National Black Catholic Seminarians Association - NBCSA

09/03/2026

The NBCCC has appointed Rev. Peter Damian Marie Harris, OP to be the new Presbyteral Moderator to the NBCSA. We thank Rev. Kareem Smith for his service to the NBCSA over the past several years as the Presbyteral Moderator.

Here is Rev. Peter Damian's bio:

Fr Peter Damian Marie Harris, is a member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Southern Province, Fr. Damian brings strong academic preparation to his new role. He is a graduate of the Aquinas Institute of Theology, where he earned both his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts. He also holds an MSc in Mental Health Counselling from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. This background will be a gift to our seminarians, through his ministry of presence, pastoral care, and spiritual accompaniment.

Fr. Damian entered the Order in August 2008 and made his first vows at St. Albert the Great Convent in Irving, Texas. He professed his solemn vows in 2012 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 21, 2014.

Since his ordination, he has served the Church through pastoral ministry and preaching, including assignments with the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, St. Dominic Catholic Church in New Orleans, and ministry in Houston, Texas. He has also served as an itinerant preacher with Food for the Poor, and supported formation and service through work connected to Immaculate Conception School in Marrero, Louisiana. He also in the last year of doctoral studies at the University of Holy Cross, New Orleans.

07/27/2026

The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus held its convocation this week, bringing nearly 50 members to Houston for fellowship, encouragement, and celebration.

Among the highlights was celebration of and with their own new prelate, Auxiliary Bishop Robert Boxie of Washington.

07/27/2026

The NBCSA is keeping our brothers and sisters of the Knights of Peter Claver this week as they meet for their 110th National Convention and the 100th anniversary of the Ladies Auxiliary!

06/24/2026

Join the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) for a special evening of prayer as we gather in thanksgiving for Bishop-elect Robert P. Boxie III on the eve of his Episcopal Ordination! 🙏🏾✨

This celebration is a beautiful opportunity for clergy, religious, and lay faithful from across the country to come together in prayer and support. Let us surround Bishop-elect Boxie—a dedicated NBCCC board member and former Howard University chaplain—with our faith as he prepares to receive the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and begin his ministry as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington.

🕊️ Solemn Evening Prayer & Reception
Date: Monday, July 6, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Historic Saint Augustine Catholic Church (1419 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20009)
A reception will immediately follow the prayer service.

⛪ Episcopal Ordination
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (400 Michigan Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017)
National Black Catholic Congress
All are welcome to join us in lifting up Bishop-elect Boxie in prayer during this historic and joyous milestone for the Church and the Black Catholic community! Please share this post with your parishes and networks.

05/29/2026

Our brother, Deacon Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ, will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM CDT for the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at Church of the Gesu, located at 1145 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233

05/20/2026

They are among at least nine North American Black Catholics receiving Holy Orders this year in the United States.

05/16/2026

Our brother, Deacon Duwan Booker, will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 10:00 AM CDT for the Diocese of Little Rock at Christ the King Catholic Church, located at 4000 N. Rodney Parham Rd. Little Rock, AR 72212

05/15/2026

Our brother and president, Mr. James Johnson IV, will be ordained to the Order of Deacon on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 9:00 AM EDT for the Diocese of Charlotte at St. Mark Catholic Church located at 14740 Stumptown Rd. Huntersville, NC 28078

05/09/2026

Congratulations and prayers for our Brother, Gilbert Kimaro of the Diocese of Albany!

Praised be to God! Gilbert Kimaro will be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate for the Diocese of Albany in 10 days! Please keep him in your prayers as he prepares for ordination and his ministry as a deacon. The ordination will take place Saturday, May 16 at 11 am at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. May God bless Gilbert!

05/01/2026

Congratulations to Bishop-elect Robert P. Boxie, III

Excerpts From the Catholic Standard:

Pope Leo XIV on May 1, 2026 named Father Robert Boxie III, who is currently serving as the Catholic chaplain at the Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center at Howard University in Washington, as a new auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Bishop-Elect Boxie, a 45-year-old native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, entered the seminary after earning a degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville and a degree from Harvard Law School. Before his ordination as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington 10 years ago in 2016, he said he hoped to have an impact on young people, to help them “excel in what they do, and to see the world as an opportunity to discover who you are and what God has in store for you.”

Serving as the Catholic chaplain at Howard University in Washington since 2020, Bishop-Elect Boxie has had the opportunity to do that, and Cardinal McElroy praised his ministry at the university, saying “he has deeply enhanced the ministry and community there, while building a chapel and dramatically renewing the Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center.”

The cardinal noted that in then-Father Boxie’s first assignment as a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, he served “under the tutelage of Bishop Roy Campbell, who was a wonderful mentor to him.” Bishop Campbell has served as the longtime pastor there.

In addition to serving as a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish from 2017 t0 2020, Father Boxie served as a parochial vicar at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Derwood, Maryland in 2016. Since 2016, he has served as an assistant vocations director for the Archdiocese of Washington.

Praising Bishop-Elect Boxie, Cardinal McElroy said, “He has a priestly heart and keen intelligence, as well as the prayerful compassion and evangelizing core that will be a great gift to our local church in deepening our outreach to all and helping particularly to enrich our Black communities.”