(REVIEW) February is Black History Month, and it’s a reminder of the many contributions Black Americans have made to the culture, life and history of the United States. Often overlooked is the relationship between African Americans and the Roman Catholic Church in this country.

Thankfully, there have been many books written about this fascinating  subject — from a history of Black Catholics to the life of African saints to what it was like to live in America as a Black Catholic, in a faith dominated largely by people of European extraction.

While Protestantism has long dominated the Black American religious experience — and still does according to Pew Research — 6% identify as Catholic. About 1 in 5 Black Americans are not affiliated with any religion — identifying as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.”

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Pew Research also found that Black Protestants are “particularly likely to worship in congregations where most of the laypeople, as well as the senior clergy, are Black.” Two-thirds of Black Protestants say they “attend this type of congregation. By contrast, majorities of Black Catholics and Black adults of other faiths say their congregations and religious leaders are multiracial, mostly white, or mostly some other race.”

Below are five books you should read that offer lots of insight into the complex relationship between Black Americans and the church.  

5. “African Saints: Saints, Martyrs, and Holy People from the Continent of Africa” (2002)

It’s often easy to forget that the early church fathers (like St. Augustine and St. Cyril) hailed from Africa. This 248-page book looks into how deeply spiritual Africa has been, yet how few saints from there have been canonized.

The book goes down the centuries, highlighting men and women who lived exemplary lives. Over that time, the Catholic presence in the continent was weakened by the schism following the Council of Chalcedon. That resulted in the separation between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches, which continued to weaken with the rise of Islam.

4. “Uncommon Faithfulness: The Black Catholic Experience” (2009)

A compilation of essays looking at the experiences of Black Catholics from their arrival in North America in the 16th century to now, the book highlights the discrimination they endured as they tried to join churches.

From slavery through the civil rights era, this book combines history, theology and pastoral issues. The forward by Timothy Matovina, a history and religion scholar, notes, “African American Catholics are an integral part of this hemispheric saga. Given the treatment they have received at the hands of coreligionists, I marvel that three million of them continue to strive to make a home for themselves within Catholicism.”  

3. “Augustus Tolton: The Church Is the True Liberator” (2018)

Augustus Tolton is believed to be the first Black American who was ordained in 1886 to the priesthood in the United States. Born into slavery, Tolton eventually escaped to freedom and worked primarily in Illinois, then a free state. He was declared venerable — a step closer to sainthood — by Pope Francis in 2019, .

This book is a wonderful look at Tolton’s life and devotion to the church despite adversity and prejudice.

2. “Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood” (2021)

If the life and struggles of Tolton inspire you to learn more about prominent Black Catholics, then this is the book for you. Often overlooked, it really is a great look into the contributions of men and women whom the church has only recognized more recently for their hard work and devotion.

Written by theologian Michael Heinlein, the book explores the life and times of six Black Catholics from the United States: Tolton, Pierre Toussaint, Henriette Delille, Mary Lange, Julia Greeley and Thea Bowman As the book notes, they are “sources of inspiration for us all.”

1. “A Saint in the Slave Trade” (2022)

Arnold Lunn’s 208-page biography was originally published in 1935 and republished this year by Sophia Institute Press. It is a well-researched and compelling look into the life of St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest born in Spain who, due to his life and work, became the church’s patron saint of slaves.

“The life of Claver raises yet another tremendous issue — the issue of slavery,” Lunn notes. “Claver devoted his life to the slaves, and yet he never, so far as we know, criticized the institution of slavery, which he appears to have taken for granted. He was interested in individuals rather than in institutions, and moreover, so far as slavery is concerned, he would never have condemned an institution that the church had never explicitly condemned. Was Claver wrong? Was the church wrong?”

Lunn himself has an interesting story. He was an agnostic who converted to Catholicism. A world-class skier, he subsequently wrote many books on philosophy and Christianity.

Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.