Fourteenth Annual Convention of
The African Conference of
Catholic Clergy and Religious
in the United States
(ACCCRUS)

July 31 - August 3, 2013
Los Angeles, California

The Westin Los Angeles Airport
5400 W Century Blvd
Los Angeles, CA,  90045
Phone: (310) 417-4506
Fax: (310) 645-8053

Room Reservations:

You may make your room reservations at the Westin by clicking the "Room Reservations" pushbutton below.

Convention Registration:

To register for the convention, download and print the registration form; complete the form and mail it to:

Fr. Henry Atem
c/o Margaret Darensbourg
6900 Roswell Road NE, #F-5
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Support the Convention with Ad Journals:

ACCCRUS is hereby soliciting for support from our Bishops, Priests, Religious and Religious institutions, Christian men and women, church organizations, Africans, secular and business corporations. We will be glad if you advertise or send your best wishes,congratulatory or goodwill messages to be published in our convention brochure.

To take out an ad, download and print the ad journal form; complete the form and mail it to:

Fr. Henry Atem
c/o Margaret Darensbourg
6900 Roswell Road NE, #F-5
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Fr. Tolton - America's First Black Priest

Cause for Canonization

Many Catholics might not ever have heard of Fr. Augustus Tolton; but black Catholics most probably have.  He was the first American diocesan priest of African descent, the son of slaves.  After studying in Rome, because no American seminary would accept him, he was ordained for the Diocese of Quincy, in southern Illinois, and later came to Chicago to start a parish for black Catholics.  He died young, at only 43 years of age; but most priests in the nineteenth century died before their fiftieth birthday.  Visiting the sick on a daily basis was risky in an age before antibiotics.  Many priests sickened sometime in their forties and died after a period of ill health. 

Fr. Tolton’s cause for sainthood is being introduced in the Archdiocese of Chicago, and during this year for priests it would be good to pray to him and to ask the Lord to send us many more priests like him.

Francis Cardinal George, OMI

Read more about Fr. Tolton's Cause...

 

2011 Ordination Class for the United States includes Clergy from Africa

New Priests Younger, Influenced by Parish Priests, Catholic Education, Service as Altar Boys, Social, Church Environment

WASHINGTON—The average age of men ordained to the priesthood in 2011 is trending younger with the average age for the 2011 class at 34, with more than half between the ages of 25 and 34. This is slightly younger than in 2010, and follows the trend over the past five years of ordinands becoming younger... (be sure to scroll down through the article to see photos of the ordinands) read more