Black Catholic Men Called to Lead Families and Parishes
Oct. 15–18 in Birmingham, the conference themed “The Rock I Stand On” continued Fr. Chester P. Smith’s legacy of formation.
Black Catholic men from across the country gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, Oct. 15–18 for the Fr. Chester P. Smith National Black Catholic Men’s Conference. Held under the theme “The Rock I Stand On,” the annual meeting equipped participants with spiritual and practical skills to serve as protectors and providers in their families, parishes, and communities.
The conference was hosted by the Bowman Francis Ministry, the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries, and the Diocese of Birmingham’s Office of Black Catholic Ministry. Over four days, the program combined prayer and formation with encounters to prepare men for leadership when they returned home.
Building Brotherhood in the Faith
Cameron Beatty, program chair and godson of the late Fr. Chester P. Smith, described the event as essential for building community among Black Catholics who may be the only Black family in their parish. For many participants, the conference offers a rare chance for fellowship and mutual support in the faith.
Beatty recalled Fr. Smith’s passionate preaching on the Promised Land and his unapologetic embrace of Black Catholic identity. That witness continues to shape the purpose of the gathering year after year.
The Birmingham meeting continues the legacy of Fr. Chester P. Smith, who, with his twin brother, became the first African American priest twins ordained in the United States in 1988. Through the Bowman Francis Ministry and its partners, that legacy is handed on to a new generation of Catholic men called to lead.
Immersion, Dialogue, and the Mission Home
Participants took a Civil Rights Immersion Tour of Birmingham, placing their formation against the backdrop of the city’s role in the civil rights movement. They also joined a Harambe Town Hall with local leaders, a forum for dialogue on the challenges facing their communities and on the duties of Catholic men.
At the end of the conference, attendees were urged to return home and evangelize as leaders in their families, parishes, and communities. The theme “The Rock I Stand On” framed that sending: men formed in Birmingham were called to stand firm in the faith, to protect those entrusted to them, and to provide for the Church’s life where they live and worship.