St. Charles Lwanga Center
For several months commencing in 2018 the St. Charles Lwanga Center, Archdiocesan Office of Black Catholics has been represented in meetings with a nascent organizational group of recent generational African Catholic immigrants. The impetus arose when the Center was contacted by the national office of the National Association of African Catholics in the U.S. to inquire about contact.
Our Archdiocesan Peace and Justice Commission was instrumental in the link. The Center and the Commission were participatory sponsors in the Midwest African Catholic Convention held in early August, 2019. Entitled "Discipleship, Obeying and Following Jesus", the evangelizing event included the Eucharistic Celebration with Auxiliary Bishop Mark Rivituso as main celebrant. The reflective workshops culminated with a panel that consisted of the Lwanga Center's Board President Lynn Squires and the Executive Director, Fr. Arthur Cavitt. Attendees included local Catholics from the Archdiocese of St. Louis as well as Kansas City, Kansas and Atlanta Georgia. Family group representation was apparent as the Convention was received well. It represented another level of collaboration between the Lwanga Center and the burgeoning African Catholic group seeking support to navigate and integrate spiritual and secular life within the United States.
