Time to roll up the unwelcome mat: for many African Americans, the Sign of Peace feels like the Sign of Prejudice. Our survey of black Catholics reveals the church has a long way to go to overcome racism. (reader survey).

It should be one of the friendliest parts of the Mass. But for many African American Catholics, the Sign of Peace can be downright inhospitable. When in predominantly white or mixed parishes, blacks often find themselves ignored; some have even had their outstretched hands refused. It has happened to dozens of the 212 respondents to U.S. CATHOLIC'S first survey of black Catholics.

About half (49 percent) of those who replied to our survey say they have felt discriminated against in the church, and being refused the Sign of Peace was the most commonly cited example. In fact, one California woman has taken to waiting to extend her hand until the other person does so first to avoid being snubbed. Other African Americans say white parishioners refuse to sit next to them, hold their hands during the Our Father, or drink from the Communion cup after them.

All in all, black Catholics say they feel pretty unwelcome in the church, especially in predominantly white parishes. Nearly half of those who responded to our survey say they believe the Catholic Church, as a whole, does not seem to care about the needs of African Americans.

"Sometimes if I sit in an empty pew, no one will sit next to me," says Rose W. Key of Salt Lake City, Utah. Antonio Young of New York City has had similar experiences. "Over the years, there have been many incidents of purse clutching, looking back at you in the pews, frightened `kiss of peace' handshakes, whites who won't sit in the same pew," he says.

Even many of those who haven't felt blatant discrimination note feeling uncomfortable, ignored, or treated as if they were invisible in some parishes. "It's more a matter of indifference toward me and other African American Catholics than outright discrimination," says Angela Gray of Lynchburg, Virginia. Amanda Bullard of Silver Spring, Maryland agrees, saying she has felt "left out, not included."

"There is a distance I have felt in my contact with many white priests, lay persons, and nuns," says Thomasina Bushby of the Bronx, New York. "I cannot begin to explain the loneliness that I have experienced in these contacts. It is so profound."

The black parish home

You'd think the mother of a parish priest would be welcomed with open arms. But when Lorraine Moseley attends her son's predominantly white parish, she says it feels cold and indifferent. No one even shares her pew. "I am treated as though I don't exist," she says.

Not surprisingly, although she regularly attends her son's parish to support him, she also maintains membership in a predominantly African American parish in Gary, Indiana "to support my spiritual need."

She's not alone. According to our survey, two thirds of African American Catholics choose to worship at a predominantly black parish. Those in the minority (34 percent) who don't attend black parishes often cite lack of that option in their geographic area or the need to drive many miles to find one. Others report that formerly black parishes in the inner city have lost their black character as other ethnic groups have moved into the area--not necessarily a bad thing.

Still, a majority appreciates the opportunity to pray with those who share a common culture, to be ministered to by an African American priest, and to be lifted up by the joy and enthusiasm of liturgy as it is celebrated in black parishes.

"I feel a sense of family," says a parishioner in a predominantly black parish in Washington, D.C. "I feel welcomed to participate, join, and to be a part of each of the ministries."

It may not be coincidental that the number of respondents who attend a parish where African Americans are in the majority (66 percent) and the number who believe their parish liturgy reflects their African heritage (63 percent) are so close.

A Cleveland woman attends a black parish "because it serves a special need in my spiritual life not found in other parishes," she says. "We stay in church at least an hour or more, and members do not run out after Communion."

Lorraine Tutler of Hartford, Connecticut says simply, "I would feel lost in an all-white church."

Vocation vacancies

But attending a black church doesn't necessarily guarantee black leadership. Norman Howard of New Orleans chooses not to attend a predominantly black parish, but convenience is only part of the reason. "I'm turned off by African American parishes with white clergy in charge telling us what we need," he says.

Although the current decline in young men entering the priesthood affects the entire church, nowhere is the lack of vocations more dire than in the African American community. Respondents to the survey were not surprised. They say young black men are turned off not only by stumbling blocks that cause pause for potential priests of any race--such as mandatory celibacy--but also by persistent racism in the church.

"The Catholic Church does not value African American leadership," says one Minneapolis woman. Sheila Adams of Chicago says many parents worry "that our sons won't be accepted or treated fairly in the seminary."

Respondents report there is virtually no vocational outreach to young black men. "Little effort is made to recruit or prepare African American youth and men for priesthood in a hierarchical church that is largely white," says Sharon Wauls of El Paso, Texas.

Unfortunately, the small number of black priests only perpetuates the problem by offering few role models. "When black men wanted to be priests, there was little encouragement. Some stuck in there and put up with the racism and isolation, but most didn't," explains Jacqueline Townes of Boston.

A survey respondent from Gilbert, Arizona confirms that the priesthood and religious life can be inhospitable for African Americans. "I am a former African American religious," says Keith Williams. "I found the environment very narrow, not life-giving."

Problems at the top

In fact, when asked where in the church they see racism at work, the most common answer was in church leadership. Respondent after respondent mentioned the lack of black faces in parish and diocesan leadership. "It is hard for black Catholics to attain prominent positions in the Catholic Church," explains a woman from Jersey City, New Jersey.

"Do they think we have no talent, or do they not trust us to accomplish some things?" asks J. Williams of Baltimore.

Another Maryland woman decries "a predominantly white hierarchy making decisions for the entire church," while Marion M. Johnson of Springfield, Massachusetts finds white people placed in charge of minority apostolates especially problematic.

Robert Andre Dumas Sr. of Palm Coast, Florida sees racism in the makeup of the U.S. episcopacy: "the number of black bishops and the absence of even one black cardinal."

Things are particularly bleak in Dallas, according to one survey respondent. "There's only one black person on the bishop's staff in the chancery," she says. "And she's the receptionist."

Yet when asked about their own bishop, nearly two thirds of those surveyed say they believe he values the input of African American Catholics. Only 23 percent report that their bishop does not value their opinions.

Other places where racism rears its ugly head include parishes--especially all-white parishes--liturgy, seminaries, and schools, according to black Catholics.

Myles N. Hubbard of Hartford, Connecticut sees racism "in suburban churches where people in the pews do not speak up and promote equal housing, education, and racial diversity and understanding."

Diversity training also is lacking in seminaries. "Seminarians are not being taught about the different cultures and what they bring to worship," says Margaret Wright of Denver.

The closing of Catholic schools in black neighborhoods is of great concern, as is what's being taught in Catholic schools--from lack of black voices in grade-school history classes to theological schools not venturing outside a Eurocentric context.

Some diocesan publications, videos, and appeals also appear racist, says Jacquelin S. Rideau of Phoenix, "because there is never anyone of color in the forefront."

"We're being whitewashed," says fellow Phoenix resident Pat Johnson, who would like to see African American contributions in liturgy, at the very least during Black History Month.

A more positive view came from an Oakland, California woman. "I believe that you still run into people in the church who are racist, but I believe that in our diocese things are improving."

What the church can do

The survey question that garnered the most consensus among African American Catholics concerned whether the church needed to repent for its participation in racism and segregation. An overwhelming 88 percent answered a resounding "Yes."

Their suggestions for how to repent, however, focused more on the present than on the past. While some would like formal apologies, even more would prefer a commitment to equality and more recognition of black Catholics in the church of today.

"Let's begin with an apology from a historical point, then make some changes in the parishes and make ministering to African Americans a core requirement in seminaries," says Donna Leslie of Brooklyn, New York.

The church can repent by "becoming aware of the privilege and institutional racism both within the church and society, and taking active steps to address racism where they find it," says Pat Jackson of Alton, Illinois.

Commitment to Catholic schools, increased scholarships for African American youth, and recognition of prominent black Catholics and saints were other suggestions. "Do you know how hard it is to find a Saint Benedict the Moor statue?" complains one woman from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

A national day of reconciliation on Juneteenth Day (Emancipation Day, June 19) was suggested by Carlota Butler of Brooklyn. Schauneille Allen of Milwaukee would like to see formal apologies by bishops, "as our archbishop did."

"They need to tell the truth about the church's history of racism and abuse, and correct the false image of Christ as a European man," says Valerie Lewis Mosley of West Orange, New Jersey.

Even those who disagreed with the need for public repentance would like to see a changed attitude on the part of the church. "I would not say repent but rather make the commitment that the future will be used to negate the sins of the past," says Father Kenneth Taylor of Indianapolis.

"There is no repentance if you continue to do the same," says Mary Wilson of Monroe, Louisiana. "We cannot change what has already happened, but we can work on moving forward to try and stamp out racism."

Keep on keepin' on

If Catholics embraced the truth that racism is a sin, "we could change the entire country," says a nun from St. Paul, Minnesota. So, too, the church could be changed for the better, if it only accepted the gifts of African American Catholics.

And there's no shortage of contributions from the African American community that could benefit the wider church. Many white parishes could learn a thing or two from black Catholics about lively liturgies, powerful preaching, music that moves people, and an overall attitude of joy when praising the Lord.

Although many survey respondents noted that the gifts of black Catholics vary as much as do those of white Catholics, still one trait was mentioned over and over: fidelity and loyalty, along with patience and forgiveness. Black Catholics remain committed to their faith--and to the church--despite generations of less-than-Christian treatment.

"African American parishioners have been discriminated against, held back, and made to feel inferior in the community and the church," says Doretha Barnes of Glen Burnie, Maryland. "Yet they continue to be strong Catholics."

Pearl Fidel of Oklahoma City says black Catholics' greatest gift is resiliency. "We never stop believing," she says.

"We are loving and forgiving people," says Delores Carmon of Kenosha, Wisconsin. "We have known struggle, pain, love, joy, and have great faith. These gifts allow us to ask the hard questions of life, minister to those who don't understand, and surround ourselves continuously in the love of the Lord."

Join the conversation--online. In addition to a sample of subscribers, all are invited to respond to U.S. CATHOLIC'S monthly Sounding Board survey at www.uscatholic.org. This month, join the discussion about what to do when "marginal" Catholics want their babies baptized.

AND THE SURVEY SAYS ...

1. The Catholic Church in the United States, as a whole, does not seem to care about the needs of African Americans.

agree      49%
disagree   40%
other      11%

2. Most white Catholics are ... (May check more than one)

80%   Well-meaning but naive
      about race issues.

68%   Good people.

51%   Struggling to live their
      faith as best they can.

50%   Uninterested in black
      Catholic concerns.

34%   Insensitive.

17%   Racist.

16%   Supportive of nonwhite
      fellow Catholics.

10%   Arrogant.

3. Does the church need to repent for its participation in racism and segregation?

yes   88%
no    12%

4. What are the top issues in the African American community the church should be addressing?

1. Education

2. Evangelism

3. Racism

4. Children/youth

5. Housing

6. Poverty/economic issues

7. Drugs/other health issues

8. Vocations

9. Black spirituality

10. The elderly

By HEIDI SCHLUMPF, an associate editor at U.S. CATHOLIC.