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Celebrating Black Catholics

By: Janelle Peregoy February 21st, 2026

Janelle Peregoy introduces four prominent Black Catholics who are on the path to canonization. This Black History Month, enjoy the stories of four prominent Black Catholics who are on the path to canonization. Any of these extraordinary men and women may become the first African-American saint from the United States. Saint Martin de Porres, a lay Dominican from Peru, is widely recognized as the first Catholic saint from the Americas with African and mixed-race ancestry.