A Mission for Justice: The History of the First African American Catholic Church in Newark, New Jersey (review)

In the latter pages of this work, Mary Ward quotes a "man from Georgia" who said, there "ain't no special religion called Black Catholicism."The complex and fascinating story of Queen of Angels Parish in Newark, New Jersey, proves him right.

Ward credits Cyprian Davis for inspiring this book, and acknowledges the influence of Robert Orsi. Meticulously researched, A Mission for Justice draws from sources beyond diocesan and parish archives. Fortunately for the author, several pioneers of the parish were still alive to recount their stories; and many from the turbulent 1960's and 1970's offered their papers and recollections. Thus, the voices of African Americans resound throughout.

This is not a traditional "parish history." Because of the wide range of Queen of Angels influence, it is the story of African-American Catholics in the entire Newark archdiocese. Thanks to the skill of the author, it also fills a significant gap in the history of New Jersey's African-American community.

Always conscious of the importance of context, Ward introduces us to Queen of Angels by offering a well-crafted synthesis of the history of Newark's African-American and Catholic communities. Black Catholics, few in number, were "almost invisible" in the Newark diocese of the 1920's when their story begins. A small group of Black Catholic women would change this, going to the diocesan authorities to ask for and, eventually receive, a priest to minister to their community. Ward's attention to oral history clarifies the parish's origin, which, in official diocesan documents, was the original idea of the bishop.

Ward describes the complexity of the Black community of 1930's Newark, the status-conscious Protestant Black churches, and the community's relationship with various city offices and civic organizations. While, to contemporary eyes, the pastoral care of that era might appear paternalistic, Ward shows that it was an enlightened Catholic application of the Protestant "Social Gospel" of the era, with parishioner participation in decision making. In this, Queen of Angels behaved more like a Protestant church than a very docile Catholic parish.

Sadly, Ward tells us that the records for the 1940's and 1950's are very sparse. This disappointment is overcome by her masterful narrative of the activist days of the 1960's and 1970's. In these years, Queen of Angels was a microcosm of the civil rights movement and the post-Vatican Council II Catholic Church. Ward lets the personalities tell their stories, carefully balancing each with differing opinions. The fervor and excitement of clergy and parishioners comes through very clearly. The story of the 1969 letter of twenty Newark priests, the "Newark 20," accusing the archdiocese of institutionalized racism, is fairly presented and analyzed in its genesis and its outcomes. This is a significant contribution, as it was not until 2002, in Boston, that a letter of diocesan priests, protesting diocesan activities, would again receive national press coverage. Today, Queen of Angels lives on as a flourishing, though less activist, parish. An extremely significant legacy of its "activist days" is the New Community Corporation, which originated in the parish and today is one of the largest providers of housing and community services in the city of Newark.

Throughout Ward shows the importance of leadership, grass roots and from above. The most productive periods of the parish are when the two coincide; strong lay involvement and initiative together with inspired pastoral leadership. When these two were in place, Queen of Angels had an influence on the Newark community and the archdiocese far greater than the number on its parish rolls would indicate. This is a story that demonstrates the stubborn determination of African-American Catholics not only to remain in the Church, but to...