Josephites (Maryland)

Background (1865–1869) 1865 ushered in the period of Southern Reconstruction, during which time, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, outlawing slavery, was passed. Ten former Confederate states were divided into five military districts. As a condition of readmission to the Union, the former Confederate states were required to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which granted citizenship to all people born in the U.S. regardless of race. John Henry Dorsey, SSJ, was ordained in the society on June 21, 1902, becoming just the second black priest ordained in America (after Uncles). He would go on to help found the Knights of Peter Claver in 1909 at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama. He would die tragically, however, in 1923 after being murdered by a student's father. The Josephites were elevated to the status of a society of apostolic life of pontifical right in 1932. On his part (and mostly due to the unrelenting racism he saw in the US Catholic Church), Slattery would eventually lose hope in the mission, in Catholicism, and in Christianity overall—leaving his post, the priesthood and eventually the faith. He then married and became a successful lawyer, leaving his fortune and papers to the New York Public Library upon his death the same year as Dorsey. Fr Uncles died an outcast within the order in 1933, frustrated by racist circumstances to the point that he no longer considered himself a Josephite at all. This helped produce calls for more authentic black freedom and expression, as well as black oversight of black parishes and schools, causing tension across the Church—including at St Joseph's Seminary (the Josephite house) in Washington, D.C. Epiphany, the minor seminary in New York, rapidly lost numbers around the same time, and was merged with another society's minor seminary program in 1970; it would soon close altogether. Black laypeople protested at St Joseph's in summer 1971, and eventually a good number of seminarians would leave or be asked to leave altogether, causing the school to close for studies that same year. In 1987, the Josephites' Bishop John Ricard founded the National Black Catholic Congress, a revival of the Colored Catholic Congress movement of the late 19th century. Both of the following superiors general have also been black, including the sitting, Bishop Ricard. == Organization and membership ==

The society operates 34 parishes across 12 (arch)dioceses, as well as St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, a historically black high school, established by the society with the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1951. The headquarters is located in northern Baltimore and their seminarian and retiree residence, St. Joseph Seminary, is in Washington, D.C. In 2012, the society had 40 houses and 88 members, including 76 priests. In late 2020, Vicar General Fr Thomas Frank reported that the order had 60 members. ==The Josephite Harvest (magazine)==

The Josephite Harvest is the official magazine of the society, and is the oldest extant Catholic missions magazine in the US. It first began in 1888, published under the name The Colored Harvest, before changing its name in 1960. During the 20th century, The Harvest chronicled the Josephites' efforts to build parishes and schools for African-Americans throughout the nation. Today, the magazine publishes quarterly in a physical format with a digital version also available. == St Joseph's Seminary ==

St Joseph's, the Josephite seminary, is located in Brookland, Washington, D.C. It is one of the many vaunted Catholic institutions in the area, known today for its significant Church influence and presence. While the seminary closed for academic studies in 1971, it continues to house the Josephite seminarians during the school year, as well as retired Josephites (and other) priests and unaffiliated residents year-round. The seminary was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Archives Also found in this building are the Josephite archives, widely regarded as some of the most extensive records of African-American history in the entire country. They were most recently managed by Josephite priest, but after his passing were passed on to a lay archivist (who heavily updated their organization and availability for researchers). Pastoral Center The Josephite Pastoral Center (JPC), also located in the seminary, remains one of the few providers of materials meant specifically for African-American Catholic ministry. The shop is open to the public and sells items ranging from calendars (including the annual Josephite African American history calendar) to artwork to books to music. The JPC was also once the main outpost for the distribution of the "Jesus Mafa" art series, which was originally licensed to the Josephites by its creator. The JPC also manages an online store for its merchandise. Library The St Joseph Seminary Library is also significant, housing a number of important artifacts and documents related to both African American and African-American Catholic history. Some of these exhibits are open to the public, while others are undeveloped and largely untouched. == Notable members ==

• Charles Uncles, first African-American Catholic priest ordained on US soil • Edward Murphy, famous playwright • Edward Brunner, first president of Xavier University of Louisiana • John Henry Dorsey, cofounder of the Knights of Peter Claver • Philip Berrigan, anti-war activist • Eugene Marino, first African-American Catholic archbishop • Carl Fisher, first and only African-American Catholic bishop west of Texas • William Norvel, elected superior general in 2011; first Black man to head a Catholic religious community in the United States • John Ricard, retired bishop and superior general elected in 2019 == Superiors general ==

== Prelates from their ranks==

; Living • John Huston Ricard, Bishop emeritus of Pensacola–Tallahassee (US) ;Deceased (by year of death) • 1993: Carl Anthony Fisher, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles (US) • 2000: Eugene Antonio Marino, Archbishop of Atlanta (US) ==See also==