Philo
Society honors local author
during Black History Month
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Few people know the Catholic Church has more than
600 canonized African saints.
Readers will find 40 such saints or spiritual heroes in “African
Saints, African Stories: 40 Holy Men and Women” by Camille Lewis
Brown of Philadelphia.
The book is scheduled for publication Feb. 23, during the nationwide celebration
of Black History Month — a release date that seems perfect to Stanley
Faison, the development director of Saint Martin de Porres Parish and
School in North Philadelphia.
“It brings Black Catholic history into Black History Month,”
Faison said.
As part of the celebration, a free public book-signing by Brown is being
sponsored by the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute, the archdiocesan
Office for Black Catholics and the St. Martin de Porres Foundation. It
will be held from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 23, at the Philo’s
headquarters in Center City.
A cocktail reception from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the same day at the Philo’s
headquarters will honor Brown for her contribution to the Catholic community
in Philadelphia, said Faison, who is coordinating the event.
“This way, we can highlight someone from the Archdiocese who is
really doing great things, and highlight our Catholic history and the
African contribution to it,” Faison said.
Brown was born and raised in Philadelphia, in now-closed Most Precious
Blood of Our Lord Parish, and is a graduate of the Academy of Notre Dame
de Namur High School in Villanova. She obtained her bachelor’s degree
in education from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.
She has served in Catholic education for the past 18 years, first as a
school teacher at the former Our Lady of Victory School, then as principal
of St. Therese of the Child Jesus School in North Philadelphia. She then
became principal of St. Carthage School, and when that merged with Transfiguration
of Our Lord, she became the principal of the resulting parish school,
St. Cyprian in Southwest Philadelphia.
She has also served for 11 years as an adjunct professor at St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary, where she earned her master’s degree in theology
in 1994. She holds a doctoral degree in educational administration from
Boston College.
She left the Archdiocese a few months ago to become the educational coordinator
for the Office of Education in the Diocese of Providence, R.I.
Brown became interested in uncovering the stories of the Church’s
African saints nine years ago, and has been collecting information on
their lives ever since.
She began writing a book that tells their stories for the St. Anthony
Messenger Press publishing company three years ago.
The first 30 chapters in her book cover the African saints from ancient
to modern times; the remaining 10 chapters include more contemporary,
unsung heroes , including Mother Emma Lewis, a laywoman and pioneer in
work with black Catholics in Philadelphia.
During the evening reception, Brown will discuss some of her favorite
saints and share their stories.
The Philopatrian Institute is located at 1923 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
The formal cocktail reception will include hors d’oeuvres, drinks
and a copy of the book for $35 a person.
For more information call Stanley Faison at 215-228-8330.
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith can be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.