Black Catholic Affairs, Office of Intercultural Ministries, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
The fall months of 2024 gave our Black Catholic Affairs ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta numerous opportunities to share the gifts of our Black Catholic experiences with a number of diverse communities and partners!
Mrs. Jayla Robinson, MA, LPC-S presented a talk to our National Black Catholic Congress Pastoral Planning group on mental health, wellness, and healing from trauma and “church hurt.” A native of Little Rock, AK, Mrs. Robinson is a Christian-based clinical therapist and co-founder of Abundant Life Counseling Services, LLC, whose mission is to destigmatize mental health and increase access to mental health services for those seeking safe spaces to heal and change their lives.
In observation of November as Black Catholic History Month, our ministry collaborated with parishes to host Black Catholic musician, revivalist and guest speaker ValLimar Jansen who shared her gifts of song and praise with parishioners of Saint Paul of the Cross Catholic Church (Atlanta) and Saint Thomas More Catholic Church (Decatur). Our ministry also continues to provide portraits of the Saintly Six for display to parishes, including Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church (Atlanta) and the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Atlanta).
During this time, Black Catholic Affairs had the opportunity to display our ministries and activities at our Atlanta Archdiocesan Parish Catechetical Leaders meeting. This opportunity was offered in collaboration with our archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Discipleship.
