"For you are all one in Christ Jesus"

The Jesuits' Rome archive tells of Twomey's advocacy for Black Catholics

“[African American baby, full-length portrait, wearing christening gown],” Library of Congress

Among my finds during my recent visit to the Jesuit archive in Rome were the minutes of a 1952 meeting on interracial relations held by the Jesuits’ New Orleans Province. Father Twomey was present and advocated forcefully for full integration of African-Americans in Jesuit parishes and schools.

At one point in the meeting, the topic came up concerning whether African-Americans could even receive the sacraments at parishes that were not specifically designated as Black parishes. Father Twomey interjected an anecdote into the discussion that was consonant with stories I have found elsewhere about his close relationship with New Orleans’s Black community. It concerned an incident at the parish administered by his own Jesuit community at Loyola University New Orleans.