If we are to explore the history of Black Catholics in America, we must begin with the spread of Catholicism across Northern and Eastern Africa in the First Century. This is not to claim that these Northern and Eastern African Christians were “Black” in the sense that we use the term in 21st-century America, but that Christianity did not first appear in Africa due to colonization and enslavement; rather, it arrived much earlier and played a significant role in resolving early theological debates that shaped Christian beliefs worldwide.
Christianity in Northern and Eastern Africa during the 1st century was in its nascent stages, characterized by early missionary activities. It gradually spread along trade routes, leading to early Christian community formation. Christianity's presence in Northern Africa is most notably traced to Alexandria, Egypt. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria had become a major center of learning and culture in the Hellenistic world. By the 1st century, it had a significant Jewish population, which provided a fertile ground for the early Christian message, possibly brought by Mark the Evangelist.

Tradition holds that Mark founded the Church of Alexandria around 42 AD, making it one of the earliest Christian communities. Alexandria soon emerged as a pivotal center of Christian theological thought and was home to the famous Catechetical School of Alexandria. From there, Christianity spread along the Mediterranean. The proximity of Northern African regions like Cyrenaica (modern-day Libya) to the Mediterranean Sea facilitated interactions with other parts of the Roman Empire. Early Christian communities in these areas likely grew through the activities of merchants and travelers who spread the new faith along trade routes.

In Eastern Africa, Christianity spread into Ethiopia. The larger-scale Christianization of Ethiopia did not occur until the 4th century through the royal conversion of King Ezana of Axum. Some traditions, however, suggest an earlier presence of Christianity. According to Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as having been baptized by Philip the Evangelist, returned to his homeland and began to spread Christian teachings. This narrative, part of church tradition, indicates the possibility of early Christian influences, albeit on a smaller scale, before the official conversion of Ethiopia in the 4th century.

This suggests several questions worth considering: How does the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition of the eunuch’s conversion by Philip the Evangelist contribute to our understanding today of early Christian influences in Eastern Africa? What does the early presence of Christianity in Africa reveal about the continent’s role in the historical and theological development of the faith? How might acknowledging Africans' early and active role in Christianity challenge or enrich contemporary understandings of the religion’s history? What are the lasting impacts of these early Christian communities on modern African Christian traditions?