Patricia Shelton to retire from Office of Black Catholics
Father Stephen D. Thorne appointed new director

By SUSAN BRINKMANN
CS&T Correspondent

Cardinal Justin Rigali has appointed St. John Neumann High School faculty member Father Stephen D. Thorne as the new director of the Office of Black Catholics.
He replaces Patricia Shelton, who is retiring after 16 years of service.
Father Thorne said that he was humbled by the selection. “I’m such a young priest,” he said, as he officially began his assignment June 14.
Father Thorne was born and raised in North Philadelphia, attending grade school at the former Our Lady of Holy Souls Parish, which is now Our Lady of Hope, and Northeast Catholic High School. The call to the priesthood had always been on his mind, and he was very positively influenced by his uncle, Father Vance Thorne.
“But it wasn’t until I went to high school and spent a year in college that I began to wonder if this might really be something God wants me to think about,” he said.
He decided to try the seminary and never left. He was ordained by Cardinal Bevilacqua in 1998.
His first assignment was at St. Katharine Drexel in Chester. “That was a challenging experience, but an awesome one,” he said. He experienced the painful consolidation process and the joy of changing the parish name from Blessed to Saint Katharine Drexel. He also had the privilege of attending her canonization in October, 2001.
From there, he was assigned to St. John Neumann High School for Boys where he has been teaching for the last two years.
He acknowledges the call from Cardinal Rigali’s office was a surprise. “The Cardinal’s secretary called out of the blue and asked me to see him. I didn’t know what it was about and I was a little anxious but when I got there, he sat me down and said, ‘I want you to be the director of the Office of Black Catholics’.”
He said the Cardinal encouraged him to “really lead the people as a priest would.”
Father Thorne accepted at once and is looking forward to sharing his priestly joy with the Black Catholic community.
“A priority is vocations,” he said. “I want to promote vocations among our African American young men. I would like to share the joy I have in being a priest. I tried to do that at Neumann these last two years. I always believe that’s what we’re supposed to do — to give witness to the priesthood by the holiness of our lives. Cardinal Bevilacqua always said, and Cardinal Rigali is echoing him: ‘Be a happy priest, be a holy priest. That’s what encourages vocations.’”
He plans to continue all of the major programs at the OBC, including the St. Martin de Porres Mass, the Martin Luther King Prayer Service, Family Focus Day, and Kujenga.
He also plans to promote and support the St. Peter Claver Center, which he called “a great vehicle for evangelization for our people.” He would also like to tackle the problem of racism during his tenure as director.
But more importantly, he wants to be present among the people.
“I want to bring our African American Catholics even closer to the Church, to help them understand that the Church is a family. The Church is about everybody. It’s not about separating people but about bringing people together. We need to use the gifts of the African American community to make the Church an even richer experience for everyone.”
African American Catholics should be “proud of being Catholic and proud of being black,” he said.
Father Thorne recalls Pope John Paul II’s words during a visit with Black Catholic Leadership in New Orleans on Sept. 12, 1987: “Your black cultural heritage enriches the Church and makes her witness of universality more complete. In a real way, the Church needs you, just as you need the Church. You are part of the Church and the Church is part of you.”
This is the message Father Thorne wants to bring to the Black Catholic community. “There’s a reciprocity here. We need the Church, but the Church needs us too.”
Patricia Shelton, who will retire June 30, believes the OBC could not be left in better hands.
“It is with bitter-sweetness that I leave the Office for Black Catholics, but I know that I leave the office in good hands. Father Thorne has had a long affiliation with the OBC, having been a teenage delegate to the 1987 National Black Catholic Congress. Throughout the years, he supported us and worked closely with us. He brings youth and priestly enthusiasm to the Office which will ensure that the mission of the Office for Black Catholics, the Secretariat for Evangelization, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be carried out.
“I have learned so much and have met and worked with so many wonderful people over the past 16 years that it is, as I’ve said before, with bitter-sweetness that I go. The community will be praying for Father Steve. There is a lot of work to be done, and speaking for myself and the Black Apostolate, we will be there to help out where needed. May God bless and strengthen Father Thorne in his new ministry.”

Contact Susan Brinkmann at fiat723@aol.com or (215) 965-4615

Black Catholic Events

Men’s Open Discussion at 7 p.m. Sat. June 19 at St. Martin de Porres Church, 24th Street and Lehigh Avenue. The discussion will be led by Father Stephen Thorne.

St. Charles Borromeo Church and the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies’ Auxiliary, Sister Thea Bowman Court # 346 present American Idol featuring The Rockaway Revue, at 2 p.m. Saturday June 19 at the parish gymnasium, 20th and Christian streets. The Philadelphia Postal Employees Choir will also be featured. Refreshments will be served. For tickets, see Ladies’ Auxiliary members or call Lady Tymes (610) 626-2836.

Sister Anne Palmer, R.A. can obtain handsome, original and unique religious wood carvings from Rwanda, a small war-torn county in Central Africa. Moderately priced, the money goes to help the poor in Rwanda. Contact Sister Anne at (215) 368-4427 or e-mail: sisannejo@juno.com.

Please send in your news, special parish events and clear photographs, for publication consideration, to: Patricia Shelton, Director, Office for Black Catholics, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 222 N. 17th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., 19103. Dated events will be used on a first-come basis. The CS&T reserves the right of final editing in the interest of space and appropriateness.

DID YOU KNOW that on the second Sunday of each month at 11 a.m., a Mass is said in French at St. Barbara Church, 54th & Lebanon streets? A small French-speaking community attends this Mass, and anyone is welcome.
DID YOU KNOW that a Mass for African immigrants is held on the last Sunday of each month at 11 a.m. at St. Cyprian Church on Cobbs Creek Parkway at Cedar Avenue? All are welcome to attend.

DID YOU KNOW that Catholic Charismatic Prayer Meetings are held at Our Lady of Victory Rectory Chapel, 5412 Vine St.? All are welcome. For information, call (215) 747-6731.