This past Sunday, February 16, a joyous Jubilee Mass was held in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart to mark Black History Month. Joining Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, was Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory. In 2020, Gregory, then serving as Archbishop of Washington, was made the first African American cardinal by Pope Francis. Cardinal Gregory announced his retirement this past January.
The celebration reflected the experience of Black Catholics throughout the archdiocese with song and a procession of banners showing Black candidates for sainthood. Present were members of the Knights of St. Peter Claver, Knights of St. John, Knights of Columbus, and representatives from the Ghanaian, Nigerian, and other Catholic communities. Attendees of African and Caribbean origin were invited to wear attire reflecting their cultures.
Warmly welcoming his brother cardinal at the beginning of Mass, Cardinal Tobin joked that Gregory — who was first appointed an auxiliary bishop in 1983 by Pope John Paul II — had been named a bishop “shortly after his first communion.”
Looking to a new tomorrow
The Sunday Gospel reading was St. Luke’s account of the Beatitudes. In his homily, Cardinal Gregory said that the Beatitudes “urge us to look toward a new tomorrow that God has planned.” He pointed out that “Black History Month is as much about tomorrow as it is about yesterday. The great figures from our past were pioneers, because they helped people focus on and take anticipation in the future and all of its possibilities. The were ‘beatitude people,’ and we do them a tremendous disservice to relegate them simply to the accomplishments that they may have achieved yesterday.”
He later added:
“The Beatitudes focus on what God can do for those who might suffer want, long for justice, endure hatred and discrimination, and work for peace. God’s plan is to abundantly reward those who endure such sorrows and trials. For you see, the present does not determine tomorrow in God’s design – and God’s design is always correct.”
Cardinal Gregory said that the Jubilee Mass was a moment of festive celebration marked by “a great joy not just in all the things that have happened, but joy in anticipation of all that God will do for us and through us.”
A continuing celebration
In keeping with Cardinal Gregory’s message to look forward, the Newark Archdiocese’s African American, African, and Caribbean apostolate is planning a number of initiatives throughout the year to serve that community – including a luncheon, a retreat in March, and a number of youth-centered events.
At the end of the Jubilee Mass, in gratitude for Cardinal Gregory’s presence, a representative of the apostolate presented him with a work of art, “an African image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
“Cardinal Gregory used the word of God to point our eyes to the future,” Cardinal Tobin said before the final blessing, “so we’re going to show up and show out.” He urged everyone present to “not give up five minutes before the miracle,” and to “please keep leading us.”
And today we celebrate...