When I tell people I’m working on a book on black Catholics in Charleston, the initial response is disbelief. “There are black Catholics?” they ask. Indeed, there are Catholics of African heritage in Charleston, and this community has been a significant part of the city’s social and religious life for centuries. Some African immigrants were Catholic before they were enslaved. In the 18th century in Charleston, the majority of black Catholics were free. And French.
Thousands of refugees came to North America after the revolution in France in 1789 and to its wealthy island colony, Saint-Domingue, two years later. About 500 black and white emigres arrived in Charleston by early 1792. They brought what possessions they could carry along with servants and slaves. Most had witnessed the destruction of their homes, businesses and plantations in the Caribbean.
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(Local Paper Faith and Values Section) Suzanne Krebsbach–A New look at black Catholics
When I tell people I’m working on a book on black Catholics in Charleston, the initial response is disbelief. “There are black Catholics?” they ask. Indeed, there are Catholics of African heritage in Charleston, and this community has been a significant part of the city’s social and religious life for centuries. Some African immigrants were Catholic before they were enslaved. In the 18th century in Charleston, the majority of black Catholics were free. And French.
Thousands of refugees came to North America after the revolution in France in 1789 and to its wealthy island colony, Saint-Domingue, two years later. About 500 black and white emigres arrived in Charleston by early 1792. They brought what possessions they could carry along with servants and slaves. Most had witnessed the destruction of their homes, businesses and plantations in the Caribbean.
Read it all.