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OCT. 28, 1998
- (The ^Jorllanb (Obsrruer
Page B6
Portland Black Catholic Lay Caucus
B y S am J ackson , J r .
The present Portland B lack Catho-
lic Lay Caucus (PBCLC) was formed
in July 1976. This was actually the
second attem pt at forming a Black
Caucus in Portland. A few years ear­
lier in the late sixties an attempt had
failed. As 1 recall. Bill and G ladys
M cCoy were active in the earlier
group. Some m eetings were held at
the A lbina A rt Center.
This was the tim e o f the Civil
Rights M ovem ent in this country,
and A frican Am ericans were strug­
gling and pushing for their rights
T he prim ary purpose of the P ort­
land Black C atholic Lay C aucus is to
coordinate the activities o f Black
C atholics and other individuals in all
areas o f the C atholic Church in the
Church environm ent. W e also at­
tem pt to provide direction and guide­
lines to the A m erican Catholic B ish­
ops in the fight against racism ; train
and sensitize W hite clergy and plan
and develop program s and strategies
that affect the Black com m unity.
In 1980 w e sponsored five (5)
representatives to the First N ational
Conference of N BLCC in Chicago,
11. In 1981, w e w ere privileged to
host the W estern R egional C onfer­
Fr. Bert G riffin o f St. Andrew
Parish provided the im petus and the
encouragem ent for the eventual for­
mation o fth e current caucus. In 1974,
he provided the m eans for H arold
and B arbara Sibley and m y se lf to
attend a conference o f N B L C C in
San D iego,C A . Then in 1976am uch
larger group o ften (10) B lack C atho-
lics attended the N BLCC conference
in Seattle, WA. The A ttendees w ere
from Im m aculate H eart and St. A n­
drew parishes.
By this tim e, our enthusiasm was
so great that w e decided that w e ju st
h ad to have a B lack C atholic C aucus
here in Portland, OR.
everywhere.
So it was only natural that the
A m erican Rom an C atholic Church
not be exem pt from the desire o f
Black people to be recognized, ac­
cepted and supported by the church.
That is the reason that the N ational
O ffice o f Black C atholics (NO BC)
was formed in 1970 w ith it’s head­
quarters in W ashington. D.C. the
three groups that supported and ac­
tively participated in the NOBC w ere
the National Black C lergy Caucus
(NBCC), the N ational Black Sisters
C onference (N B SC ), and the N a­
tional Black Lay C atholic Caucus
(NBLCC).
ence o f NOBC.
PBCLC has never been a fund
raising organization. O ur funds have
prim arily been provided by the A rch­
diocese o f Portland. In the begin­
ning, w e received a percentage o f the
an n u al N O B C sp o n so red B lack
C atholics Concerned (BCC) collec­
tion, w hich w as discontinued. W hen
the BCC collection w as stopped, the
A rc h d io c e s e b e g a n g iv in g th e
P B C L C y ea rly g ra n ts o f ab o u t
$3,000. In 1987, during A rchbishop
L evada’s tenure, we began to receive
extra funds to send delegates to the
Black Catholic Congress, which takes
place every five (5) years.
T he P B C L C has b een o fficially
re c o g n iz e d as a d io c esa n lay o r­
g a n iz a tio n fo r tw e n ty -tw o (22)
y e a r s a n d is l i s t e d in th e
A rc h d io c e sa n C ath o lic D irectory.
T h e fo llo w in g m em b ers o f the
C a u c u s h av e b ee n a c tiv e for m ost
o f th o se y ea rs. T e le th a B enjam in,
F ra n c isc a G a b rie l, E d n a H icks,
P a t r i c i a R y a n , S r. K a th le e n
S tu p fe l, M ary P aris and L avern
W a tso n . W e h av e had five (5)
P B C L C p re sid e n ts sin c e 1976.
T h ey are S am Ja c k so n , Jr., G ail
W a sh in g to n -Jo h n so n , G erald in e
C h e ls e y -M itc h e ll, L u cin d a T ate
Fr. Chester Smith, SVD
■ Father Smith, is the co-author o f
Boyhood to M anhood
Father Smith is a member o f the
Society o fth e Divine Word, an inter­
national religious order working in
sixty-five countries worldwide. Father
Smith was ordained in 1988 in Chi­
cago along with his twin brother (Fa­
ther Charles A. Smith, Jr.), making
African American history by becom­
ing the first African twin priests to be
ordained in the Roman Catholic Church
here in America.
Father Sm ith has served in pastoral,
education, retreat and revival minis­
tries. A major focus o f his ministry is
African American youth development.
He is founder o f Ambassadors o f the
Word, a peer group ministry program
that has taken A frican American youth
to W est Africa, Caribbean Islands,
Belize (Central America), Brazil and
Trinidad.
Father Smith is alsoa m em berofthe
Bowman-Francis Ministry Project. The
project produces culturally relevant
educational materials, fosters cross
cultural aw areness, and promotes
affocentric approaches to the chal­
lenges and problems facing the Afri­
can American family and community.
Father Smith has worked as an orga­
nizational consultant and trainer with
numerous community non-profit busi­
ness organizations and city agencies.
Father Smith, is the co-author o f
Boyhood to Manhood, a rite o f pas­
sage manual for A frican American boys
(1993) and a manual for the African
American family Kwanzaa celebra­
tion: My Family O ur Family (1995).
Father Smith lectures nationally.
He has made numerous conferences
and media presentations on the use o f
the adolescent rites, and he partici­
pates with rites groups around the
country.
Fellowship Missionary
Baptist Church
The Fellow ship M issionary
B aptist C hurch annual Fall
Revival will begin on M onday,
N ovem ber 2 through Friday,
N ovem ber 6 at 7:00p.m.
Dr. Londell W illiam s, Pastor
o f the Park A venue M issionary
B aptist C hurch, Texarkana,
A rkansas w ill be the G uest
Evangelist for the week.
W e invite all to jo in us. The
address is 4009 N orth M issouri
Avenue.
Please contact Pastor Johnny Pack IV at (503) 249-0537 or the Church
Secretary, Sister M aretha H art it (503) 249-0377 if you need more
inform ation.
Fr. C h e s te r S m ith , SVD
Introducing...
Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows, Incorporated
Oregon State President, Mrs. Jean Brown
202 N. E. Skidmore Street
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 284-7410
“Just What Does A Ministers’ Wife Do Anyway’
The purposes of this organization are to:
• unite ministers' wives and ministers’ widows of various Christian denominations into one Christian
• Cultivate international good will, develop stronger interpersonal relationships, and foster a more
effective communication network.
• promote cultural exchange with minister' wives and widows around the world.
Upcoming Event:
“A nnual Harvest Tea ” Hosted b y Local Chapter
Rose City M inisters' Wives a n d M inisters' Wid­
ows
Date: Novem ber 8, 1998
Time 2p.m .
Dr. Londell Williams
Next Meeting:
Date: Novem ber 14, 1998
Piace North Portland Bible College
490 5N. Vancouver Ave.
Portland, OR
Our
biggest
advantage
is being
part of
a big
family
To us, being part of a big
family means...
*Sharing responsibilities
among only the most
qualified, highly trained
professionals...
* Sharing ideas and
programs to protect
our children and
benefit our
neighborhoods...
* Sharing resources
with the families
and communities
we serve.
and understanding the
importance of sharing.
If you ve ever been at an NPBC banquet before, you 'll welcome this announcement!
You are cordially invited to come and enjoy the
North Portland ßiblo College
19Q8 Annual ßanquet
November 13, 1998, at O’Callahan’s
6221 N S 82nd Avenue, at 7 p.m .
430N.Killingsworth Street
Portland, Oregon 97217
503/283/1976
When the time
comes to select a
funeral home,
please remember
our total
commitment is to
you.
Complete Funeral Package
Starting at $2895
(includes casket)
Complimentary videotapes and books
are available on coping with grief.
r///c /
Enjoy the elegance o f a banquet with the friendly excitement o f a family reunion!
No ticket. The meal is complimentary; a freewill offering will be received.
Reservations necessary - Call 288-2919 during office hours.
North Portland Bible College - 4905 N. Vancouver Avenue. Portland, OR 97217
Proud to be a member ofthe world's most experienced family of funeral homes.
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