Newark Archdiocese Honors Pioneering Black Bishop

NEWARK, NJ — The African American, African, and Caribbean Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark recently celebrated a special Mass to commemorate two significant milestones: the 40th anniversary of its founding, and the 25th anniversary of the death of Bishop Joseph Abel Francis, the first and only Black auxiliary bishop in archdiocesan history.

While presiding over last month’s Mass in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, reflected on how Francis – who was also the titular Bishop of Valliposita – overcame poverty in his youth to become a bishop who combatted racism on a national scale.

The double anniversary Mass honored Black heritage with a display of photos of Black candidates for sainthood. Music and readings were presented in dialects like Swahili, Creole, and Igbo.

The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholic residents of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. There are 212 parishes, 73 Catholic schools and several missions and ministries in the Archdiocese, with hundreds of Masses celebrated in more than a dozen languages each week.

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