The mission of the St. Charles Lwanga Center is to promote Christian spiritual formation and leadership development within the African American Catholic Community and for all who collaborate with the Center, in accord with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in the tradition of the Catholic Church.
Top Row, left to right: Fr. Art Cavitt, Chaplain; Jane Wexler Brown, Executive Director; Margaret Washington, Administrative Assistant.
Bottom Row, left to right: Corliss J. Cox, Senior Coordinator, Youth Ministry; Norman A. Williams,
Business Manager/Coordinator of Marriage Ministry; Clarice Willis, Volunteer (Lwanga Angel) and Lwanga's 2007 recipient of the Cardinal Rigali
Service Award.
In Salute of National Black Catholic History Month:
They came as explorers and God was with them. They came as traders of goods and
God was with them. They came as the result of being stolen and to be sold. Yet, through
this passage God was with them. Through the Exodus, through Reconstruction, through
the civil rights movement, through Vatican II and through the exhortation of Pope Paul VI,
who in Uganda, the land of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, urged the sons and
daughters of Africa to give their gifts of Blackness to the whole Church. We gather this
month, to celebrate this legacy and to salute the pioneers who’ve gone before us and are
among us.
To be aware of one’s culture, whatever the ethnic group, heightens the understanding
of one’s self in relationship to one another and inspires us to work more closely together.
In Their Own Words... 2009 Lwanga KUJENGA Conference – leadership development in action
· Theme: “The Fire is Within Us”
· Corliss Cox, Lwanga Youth Ministry Coordinator, shared_ “Seeing the Fire within so many throughout the weekend brought our theme to life. The fire was a glow especially as I watched the interaction of Jason, our new facilitator, with the teens and the elders. It was the ongoing spark for my weekend. My best case scenario for KUJENGA became a reality. Being able to see a past teen participant become the facilitator of the conference has made my thirteen years on the planning committee worth its weight in gold. Yes, KUJENGA has been the FIRE that has ignited many.”
· “For me, the 2009 KUJENGA Weekend was most inspiring from beginning to end. The youth demonstrated full ownership of the theme “The Fire is Within Us” which they had also recommended. I was very impressed with how actively engaged they were in the opening ceremonies, giving personal testimonies, leading us prayer, proclaiming the Scriptures, as well as demonstrating their musical talents. All of it was very moving and I am very proud of them. We hope that you will enjoy a few comments from some of the participating teens to get their a glimpse of the Conference from their prospective” . Jane Wexler Brown, Executive Director, Lwanga Center
FHB Trip to Camden, MS
The Fallible Human Beings, a group of high school teens that has met on a monthly basis since November 2007, converged upon the Camden/Canton, MS community to experience a first-hand taste of their lives. After receiving a visit from members of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, MS in December 2008, the twenty-three FHB youth and adult chaperones wanted to experience a first-hand taste of their lives. The entire Sacred Heart Parish graciously hosted and welcomed the FHB Members with arms opened wide. Click here for the full story
