WHAT: Elementary and secondary school students throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago will celebrate African American Heritage Month with a special Mass and celebration at
Holy Name Cathedral.

This year’s theme for the African American Heritage Month celebration within the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools is Kuumba, the sixth Kwanzaa principle, meaning “creativity – to do always as much as we can in order to leave our community more beautiful than when we inherited it.”

Each school is carrying out the theme of creativity by researching African American inventors and creating a poster about their accomplishments that will be part of the opening procession at the Mass.

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004
9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Holy Name Cathedral
735 N. State St., Chicago

WHO: Most. Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
Rev. R. Tony Ricard, pastor, Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. Philip the Apostle parishes, and instructor at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University, New Orleans, La.
More than 1,500 students, priests, teachers and staff members from the schools

VISUALS: Students also will sing in the choir and serve as ushers, lectors, altar assistants and liturgical dancers. Many of the teachers and staff will dress in Afro-centric costumes. Students will dress either in their school uniforms to represent their own school colors, or in African costumes, and will wear buttons featuring the theme, Kuumba. The choir members will dress in red, green and black clothing, colors of the African American flag.

Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for approximately 111,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 283 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 5,800 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 242 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Web site at www.archchicago.org/schools.