Most Holy Father, I was responding to the Papal Synod 2023 questions when the Archdiocese of Mobile “Catholic Week” announced the closing of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites) Most Pure Heart of Mary (MPHoM) Parish School. MPHoM is the last of five schools to serve one of our oldest African American communities in Mobile, Alabama. Because of the urgency of trying to save MPHoM, and knowing that my responses would never see the light of day, I decided to post my responses on change.org in prayer that you and all others will respond and not only save MPHoM School, but reopen every Parish School in our Archdiocese, starting with the Josephite Schools, and including Most Pure Heart of Mary High School forced to be closed after Desegregation in the 60’s. I pray that other Black Catholics will post and share their responses with you, as well. 

Thank you for asking for laity input. We have never had a voice. We feel that it is Divine Intervention that you would listen to us at this moment in time when we need you most. We’ve been praying to St. Joseph, asking His intercession to protect and help us. We believe Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Will grant our prayers to St. Joseph, if it’s God’s Will.

Please consider this my response to these Papal Synod 2023 questions: In what ways are people of all backgrounds in this Archdiocese truly welcomed into the life of the Church? In this Archdiocese Black Catholics have always been isolated, alienated, rejected, and made to believe we are not wanted in our own faith. You can be Catholic if you can afford to be Catholic. For over 40 years I’ve prayed my Baptist husband will convert to Catholicism…he agreed our daughter, the child we prayed for for over 20 years, would be baptized…he would attend Mass without me. But from the beginning he said, “The Catholic Church is not a Religion, it’s a business.” Time and time again he’s been proven right. To be Catholic in this Archdiocese has been hard enough with the disparity between rich and poor…to be a Black Catholic takes the faith and perseverance of Job! (see below) 

In what ways does the Church in this Archdiocese reach out and evangelize those on the margins?  This Archdiocese is deliberately driving out and making it as difficult as possible to evangelize to the poor, weak, abandoned, orphaned, & suffering. It is destroying our historic institutions established by the first Bishops and erasing our Black Catholic history. This Archdiocese has used the pandemic as an excuse to sell off, close, and eliminate as many of our Black, historic, small, poor Schools and Institutions as possible, while supporting almost $100 million in capital campaigns over the past 3 years, to start and expand the wealthiest, White Parishes and Schools, and $30 million for Seminarians and Priests. Archbishop Rodi noted that while most capital campaigns were suspended across the U.S. due to the pandemic, this Archdiocese continued. (see below)  

In the Aug. 14, 2020 Catholic Week, during the height of the pandemic, our Archdiocese announced, "Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School has a legacy in the City of Mobile that spans almost 120 years. It has served the African-American Catholic community well and still does," Board of Directors president Jack McNichol said. "But the community that surrounds the school changed..." 

The community had not changed. The School and the Church are located on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Drive (formerly Davis Ave.) the heart of the oldest Black residential and business community in Mobile. It has always been predominantly African American and over 80% non-Catholic. 

The announcement continued that the Board gained "...permission from the Archbishop to seek a new management forum for the school; thus the formation of the Most Pure Heart of Mary School Board. This board would assume responsibility for the management of the school, thus relieving the parish of its day-to-day operations..." 

The announcement said “management” not “owned”. Which meant the Archdiocese would still have control over the School but the Parish had none—like a slave owner taking away the children from their family. 

The January 14, 2022 Catholic Week announcement (3 days before the MLK Holiday and the day before Dr. King’s actual birthday) heartlessly stated, “…Heart of Mary is a Catholic school, but not OWNED by the Archdiocese of Mobile, nor by Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church…” in an attempt to distance the School’s closing from the Archdiocese even though the Archdiocese controlled the Board. The Archdiocese has condemned our Black children to, once again, being nothing more than property to be discarded like trash. Their assertion that, “…the school’s closure does not impact historic Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church…” as if the Parish has not and will not suffer and grieve the loss of their Black children—assuming losing 73 children is so insignificant and meaningless—no big deal; and the “$300,000 deficit” was so insurmountable that the Archdiocese is not willing to waste another penny on our Black children. The slave master forbid the slaves to learn to read. Like a slave master, this Archdiocese is still trying to make sure our Black children do not have access to schools in our communities. 

The Archdiocese further insinuated that, “… Fewer students now live in the downtown Mobile area…” even though the Mobile County Public School System just completed a state-of-the-art Barton Foundation $14 million renovation of historic Downtown Mobile’s Barton Academy, originally built in 1836 as Alabama's first public school, and opened the 2021-22 school year with 200+ students, walking distance from MPHoM. This proves that if an investment is made in our historic schools, parents will enroll their children. But, if every year the school is threatened to be closed…every year Black parents are told their children can’t afford a school and don’t deserve a Catholic education, as the Archdiocese has constantly told our Black parents, Catholic and non-Catholic, then the school will fail. 

Most Holy Father, Black American Catholics, especially those of us raised in the segregated South slave States, have always known that we are not wanted in our own Catholic faith. We live in constant fear, like our slave ancestors, that our Parishes and Schools will be closed…our families separated…told to find another Parish where we feel like we’re not welcome and treated like outsiders or send our children to Public School…it seems like the Archdiocese really couldn’t care less. Although, maybe some White Schools will accept our Black athletes as long as they’re winning, they seem to discourage our smart Black children, because they take scholarships from their children. If we say anything we will be punished by the Archdiocese retaliating against our Parish family. 

A PARISH IS A FAMILY! Since installed as our Archbishop in 2008, Archbishop Rodi has always reminded us that a Parish is a family. When he would celebrate a School Mass at St. Ignatius, maybe the wealthiest Parish in affluent, predominantly White West Mobile, Archbishop Rodi would tell the children how Blessed they were to have a Catholic School in their community. But, when he celebrated Mass or attended one of our Black Parish events, he would apologize to us. Each time the Archdiocese wholeheartedly supported all St. Ignatius Parish (less than 70 years old) capital campaigns, historic, small, weak, poor, or Black Parishes, Schools, & Institutions were closed and destroyed. 

Archbishop Rodi, like every Bishop before him, especially in slave States, has to appease wealthy, White Catholics and “experts” in the Archdiocese. He’s a good Priest and Shepherd and has tried to do good when he can, without alienating White Catholics. Even though every Pope denounced slavery and the institutionalized slavery that still exists, Bishops have to go where the money is. We can be Catholic if we can afford to be Catholic. Black Catholics, small and poor Parishes, and our Black children are expendable. 

“God has deemed it better to bring good out of evil than not to permit evil at all.”  
-- St. Augustine (EWTN January 16, 2010) 

To announce the closing before MLK weekend was not only heartless and inhumane, the Archdiocese deliberately sabotaged the MPHoM 2022-23 School Year registration drive that occurs during Catholic Schools Week, the last week of January. 

The Archdiocese disowned MPHoM School, stripped the children from their Josephite family Parish, misled the Board and used them as a scapegoat. The Board was required to secularize the name and remove the image of Our Blessed Mother, the Black Madonna, from all school media. 

PLEASE SAVE MOST PURE HEART OF MARY SCHOOL! The January announcement was also before the Catholic Charities Appeal Drive. The Black and Indian Ministry must be added back in the Catholic Charities Appeal to support Most Pure Heart of Mary School. Until then, I will pledge my $1,200 annual Appeal contribution directly to MPHoM through the Parish “School Support For Most Pure Heart of Mary School” online fund (https://www.mostpureheartofmarymobile.org/  Donate page) and encourage all to match the donation and give to MPHoM instead of the Catholic Charities Appeal. Also, I will donate and encourage all to donate to the Go Fund Me account  https://www.facebook.com/karlos.finley/posts/10223331451607180 established to save Most Pure Heart of Mary School. 

ST KATHARINE DREXEL! “…Xavier is also the only Catholic college, of the United States' 251 Catholic colleges, to have been founded by an American-born saint…There's a famous New York Times interview in 1915 when...the reporter asked Mother Katharine - 'why are you using this expensive Indiana limestone for a school for black children?' And Mother Katharine said, 'do they not deserve the best?'" — Dr. C. Reynold Verret, President, Xavier University of Louisiana (“The Historically Black Catholic University Founded by a Saint” by Mary Farrow, CNA New Orleans, La., Feb 12, 2018 / 12:00 pm) https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/37742/the-historically-black-catholic-university-founded-by-a-saint 

Most Pure Heart of Mary deserves the best! Jesus showed us we’re all worth dying for! We now immediately need: 

1) MPHoM School to be reunited with their MPHoM Parish family; the image of Our Blessed Mother, the Black Madonna, restored; and the Josephites form their own Board, led by Fr. Bura Koroba, SSJ., MPHoM Pastor—separate from the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese should be obligated to fund a school in every Parish (child support, if you will) and cover any shortfalls, but no control over administration of the school (i.e., hiring) that would lead the Archdiocese to show favoritism to one Parish over another, penalize a Parish for being too small or poor, or discriminate against any Parish again. 

2) Archbishop Rodi: please eliminate the $300,000 remaining MPHoM debt; 

3) historic Downtown St. Joseph Parish that was combined with the Cathedral Parish in 2018 should be immediately transferred and combined with Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, 0.7 miles away. This is consistent with the precedent set in 1970 when Josephite St. Peter Claver Parish was combined with White St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 3 blocks apart, to form Prince of Peace Parish. This would ensure the “St. Joseph Catholic Church Coloured Baptism Records” of many MPHoM ancestors, the St. Joseph Endowment meant to support the Community both Parishes serve, and all St. Joseph property would go to MPHoM Parish. As the closest Parish with a School, MPHoM would’ve been combined with St. Joseph if MPHoM had not been a Black Parish; 

4) Teaching Religious orders: please come to MPHoM. Like all Catholic Schools, MPHoM thrived when staffed by mostly Nuns. Under the dedicated leadership of MPHoM Principal Mrs. Jekirra Johnson and Sr. Joanne Cozzi, Dir. of Religious Education, adding more Nuns to the lay and Notre Dame ACE teachers would ensure the children’s success, and promote Religious vocations—children need to see Priests and Religious in order to want to be Priests and Religious; 

5) Xavier, HBCUs, Spring Hill, Notre Dame, Fordham, Harvard, all Catholic, State, and Ivy League Colleges and Universities: please sponsor MPHoM students, partner with Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Comcast, etc., to create state-of-the-art in-person and virtual curricula, programs, etc., high speed internet, and donate computer equipment to ensure their successful academic progress and college preparation; 

6) Principal Faustin Weber, St. Michael High School and MPHoM 8th grade graduate: please ask your generous donors, especially the recent $5 million contributors to the football field for 13 football players, to support MPHoM. St. Katharine Drexel said, “Nothing happens by chance.” It’s no coincidence that the first Principal of the $20 million St. Michael High School is an MPHoM alumni, and the only Black of about 60 students in the first Freshman Class is an MPHoM Parishioner. God is calling you, Principal Weber, to help MPHoM. 

7) President Biden and Vice President Harris: please introduce a plan that will include a Student Flexible Spending Account (SFSA) and an Emergency Flexible Spending Account (EFSA) managed by FEMA, much like the Healthcare FSA already in place, funded with before tax income, fixed income, corporate matching funds, and tax deductible donations. 

8) Help us develop the To Enrich A Child’s Hands (TEACH) Foundation.TEACH is based on the premise that a child becomes proficient in whatever you put into their hands. That’s why children of doctors become doctors, children of lawyers become lawyers, children of musicians, athletes, etc., follow in their ancestors footsteps. TEACH will help fund Josephite students and Schools by connecting private and public industries, technology, the Arts, Sports, etc., in mentoring programs for the students and their families. 

9) Home School families: please consider partnering with MPHoM to provide your children with select in-person and virtual classes, such as Religion, to facilitate social, and a faith-filled historic Josephite Religious foundation; EWTN; Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Tamron Hall, and all Media personalities; Jon Batiste, Amanda Gorman, Johnny Juzang, and all Josephite School Alumni and descendants: please help us raise awareness and funds to provide exceptional Schools in every African American community across the Nation; Brian Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative; Southern Poverty Law Center: please provide us with the legal requirements to end this discrimination that has denied access to quality educational opportunities to too many of our African American communities. 

10) please order: the “2022 Josephite African American History and Heritage Calendar” (http://www.josephitepastoralcenter.org/product/2022-josephite-african-american-history-heritagecalendar/); “From the Back of the Pews to the Head of the Class: The Remarkable Accomplishments of a Segregated Catholic High School in the Deep South” (compiled by Robert McClory, Alexis H. Herman, Contributor. MPHoM, Mrs. Jekirra Johnson, Principal, 310 Sengstak St., Mobile, AL 36603, 251-432-5270, office@mphom.org); and “Ten Stars: The African American Journey of Gary Cooper―Marine General, Diplomat, Businessman, and Politician” (by Kendal Weaver https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Stars-Cooper_Marine-Businessman-Politician/dp/1588383245 

"Evil thrives when good people do nothing" (February 9, 2014 EWTN Homily) 

I believe White Catholics are not as racist as they used to be and will help us keep MPHoM open. Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen asked, “Has affluence hurt us?…Does the economic and generous leverage of the pews hurt the prophetic utterance from the pulpit and the altar?”  He continued, “…Nietzsche, who was anti-Christian said something that was profoundly worthwhile. He said, “You will never get me to believe in a Redeemer, unless you act like someone redeemed!”” (“Life is Worth Living - Is America’s Religion Religious?” recorded in 1954 EWTN 6/10/2018) 

The Catholic Church in the United States has not acted like “someone redeemed” while Black Catholics have persevered in our faith in spite of how we’ve been treated. We have always forgiven and prayed for all those in the Archdiocese that have persecuted us and our children. We continue to pray they will change their hearts and see Jesus in us. That they will see the African face of Jesus on Veronica’s Veil and the Shroud of Turin. That they will see the African face of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the Black Madonna, holding Her Black Child, The Infant Jesus, in Her arms, and Her African image She gave us as a 15 year old with the Baby Jesus in Her Womb known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn. That they will see St. Joseph, Her Most Chaste Spouse, Protector of his Holy African Family, and Our Protector, in every father of African descent. Because as Fr. Glenn V. Jeanmarie said in a 1990’s New Orleans Homily, “St. Joseph could not have sought refuge for his Holy Family in Egypt if They didn’t look like the Egyptians.” All we can do is continue to pray. In Mass, the historic Josephite Prince of Peace Parish Youth Choir sing, “I pray for you, you pray for me, and watch God Change things!” 

“Oakland priest challenges bishop over church's attitudes on race” https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-priest-challenges-bishop-over-church-s-15355922.php “There’s no way to have an honest conversation about race in America without making white people uncomfortable, because the honest truth is if it were up to people of color, racism would’ve been over and done with centuries ago,” said the Rev. Bryan Massingale, a Black professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University who has written extensively about the history of racism in the Catholic Church. “The only reason why racism persists is because it benefits white people, and that’s a very uncomfortable truth.” (June 22, 2020 Otis R. Taylor Jr.) 

HOW DID WE GET HERE? By 1797 our ancestors sacramental records were already segregated into the “Church of the Holy Conception Baptisms Nigrorum I”, “Church of the Immaculate Conception Burial Register for Coloured People”, “Church of the Immaculate Conception Baptisms Register of the Church of Mobile for Coloured People”, and “St. Joseph Catholic Church Coloured Baptism Records” Registries. (“Juzang Ancestry” compiled by Richard Chastang, M.A., late, former Archdiocese of Mobile Historian) 

From its very inception, this Diocese, established on the "Bahia del Espiritu Santo" (Bay of the Holy Spirit), under the Patronage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, not only did not want to listen to the Word of God or receive the Body of Christ with us in the Parishes, they didn’t even want the names of our Ancestors of African descent next to theirs in the Holy Records of the Sacraments. 

The Archdiocese released “Servant of the South”, a documentary on Bishop Michael Portier, our first Bishop. The documentary highlighted the phenomenal accomplishments of Bishop Portier that stressed education for all, Catholic and non-Catholic, and allowed slave and free People of African descent to receive the Sacraments. From the 1830’s the Negro laws made it illegal for our African ancestors to learn to read or write. 

It was Bishop Edward P. Allen, ordained the fifth Bishop of Mobile in 1897 by Pope Leo XIII, who immediately asked the Josephites to come to serve Catholics of African descent. In 1899, MPHoM was the first Parish and School established. 

The Archdiocese has been trying to close MPHoM since the 60’s after desegregation in retaliation for the involvement of the Parish in the Civil Rights Movement. They had succeeded in closing five Black Catholic Schools citing lack of funding, and decreasing enrollment. Yet White Schools were not held to the same criteria until they needed students in the wealthy Parishes. They closed White Parish Schools when the Black Student body increased and White flight to wealthy West Mobile Parishes occurred. An extensive Alabama Review article entitled, “The Catholic Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham and Parochial School Desegregation, 1962–1969” gives many examples of the methodical destruction of our Black Catholic Schools and Parishes (Mark Newman, Alabama Review, The University of Alabama Press, Volume 74, Number 1, January 2021 pp. 24-61, 10.1353/ala.2021.0010  https://muse.jhu.edu/article/786999    “Although the diocese had created a school system which ensured that Black Catholic schools were less funded and equipped than White schools, the archbishop adopted a desegregation policy that closed Black schools on the grounds that they had inferior facilities, and he did not consider the wishes of African Americans. Although opposed to segregation and discrimination, many African Americans wanted to keep traditionally Black Catholic schools open. They valued them for the education and values their dedicated staff, primarily sisters and priests, imparted to their students, and they treasured them as community institutions.“ (pp. 3-4) 

Like Bishop Portier, Black parents still believe every Parish deserves a School, no matter how small…no matter how poor…Catholic or non-Catholic. A Parish without a School is like a Father telling his children, “I can’t afford to feed you. Go somewhere else to eat.” Just like a parent is obligated to feed their children, a Diocese is obligated to feed its children the Word of God! 

CHRIST THE KING! I was the recipient of the 2021 Christ the King Medal given to lay people in the Parish. In my November 16, 2021 letter to Archbishop Rodi asking him to instead award the medal posthumously to my Mother, Olivette Collins Juzang, I wrote, “I have no doubt that if Mama had lived she would’ve been awarded this Medal just like her older sisters. Everything I try to do for our Parish and Community is because of her and what I believe she would want me to do.

“As a Black Catholic growing up in the segregated South, we learned early we weren’t wanted even in our own faith. Mama would tell us we’re not going to Church for anyone. We’re going to Church to praise God and it didn’t matter that we weren’t allowed, even in this Church that we now call home, or we had to sit in the back pews to make sure we received Communion last. She taught us to keep our eyes on Jesus.

“I’m old enough to remember when our Black Schools had to walk at the end of the Christ the King Procession. At first, I was too young to understand why. All I knew was that I was with my family and friends. And when I did realize what was happening, especially with desegregation and our schools were closed, she wouldn’t let us get angry...she just told us to pray for them. 

“I know it has always been difficult to be Catholic in Alabama, but to be a Black Catholic takes the faith and perseverance of Job. I know if it wasn’t for our Josephite foundation and Mama’s perseverance, I would not still be Catholic.” 

Again, the MPHoM Community has never changed. What had changed was: 

1) the $30 million Archdiocese Capital Campaign wasn’t getting the projected response due to the pandemic, great disparity between rich and poor Parishes, and preferential treatment of wealthy, predominantly White Parishes. We used to always pray the Divine Praises at the end of Mass as instituted by Archbishop Toolen for protection against hurricanes and storms. Now, we may or may not pray to God, but we are obligated to pledge our allegiance to the Archdiocese Capital Campaign at the end of every Sunday Mass; 

2) the 2016 $13.5 million cost of the Archdiocese supported St. Michael High School in wealthy, predominantly White Baldwin County, projected to have 1,200 students and opened with 98 white Freshmen and Sophomores and 1 Black Freshman, whom they didn’t know he was Black till he walked in the door, then they required him to take an Entrance exam; 

3) the predominantly White McGill-Toolen High School construction of the $20 million Student Center complete with a beautiful fountain imported from Italy;

4) the $20 million wealthy, predominantly White St. Ignatius “Master Plan” that built an extravagant church next to their fully renovated church. They destroyed and stripped the statues, stained glass windows, pews, etc. from historic Downtown Mobile’s St Joseph Church, the third oldest church in the Archdiocese. The City of Mobile prides itself on our hundreds of years old Oak trees, historic buildings, and churches, especially in Downtown Mobile. You can go to jail faster in Mobile for cutting an Oak tree than stabbing someone. Our City has been trying to restore as many of our historic buildings as possible, while the Archdiocese is destroying and selling off our beautiful architecture, some almost 200 years old;

5) the 2018 $11.5 million Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos new Parish in wealthy, predominantly White Baldwin County. The Archdiocese donated 26 acres of land to the Parish with immediate plans to build a School and have a link to donate to their Capital Campaign on the mobarch.org Archdiocese website, while they repeatedly refused to allow a Capital Campaign for Most Pure Heart of Mary School.  

All these projects have been and are very positive for the Archdiocese of Mobile and show how generous our Parishioners are. We know that we will be just as successful and everyone will be just as generous keeping Most Pure Heart of Mary School open. 

We ask Our Blessed Mother by Her titles: Our Lady of Częstochowa, the Black Madonna; Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn; and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of our Nation and this Archdiocese; with St. Joseph, Her most chaste Spouse, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Peter Claver, in Jesus’ Name, to give Archbishop Rodi and all in the Archdiocese of Mobile strength to open their hearts to keep Most Pure Heart of Mary open and reopen Schools in every Parish. We are confident that our prayers have already been granted.  

Respectfully, 

Collette Juzang Bookman
Here I am Lord; I come to do your will. 
(Ps. 40: 8a and 9a)