In every age and place, the Church has proclaimed the Gospel not by erasing cultures, but by discerning, purifying, and elevating them to reflect the light of Christ. This is the heart of “inculturation”—the way our faith takes root in the language, music, art, and traditions that shape us, while drawing them toward their fullest expression in God’s truth. At St. Benedict the Moor, this is not just a theological concept—it’s our lived reality.  

As a Black Catholic Community, God is present in our history and culture just as He is in any other culture. Jesus, who is the incarnate word of God, was born into a culture, Jewish culture. He lived that culture and used it to announce His message of salvation. He declared that He came not to abolish the law and the prophets but to perfect them (Mt 5:17). Similarly, the Church, through the process of inculturation that is rooted in the spirit of discernment, seeks not to abolish cultures, their elements, and practices but purify, perfect, and sanctify them.
 
The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) emphasized that the Church is not bound exclusively to any race or nation or to any custom, ancient or recent. The Church rather enters into communion with various cultures to its own enrichment and that of the cultures as well (no. 58). Thus, through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit and in the light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the Church just like in any of Her endeavors, approaches culture and inculturation with a spirit of discernment to achieve a profound adaption of cultural elements and practices and enter into communion with various cultures.

The spirit of discernment is therefore vital in the process of inculturation because the Church does not embrace cultures and cultural practices without a profound adaptation, nor indiscriminately bless every custom, nor reject it entirely. For this very reason, the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes) affirmed that the seeds of the Word of God are already present in particular cultures and called for a more profound adaptation (nos. 21-22).
 
Christ Himself has laid the foundation for us to achieve this profound adaptation. He preached the Gospel in the local Aramaic language of his time, used imageries from the Jewish culture in his parables, and instituted the Eucharist within the setting of the traditional Passover feast, which had become part and parcel of Jewish culture. Also, He attended Jewish feasts and preached in their synagogue (Lk 4:31-37, Mk 1:21-28, John 6:22-59). 
 
These are clear indications that the Church does not entirely reject or accept cultural practices and elements; rather, the Church always strives to perfect and purify them for a profound inculturation. Thus, at St. Benedict the Moor, the goal of inculturation that is rooted in the spirit of discernment is to open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit, which is made manifest in the profound adaptation of cultures, such that inculturation becomes an element of evangelization and propagation of the Catholic faith.

On February 23, 2020, Bishop David Zubik announced the establishment of a personal parish for the black Catholic Community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, under the title of Saint Benedict the Moor Parish, effective July 13, 2020.  This is an evangelical approach through the process of inculturation to respond to the specific spiritual needs of the Black Catholic Community and provide them the opportunity to practice their Catholic faith in their own unique cultural heritage.  
As a personal parish, anyone who desires to experience the uniqueness of this Black Catholic Community and be a member of Saint Benedict the Moor Parish is welcome to join. This is evident in the second reading of today, which reminds us that here in the house of God, there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeborn; but Christ is all and in all.
 
Therefore, inculturation represents the integration of the Christian experience of a local Church into the culture of its people, in such a way that this experience not only expresses itself in elements of this culture, but becomes a force that animates, orients and innovates this culture so as to create a new unity and communion, not only within the culture in question, but also as an enrichment of the universal Church.
 
To enrich the universal Church, Saint Benedict the Moor Parish, as a beacon of inculturation, strives to integrate the message of the Gospel into the cultural context of the Black Catholic Community while preserving the integrity of the Catholic faith. It serves as a model for how the Church can engage with diverse cultures and allow them to express the Gospel in new and meaningful ways.
 
May the Church’s universal call to evangelization bear fruit in our lives as we communally and continuously engage in the process of inculturation in Saint Benedict the Moor Parish.