FACEBOOK @FLORIDACATHOLIC Nov. 13-19, 2020

FLORIDA Catholic

ORLANDO DIOCESE

GLENDA MEEKINS

of the Florida Catholic staff

R

ecognizing there are more than 200 million people of African descent in the Catholic Church worldwide, the Church in the U.S. began celebrating Black Cath- olic History Month in November 1990. The month was chosen in honor of St. Martin de Porres feast day Nov. 3. In this issue, we recognize our own Diocese of Orlando faithful who have and are still making a difference.

CLARENCE AND CHRISTINE HODGES

Clarence Hodges was among the first delegates to the new- ly formed National Black Catholic Congress in 1987. The St. Margaret Mary parishioner was an advocate for justice and evangelist for the faith. His son, Father Leo Hodges, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Orlando said his father's greatest legacy was "the heart he had for the disenfranchised." From helping establish the Kairos prison ministry in Florida (now interna- tional) to ministering for the sick, he and his wife, Christine, had "compassion for those on the margins of society." As a diocesan delegate to the National Black Congress, he said, "My goal is to invite all people to be part of the body of Christ- to share the love of Christ with each other." Father Hodges said the statement affirmed his father's way of life. "He had a very broad vision of the body of Christ and his desire for inclusivity led him to get involved in outreach. Kairos was one of those ministries that helped him see and recognize the body of Christ, which extends even to the prison system." Early on, Kairos was carried out by couples. Christine worked with him in Kairos, Marriage Encounter, Cursillo, Eu- charistic Ministry and more. "She was a gentle, yet very strong woman," recalled Father Hodges. "She had great compassion toward those who were less fortunate. They both had this great vision of inclusivity and the banquet table being big enough for everyone to sit at." Both his parents, who are now deceased, were converts to Catholicism - first his mother, then his father. Father Hodges said, "My mom was very influential in the life that my dad led, as far as his hope and vision and love for those on the margins." He believes his parents love for the outcast came "from their own spiritual life, in the relationship they had with the Lord, which always welcomed people not welcomed by other folks. I'm convinced that their desire to do that came from their Baptism and their relationship with Christ. Jesus is always for those that no one else is for - those on the margins."

DEACON TOMMY TATE

Deacon Tate was raised by his grandmother in the Baptist Church, just outside Mobile, Alabama. At 19, he went to work for Spring Hill College, a Jesuit institution. There, he came to know Catholicism and converted to the faith. As a teen and young adult in his 20s, he grew up in the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Although he certainly experi- enced discrimination, his views were formed by the love he had for the Jesuits who fostered community, love of neighbor and peace. At the time, he noted a black man had three career choices - to become a teacher, a preacher, or an undertaker. He chose teaching and found he had a passion for educating youth. A series of dreams in 1966 called him to preach, but he was

Marked with the sign of Christ

From left, Christine and Clarence Hodges, Deacon Tommy Tate Baptizes the child of a former student.and Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Juliet Nakalema in Uganda. (COURTESY PHOTOS)

BLACK CATHOLIC HISTORY MONTH

unsure of how to proceed. Believing change begins with your- self, he committed himself to teaching and serving others. When he moved to St. Cloud in 1969, he became one of two African American teachers at St. Cloud High School. He would eventually serve as principal in the Osceola County school system. While a parishioner at Holy Cross in Orlando, he advocated the parish integrate Gospel style music to make the African American parishioners feel more at home. The pastor agreed and the result was an integration of cultural music into the choir's repertoire. Deacon Tate recalled, "The choir became so affective in spreading the spirit" that parishioners stopped leaving Mass prior to the priest. "They stayed in the church un- til the last note was sung," he said smiling broadly. It reminded him of the words of a mentor priest, "The job of the Church is to save people and you can't save them if they don't come in." It was not until 1999, 33 years after his first call, a friend sug- gested he would be a good deacon. He was ordained in 2004. Over the years, he chaired his parish's Black History Month program, participated in the Knights of Columbus, Knights of St. Peter Claver, served the needy through the St. Vincent de Paul ministry and offered weekly Bible study to orphans. While at Holy Redeemer in Kissimmee, he worked as a volun- teer with vulnerable children as a Guardian ad Litem and with small Christian communities until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Upholding his strong views on race, as a former biology teacher, he worked with the public library system (2018) on Race: The Power of Illusion." Based on scientific evidence that, "All human beings are 99.9 percent identical in their ge- netic makeup," according to the National Human Genome In- stitute, the program discussed how the idea of race has caused harm. "There is only one race - the human race- God will not segregate us in heaven according to our unique traits," he said. He chooses his friends, "not because of the color of their skin, but the content of their hearts. ... When you discriminate, there are people who never reach their potential." Having worked in jails for five years, he noted how many see their options as limited. Still he doesn't dwell on the pains of the past. "We can only live in the here and now. We can't change what happened- Forgiveness is to give your heart peace."

SISTER JULIET NAKALEMA

Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Juliet Nakalema was born in Uganda. She professed vows in 1989 and arrived at Blessed Trinity Parish in Ocala in 2000. After re- turning from a visit to Uganda in 2003, for her mother's funeral, teacher Jennifer Buillard Burzzota asked if the religious had photos of her hometown. What happened next was beyond Sister Nakalema's dreams. The photo initiated a missionary effort resulting in 30 churches in 30 villages throughout the Diocese of Hoima and 15 schools. There is also an orphanage, medical clinic with a maternity and surgical ward, and Sister Nakalema runs a summer Bible camp. Ascension Parish in Melbourne now joins Blessed Trinity in building schools. The parish also es- tablished an orphanage and provides ongoing support. The mission keeps growing and growing," Sister Nakalema said. "It has affected so many people. The biggest impact is evangelization. People are getting baptized and receiving the Sacraments. The people are getting back to God. Our parish (Blessed Trinity in Hoima) is the role model parish in all the diocese. People come from other parishes to learn how to do stewardship and organize communities. The schools are the best in the district." Classes began graduating seniors in 2019. So far, all gradu- ates have gone to college, studying medicine, civil engineer- ing, education, agriculture, and other careers that will benefit their communities. Others joined the high school seminary, while several aspirants are hoping to become religious. Sister Nakalema manages the projects and almost daily emails from Uganda, in addition to her full-time work in pas- toral care and outreach and as a minister to the sick. Blessed Trinity pastor, Father Patrick Sheedy said her secret to getting it all done is, "She is available. When you're available big things happen. You've got to be awake. Then when the opportunity comes, you can't miss it." It is my home. Being a religious, I feel so blessed to be able to reach out. It's a mission within a mission - a vocation within a vocation," the sister said. "I do it for the good of the people."

n