The Institute for Black Catholic Studies (IBCS) of Xavier University of Louisiana has been a staple of the university for 45 years, a community devoted to evangelizing the African American community and the church at-large. Every summer, students gather on the Xavier campus to participate in the program, which offers the opportunity for graduate studies or continuing education in theology and parish ministry. This year, six IBCS students were the first recipients of a newly endowed scholarship established in honor of IBCS charter member and former director, Sister Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., Ph.D.

“In their everyday walks of life, these students embody a love of learning and a desire to serve God by ministering to God’s people, passion and determination that Sister Jaime T. Phelps has displayed throughout her life,” said Dr. Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, director of Xavier’s IBCS. “Sister’s commitment to Black Catholic theology, spirituality, and history has inspired the Institute from its beginning. These scholarships help ensure that her spirit will live on in every IBCS generation.”

The six IBCS students- Ali Mumbach, Alicia Gray, April Williams-Bell, Shaylyn Cothron, Rahsaan Garlin, and Pattie J. Griffin- were awarded the 2024 Phelps scholarship in support of their continued studies and contributions to the Black Catholic community,

Ali Mumbach is pursuing her master’s degree in theology (Th.M.) at the Institute and a master’s of sociology at Howard University.  She serves as a campus minister at Howard’s Sr. Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center.

Alicia Gray is another IBCS student earning the Th.M.  She is a New Orleans elementary school teacher and a member of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, where she serves on the Beautification Committee and sings with the Voices of St. Peter Claver. Gray is also the assistant choir director at W. Smith Elementary School in Violet, Louisiana.

 

 

April Williams-Bell is one of the four scholarship recipients enrolled in the IBCS Continuing Education Program. She is a coordinator at Lafourche Parish Juvenile Justice Facility and Alderwoman for the Village of Napoleonville, Louisiana. She is also a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, where she serves as the Parish council secretary and a member of the Rosary Rally. Willams-Bell is also the director of religious education at the St. Paul de Vincent Society.

Shaylyn Cothron, also enrolled in the Continuing Education Program. Cothron is the first Xavier undergraduate to participate in the IBCS while still in undergrad. She is a rising senior Chemistry major in the Class of 2025 with a double minor in Theology and Biology. Cothron is Grand Lady of the St. Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary Collegiate Unit. Also on campus, Cothron is a member of Xavier’s Campus Ministry, Peer Deans, and Purposeful Infrastructure Promoting Equality (PIPE Program). She belongs to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Rahsaan Garlin is the associate director of African American, African and Caribbean Apostolate for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.  Like Cothron and Williams-Bell, Garlin is a student in the Continuing Education program. Garlin is a member of St. Patrick & Assumption/All Saints Parish in Jersey City, New Jersey where he is the director of youth ministry. 

Pattie J. Griffin is the final 2024 scholarship recipient in the Continuing Education program. A graduate of the IBCS, she received the ThM degree in 1995 but returned to the IBCS as a lifelong learner in the faith. She is a retired deaf educator and a member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina where she is the Youth Center director, director for after-school tutoring, director of Summer Camp, and a Choir member. Griffin is also a sign-language interpreter for Mass at the African American Evangelization Ministry. In her free time, she volunteers as a poll worker for elections.

From left to right: Garlin, Williams-Bell, Griffin, and Cothron

 

Born in 1941 to a Catholic family and educated in Catholic schools, Sister Phelps became a member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1959.  As a former social worker and lifelong scholar, Sister Jamie has always used her considerable talents and education to benefit the people of God. She served as a consultant during the planning stages of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies and after she had earned her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from the Catholic University of America, Sister began teaching summers in the IBCS.  She has also served on the faculty of several Catholic institutions of higher learning. In 2003, Xavier University officials appointed Dr. Phelps as IBCS director and the Katharine Drexel Professor of Systemic Theology. She held the position for eight years. Sister Phelps was also instrumental in creating the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, which meets annually, and like the IBCS, serves as a space for professional theological education and research.  

“The Institute for Black Catholic Studies will forever bless Sr. Jamie T. Phelps and the Adrian Dominican Sisters for their investment in Black scholars who seek, through IBCS study and community life, to further the legacy established by the esteemed ancestors and elders who imagined the Institute for Black Catholic Studies,” said Dr. Bellow. “We expect that the present and future recipients of this scholarship will do just that.”

The Adrian Dominican Sisters established the Sr. Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., Ph.D. scholarship to help support the IBCS program established by Sister Jamie and in reparation for the congregation’s past participation in structural racism by creating new pathways toward racial justice. Persons interested in the 2025 scholarship program should apply and be accepted by the IBCS program. Application instructions and qualifications will be posted on the IBCS website in early January 2025.