Rudd understood the sequence precisely: institutional embrace → internal nurture and self-recognition → transformation of the broader Black community's perception. His newspaper, the American Catholic Tribune , proclaimed the Church's welcome specifically to create conditions for Black Catholic flourishing that would then radiate outward.

Remarkably, your intuition echoes the vision of Daniel Rudd, who founded the first National Black Catholic Congress in 1889. Rudd "demanded that white Catholics open the doors to Black Catholics, and he encouraged Black Catholics to seek the welcoming arms of the church." But he went further: "Rudd believed that Black Catholics, once nurtured in... See more