“One Faith, One Body in the Era of the New Evangelization” is the theme for this year’s 3rd Annual Conference of the National Association of African Catholics in the U.S.(NAACUS).
This marks the first year Indianapolis will host the conference, which will take place Sept. 6-8 at St. Bernadette Retreat Center, 4838 E. Fletcher Ave.
“The conference is to reunite all the African Catholics in the United States and to get together to pray and work on common issues that we have,” said Dabrice Bartet, an organizer of the conference.
Bartet says the conference is open to everyone, especially those interested in deepening their faith.
Opening night will begin with a Eucharistic celebration, more commonly known as Mass. The second night will include several workshops for adults and youth, along with keynote speaker, Rev. Pascal E. Nduka.
Also, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Christopher Coyne, will be the celebrant in a closing Eucharistic celebration followed by an African Gala Celebration.
NAACUS began in 2008, and it holds a conference every year in a different city of the U.S.
Sally Stovall, the president of the African Catholic Ministry of the Archdiocese in Indianapolis, said NAACUS strives to bring all the African Catholic ministries in the U.S. under one umbrella.
The African Catholic Ministry in Indianapolis has been around for almost 10 years.
“We were formed to create awareness for people to know the way that the Africans celebrate their Mass and also for members to come together and talk about the issues that are facing the African Catholic community,” said Stovall.
Stovall said they have a group called Global Children African Dancers, where youth learn about African culture and dance, adding that their African Mass celebrations include African drums, the African choir and prayers in several African languages.
The African Catholic Ministry in Indianapolis also works with refugees and immigrants of African descent when they arrive in Indianapolis. Besides immigration, they also address issues surrounding the struggle for employment in the African Catholic community.
Stovall says the NAACUS annual conference is a way to sensitize local African communities and reflect on the activities of the association in relation to the U.S. bishops’ priorities.
