This February, Catholics of African Descent in the Diocese celebrated Black History Month with Masses and with giving out awards to respected members of the community.
Throughout the month, parishes such as St. Anthony in San Bernardino, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Ontario and St. Christopher in Moreno Valley held special Masses in honor of Black History Month.
There was also a Mass to close out the month on Feb. 27 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino. Bishop Rojas celebrated the Mass and presented three individuals with the Office of Ministry to Catholics of African Descent’s Lifetime Achievement award.
The first awardee was Thelma Bledsoe, one of the two women who approached Bishop Phillip Straling about setting up an African American ministry during the early years of the Diocese of San Bernardino. Bledsoe, a retired nurse, is a lector and Eucharistic minister at her parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Riverside, which was the birthplace for the Diocese’s African American ministry.
The second awardee was a posthumous award to Lois Carson, who passed away in July 2021. Carson was a retired professor from the University of Redlands. She had served as a lector at her parish and was also retired from leading the Riverside Action Group. Both Bledsoe and Carson were active in their community, working to advance the African American community.
The last awardee was Wilma Cochrane, a retired administrator from San Bernardino Valley College. Cochrane served as Religious Education Coordinator and choir/liturgy director for many years at St. Anthony Parish in San Bernardino. She was instrumental in the parish’s African American ministry and also brought in the gospel choir, organizing the diocesan Gospel Fest for many years.
Also at the Closing Mass, two students were awarded with the Father Augustus Tolton Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, which has been awarded for over 20 years, is given out annually by the Office of Ministry to Catholics of African Descent using funds from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Black and Indian Fund.
This year’s scholarship winners were 10th grader Somadina Chidera Kpaduwa and 12th grader Austin Elijah Thomas, both of whom attend Notre Dame High School.