Washington Archdiocese Honors Enslaved Individuals in Historic Reconciliation Project

The Archdiocese of Washington has launched a new initiative to honour those once enslaved by the Catholic Church in Maryland. The project, titled Honoring Those Who Were Enslaved: Do Justice, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly, was unveiled during a Nov. 15 ceremony at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie. The announcement came after recent discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves on parish land.

The event coincided with Black Catholic History Month and included a solemn walk through the parish cemetery. Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. led a blessing of the graveyard, paying tribute to those buried in unmarked plots—many believed to be enslaved individuals interred without recognition for generations.

The initiative follows archaeological research at Sacred Heart Parish, where ground-penetrating radar revealed hundreds of unmarked burial sites across its 33-acre property. Many of these graves are thought to contain the remains of enslaved men, women, and children tied to the Jesuits, who operated a plantation in the area and established the parish.

Before the formal announcement, descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits gathered to share reflections during a walk through the cemetery. They called on the Church to confront its past and take meaningful steps toward acknowledgment and reparative action. The project itself grew from extensive engagement with descendant communities. It includes several key actions: forming advisory groups, developing public resources, and granting access to sacramental and historical records. A final component involves funding a public monument to commemorate the contributions of enslaved peoples to Maryland’s Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Washington oversees a vast network of historic burial sites, including 25 parish cemeteries with marked graves predating the Civil War and 43 additional historical cemeteries. These locations hold layers of untold stories, many connected to the region’s history of slavery and the Jesuit plantations that once operated there.

The new project marks a formal effort by the Archdiocese to address a long-overlooked chapter of its history. Through archaeological findings, community collaboration, and planned memorials, the initiative aims to bring visibility to the lives of those enslaved by the Church. The next steps will involve further research, public education, and the creation of a lasting monument to ensure their legacy is preserved.