Black Catholic Messenger

The publication was founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, in late 2020. Nate Tinner-Williams—inspired by the model of Daniel Rudd, the 19th- and 20th-century Black Catholic journalist from Ohio—formed a group of young African-American Catholics to create a publication that could possibly revive Rudd's journalistic legacy.^[1][2][5]

The group, consisting of Tinner-Williams and authors Alessandra Harris and Preslaysa Williams, began their work in October of that year.^[6][7][8][9] Nate Tinner-Williams serves as editor of the publication and in that capacity has been featured in NPR, CBC News, America, National Catholic Reporter, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among other outlets.^{[10][11][7][12][13][14][15][16]}

The publication reports on various issues in the Catholic Church and the Black community, to include politics, education, episcopal governance, racism, vocations, abuse, and notable deaths.^[17][18][19] The Messenger also publishes interviews and art, including photography and poetry.^[20][21] BCM established a republishing partnership with National Catholic Reporter in 2022.^[22]

BCM's general coverage has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, La Croix, Aleteia, Black Enterprise, The Christian Post, National Catholic Register, the New Pittsburgh Courier, the Rockford Register Star, WIFR-LD, the Catholic Worker and the Baltimore Afro-American.^{[1][19][10][11][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]} In 2025, the publication was among the first to report on the Black ancestry of Pope Leo XIV, resulting in citations from The New Yorker, The Root, and other outlets.^{[30][31][32][33]} The fifth anniversary of BCM was covered by the National Press Foundation and Word in Black.^[34][35]

• Black Catholicism – African-American religious group
• List of Catholic newspapers and magazines in the United States
• Daniel Rudd – Black Catholic journalist and activist