included St. Augustine High in New Orleans, an all-Black, all-male school.

Civil Rights and Black Power (1950-1971)

As more Black priests joined the Josephite order, some members worried about the changes. One leader tried to stop Black applications, but Edward Casserly quickly stopped this. Even so, Casserly's leadership ended in 1948. His successors, Thomas P. McNamara and George F. O'Dea, continued to expand Josephite work and welcome more Black students.

After some positive progress, including the work of Josephite activist Philip Berrigan, the end of the Civil Rights Movement brought new challenges. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. highlighted issues of racism. This led to a new focus on social justice and Black Power among many Black religious leaders.

In April 1968, shortly after King's death, the first National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) met in Detroit. This was the first meeting of Black Catholic clergy in the nation. They stated that the Catholic Church in America was "primarily a White, racist institution."

This led to calls for more Black freedom and expression, and for Black leaders to oversee Black churches and schools. This caused tension throughout the Church, including at St Joseph's Seminary in Washington, D.C. The minor seminary in New York, Epiphany, lost many students and closed in 1970. Black community members protested at St Joseph's in 1971, and many students left. The seminary then closed for studies that same year. (The building is still used for housing and holds the Josephite archives and other offices.)

Some of the demands made by the community were met. For example, the role of the permanent Deacon was brought back, largely due to a Josephite priest who focused on the African-American community.

After this time, Josephite students began to study at other schools. The society also used Xavier University of Louisiana as a place for students to prepare for seminary.

The Modern Era

In the 1980s, Father William Norvel helped lead the Josephites and the NBCCC. He is known for starting the Catholic gospel choir movement in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. This helped bring more Black cultural expression into church services. In 1987, Josephite Bishop John Ricard started the National Black Catholic Congress. This was a new version of the Colored Catholic Congress movement from the late 1800s.

In June 2011, about 130 years after the Josephites were founded, they elected Father Norvel as their first Black leader. The two leaders who followed him have also been Black, including the current leader, Bishop Ricard.

Josephites in Nigeria

Father Norvel also started a Josephite training center in Nigeria. He worked there for five years. Today, most new Josephite students and priests come from Nigeria. The society runs a minor seminary there, and in 2021, they welcomed about a dozen new students.

New Headquarters

The Josephites' main office, where their leader and other administrators live and work, moved in 2019. They now have a shared living and office space nearby in Baltimore.

What the Josephites Do Today

The Josephites run 34 churches in 12 different areas. They also manage St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is a historic school for Black students, which the Josephites helped start in 1951.

Their main office is in northern Baltimore. Their seminary, St. Joseph Seminary, where students and retired priests live, is in Washington, D.C..

In 2012, the Josephites had 88 members, including 76 priests. By late 2020, they had 60 members.

The Josephite Harvest Magazine

The Josephite Harvest is the official magazine of the Josephite society. It is the oldest Catholic missions magazine still being published in the U.S. It started in 1888 as The Colored Harvest and changed its name in 1960. For many years, the magazine shared stories about the Josephites' work building churches and schools for African Americans.

Today, the magazine is published four times a year in print and also has a digital version online.

St Joseph's Seminary

St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C.

St Joseph's, the Josephite seminary, is in Brookland, Washington, D.C. This area is known for its many Catholic institutions.

Even though the seminary stopped offering academic classes in 1971, it still provides housing. Josephite students live there during the school year. Retired Josephite priests and other priests also live there year-round, along with other renters.

Pastoral Center

The Josephite Pastoral Center (JPC) is also located at the seminary. It is one of the few places that provides materials specifically for African-American Catholic ministry. The shop is open to the public. It sells items like calendars (including the yearly Josephite African American history calendar), artwork, books, and music. The JPC also has an online store.

Library

The St Joseph Seminary Library is also very important. It holds many significant items and documents related to both African American and African-American Catholic history. Some of these are open for the public to see.

Important Josephite Members

Charles Uncles: The first African-American Catholic priest ordained in the U.S.
Edward Francis Murphy: A well-known writer.
Philip Berrigan: An activist who worked against war.
Eugene Antonio Marino: The first African-American archbishop in the Catholic Church.
Carl Anthony Fisher: The first and only African-American Catholic bishop west of Texas.
John Huston Ricard: A retired bishop and the current leader of the Josephites.

Leaders of the Josephites

No.	Name	Took office	Left office	Birthplace
1	John R. Slattery	1893	1904	New York City
2	Thomas B. Donovan	1904	1908	Kentucky
3	Justin McCarthy	1908	1918	Ireland
4	Louis B. Pastorelli	1918	July 1942	Boston, Massachusetts
5	Edward V. Casserly	1942	1948	Ireland
6	Thomas P. McNamara	1948	1960	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7	George F. O'Dea	July 1960	October 1970	Brooklyn, New York City
8	Matthew J. O'Rourke	July 1971		Bronx, New York City
9	Eugene Patrick McManus	1988	1995
10	Robert Michael Kearns	1995	June 17, 2003	Boston, Massachusetts
11	Edward J. Chiffriller	June 17, 2003	June 15, 2011
12	William L. Norvel	June 15, 2011	June 19, 2015	Pascagoula, Mississippi
13	Michael Thompson	June 19, 2015	August 1, 2019	Port Arthur, Texas
14	Bishop John Ricard	August 1, 2019	present	Baton Rouge, Louisiana