{mosimage}Parishioners, priests, bishops, religious sisters and youth of all ages came from across the United States, Africa and the Caribbean to witness and take part in a spirited celebration of God. Members of the Springfield diocesan black Catholic community who attended included Leroy and Johnetta Jordan, Beverly Douglas-Jackson, Linda Ferguson and Jim Forstall, all from Springfield; Father Delix Michel, parochial administer of Mother of Dolors, Vandalia and St. Joseph, Ramsey; Freddie McEwen-Randle and Rene Saunches from Decatur; and Lenora Brown from Glen Carbon.

Also attending the conference from the Springfield diocese were Bishop George J. Lucas and Sister Jane Boos, SSND, director of the Office for Social Concerns.

The four-day celebration was filled with prayer, praises to God and much spirited and up-tempo song from a combined universal choir. There was also time for reflection, adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation. Included on the agenda were hundreds of "Faith Builders Workshops" from which participants could choose to attend. A few of the topics covered included black Catholic spirituality, evangelizing, anointing for healing and many Bible study sessions.

Valerie Washington, executive director of the NBCC, said the vision of Congress X was "to help black Catholics to articulate how the sacraments and the sacramental life, something that is center to Catholic faith because they are gifts from Christ, are connected to our contribution to the church and the world through our core principals."

The core principals are statements of eight issues of importance to the African American community including parish life, youth and young adults, Catholic education, social justice, racism, Africa, spirituality, and HIV/AIDS. Representatives from each of the congress' eight leadership commissions told participants what the commissions had been doing and explained the principals.

The keynote address for the congress was delivered by Archbishop John Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Atlanta and former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, presided at the closing liturgy.

Loralean Jordan, chair of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Commission of Black Catholics and the daughter of Leroy and Johnetta Jordan, said, "It's almost like a black Catholic family reunion. You meet people from all over and realize there are other black Catholics that are sharing their faith, that are sharing their struggles. It helps me rejuvenate my faith."

Black Catholics were the first to hold a national lay Catholic congress in the United States in 1889. Several congresses were held before they ended abruptly for almost a century. The first modern congress was held in 1987 and the congresses are now held every five years.