The 2021 Fall Speakers Series of the Association of Pittsburgh Priests will conclude on Wednesday, November 3 at 7:00 PM with Rev. Matthew Hawkins via zoom. His topic is: “Black and Catholic – the Impact on the Identity of Black Americans and on the Culture of the Church”.
Despite facing significant challenges, the Catholic Church in the United States, as recently as 2018 counted 51 million adult members. Six in ten of those identified as white and one-third Latino. Research in 2015 counted only three percent as Black. The Society of Jesus Order regarded by many as a leading force in modernizing the Church has recently pledged $100 million to atone for slave labor and sales in the U.S. What are the implications, then, as more Black Americans become Catholic? What impact will this have on the identity of Black Americans and on the culture of the Church?
Fr. Hawkins grew up in an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) household, converted to Catholicism as an adult and was inspired by Pope John Paul I’s compassion for the poor. Prior to his ordination in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, he was a professional in community economic development. Now Parochial Vicar at St. Benedict the Moor Parish and St. Mary Magdalene Parish, Fr. Hawkins focuses on divisive issues and finds in them opportunities for spiritual growth for individuals and communities.
