Julia Greeley (c. 1840 – 1918), Ex-Slave, Housekeeper, “Denver’s Angel of Charity,” Servant of God
By Mike McGowan

Whatever was thrown at her,
Julia kept her good eye on her lover nailed to a cross and
chose to follow his lead in not fighting back,
while sharing his love to all.
Thus in a world, where so much racial vitriol still abounds,
Julia gives all a sterling example of respecting the dignity of all our brothers and sisters.

An Hour with Julia Greeley, Fr. Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap, 2020

Julia Greeley lived a humble life devoted to helping those in need and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She is an example to us when we face challenging situations. She also shows us how to love and serve our neighbors compassionately.

Response to 2020 Appeal – Thank you very much for your generosity to last year’s appeal. Not only did we support many wonderful ministries, but we went so far over goal that we received $12,075.50 back for the needs of the Parish.

Contributing to 2021 Appeal – We ask you to be as generous this year. Please remember that the money collected for the Annual Catholic Campaign does not support the administrative needs of the Diocese, but specific and necessary ministries that help the people of Brooklyn and Queens. Do you want to be part of a Diocese that does not adequately provide Chaplains for Hospitals and High Schools or care for elderly Priests? We will look at these ministries over the coming weeks but ask you to think and pray about it now.

We encourage all to watch the brief 2021 video to learn about the faith of the Church at work in Brooklyn and Queens. You can access it online at: https://catholicfoundationbq.org/ACAVideo/#. The work and services made possible through your donations to the Annual Catholic Appeal help people in Brooklyn and Queens in ways that no one parish can do alone.

You can donate by going to https://catholicfoundationbq.org/annual-catholic-appeal/ or texting ACAto 917-336-1255. Please remember to select our parish, St. Charles Borromeo – Brooklyn (1043), from the alphabetized list of parishes when making your donation.

Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897), Ex-Slave, Priest, and Devoted Servant of God
By Alicia Washington

The story of Father Augustus Tolton is a twist on the classic rags to riches story.  Though born into slavery (“rags”), he grew to be rich beyond compare.  His riches did not come from monetary wealth, though; instead, he was rich in faith, an unrelenting faith that has led him to the road to sainthood.

Sr. Thea Bowman, (1937-1990), teacher, preacher, public speaker
By Tevin V. Williams

Sister Thea Bowman was born in Canton Mississippi in 1937 to a loving family. Although she was not born into slavery in the United States, her grandfather was a slave. Despite this and the time period, Sister Bowman’s father was a physician and her mother was a teacher. Surprisingly, she was born into a Methodist family and at the age of 9 years-old she asked to become a Catholic.

With her faith being guided by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, she started to honor her Catholic faith through her work and personal life. Sister Bowman earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Viterbo University, and then went on to complete her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in English at Catholic University of America. As a teacher she honored her Catholic faith by spreading God’s love through her work, and being a light to all. She taught in elementary school in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then at a high school in Canton Mississippi. Going on to teach at the university level, she was a professor at Viterbo University, Catholic University of America, and Xavier University. After being an educator for 16 years, she was invited by the bishop of Jackson, Mississippi to become a consultant for intellectual awareness. Her role included bringing people together through various forms of singing, gospel preaching, prayer, and storytelling all aimed at breaking down the racial and cultural barriers. As a consultant, her “ministry of love” stretched internationally from Nigeria to Canada, all the way to New York. Sister Bowman was also highly influential in the publishing of the Catholic hymnal: Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal. (The first of its kind made by the black community.)

You’re cordially invited to participate in a special Lenten devotion that will take place at 3pm today (Feb. 19) and each Friday during Lent on the St. Charles Borromeo Zoom channel (instructions to join are available here). 

We’ll pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a special devotion to Christ based on the words St. Maria Faustina Kowalska heard in 1935.  Traditionally, the Chaplet is prayed at 3:00 PM, recalling the time of Christ’s death on the cross. It uses the same amount of beads as the Holy Rosary, but the main prayer for each decade’s bead (“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”) is much shorter.   

To pray the Chaplet takes only about 15 minutes, but it is powerful.  It is also a  meaningful way during Lent to recall Christ’s sacrifice for us and a humble way to ask for His Mercy–for ourselves and for the whole world during these very challenging times.  All the words needed for the prayer will be shown on screen so no need to come with anything but your prayerful self.  On each of these Fridays, our Evening Prayer will still take place at its regular 5 PM time. 

Henriette Delille, (1812-1862), founder of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary“For the love of Jesus Christ, she had become the humble and devout servant of the slaves.”
By Josephine Dongbang

Henriette Delille was born in 1812 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a loving Catholic family. While Henriette was born a free woman, she was descended from an enslaved African woman and white slave owner. Thus, following the tradition of the females in her family, she was groomed to form a monogamous relationship with wealthy white men under the plaçage system. She was trained in French literature, music, and dance, and expected to attend balls to meet men who would enter into such civil unions. Most of these agreements often ended up with the men later marrying white women in “official” marriages and/or abandoning their promises of support for the women and their mixed-race children. As a devout Catholic, Henriette opposed such system, believing it went against the Catholic sacrament of marriage.