
literally:
“EXCEPT GOD” or “TIS ONLY GOD”
Symbol of the omnipotence, omnipresence, and immortality of God. “Except God, I fear none.”
Proverb: “Aboder santan yi iri tete, · obi nte ase a onim, n’ahyase, na obi ntena ase nkosi n’awie, gye Nyame. (This Great Panorama of creation dates back to time immemorial, no one lives who saw its beginning and no one will live to see its end, except God.)
This symbol represents the mundane concept of the belief in the supremacy of God in the Ghanaian society· It refers principally to the greatness of God and it also reflects God’s power over all of his creation.
Source: The Adinkra Dictionary
The Black Catholic Theological Symposium was initiated in 1978 by Rev. Thaddeus Posey, O.F.M. and sponsored by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus as an occasional conference. The proceedings of the first conference were published as Theology: A Portrait in Black.
A second meeting occurred in 1979 around the theme of the Nguba Saba…but those papers were never published and the symposium did not meet again until it was re-convened in 1991 by Dr. Jamie T. Phelps, O.P. The participants of this meeting agreed that the Symposium should become a national Roman Catholic interdisciplinary theological society which meets annually. The Symposium, with one exception, has met annually since 1991.
In 1992 Dr. Phelps was elected Convenor of the BCTS and served in that capacity until 2001.
MEETINGS TIMELINE
1978 – First Meeting of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium
1979 – Second Meeting of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium
1991 – The Atlanta University Complex, Atlanta Georgia
1992 – Duquesne University, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
1993 – The Mexican American Cultural Center, San Antonio Texas
1994 – Mt. Vernon, Hotel, Baltimore Maryland
1995 – St. John University, New York City. Met in conjunction with ACHTUS (Academy of Hispanic Theologians in the United States)
1996 – The University of San Diego, San Diego California
1997 – No meeting
1998 – Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin
1999 – University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Indiana
2000 – Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin
2001 – University of Dayton, Dayton Ohio
2002 – Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington
2003 – Atlanta University, Atlanta Georgia
2004 – Xavier University, New Orleans Louisiana
2005 – St. Mary’s Seminary at the University of St. Thomas and St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Houston Texas
2006 – Boston College, Boston Massachusetts
2007 – St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad Indiana
2008 – Catholic Theological Union and Loyola University Chicago, Illinois
2009 – Atlanta University, Atlanta Georgia
2010 – Stetson University, DeLand Florida
2011 – Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin
2012 – St. Thomas University, Miami Lakes Florida
2013 – Bellarmine University, Louisville Kentucky
2014 – Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Illinois
2015 – St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin
2016 – Xavier University of LA in New Orleans
2017 – Castries, St.Lucia
Section 1: The name of the organization shall be: The Black Catholic Theological Symposium (abbreviated BCTS).
Section 2: The mission for which the BCTS is established is:
To foster among Black Catholics an ethical community of scholarly dialogue characterized by:
Examples of the activities that will aid in the development and fostering of said ethical community include:
Section 1: The BCTS shall be composed of Black Catholics holding or working toward the completion of a doctoral degree or its equivalents at accredited institutions of higher learning and engaged in active teaching, ministry, and whose teaching, ministry, and/or research is consistent with the mission of the organization. Membership in the BCTS includes: the Annual Journal; access to the Membership List serve; updates on job openings; network of persons focused on the concerns of Black Catholic academia and the wider Church.
Section 2: New members shall be invited by the Executive committee to participate in one of three levels:
Section 3: As a professional society, members must be actively engaged in the publication of their research, projects, or creative expressions according to their particular disciplines.
Section 4: Each member of the BCTS shall pay an annual membership fee, the amount to be determined by the BCTS itself. Voting is restricted to those Full and Associate members whose dues are current at the time of the election
Section 1: The Officers
The officers of the BCTS shall consist of the Convener, Past Convener, Associate Convener, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor/Archivist. The convener and past convener are progressional offices; the associate convener, secretary, and treasurer are elected offices, and the editor/archivist is an office appointed by the other members of the executive committee. No individual shall occupy more than one office simultaneously.
Section 2: Progressional Offices
Progressional offices are those that are filled not by election but instead by a junior officer transitioning into the senior position.
Convener: The primary roles of the convener shall be to:
The term of office for the convener shall be 3 years. At the end of the 3-year term of office, the convener transitions into the role of past-convener.
Past Convener: The primary roles of the past convener shall be to:
The term of office for the past convener shall be 3 years, after which time the past convener transitions off of the executive committee.
Section 3: Elected offices
To be eligible for elected office, those wishing to run must have attended at least 3 of the previous 5 consecutive meetings, and must be in good standing with respect to dues. Officers are elected by a plurality of the combined total of full and associate members in attendance at the business meeting. In the event of a tie vote, the names of the tied candidates will be written on slips of paper. After a prayer led by the senior elected officer present, the most senior full member present will blindly draw one of the slips, whose name will be deemed the member elected to the position.
Associate Convener: The primary roles of the associate convener shall be to:
The associate convener is an elected position, and the term of office is 3 years. Only full members are eligible for this position. After the term of office expires, the associate convener transitions into the role of convener.
Secretary: The primary roles of the secretary shall be to:
The secretary is an elected position, and the term of office is 3 years. Full and associate members are eligible for this position.
Treasurer: The primary roles of the treasurer shall be to:
The treasurer is an elected position, and the term of office is 3 years. Only full members are eligible for this position.
Section 4: Appointed office
Editor/archivist: The primary roles of the editor/archivist shall be to:
Section 5: Vacating an office
Section 1: There shall be three standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Program Committee and the Editorial Board.
Section 2: Roles of the committees
(1) The Executive Committee
Chair: Convener
Members: Past Convener
Associate Convener
Secretary
Treasurer
Editor/Archivist
The role of the executive committee shall be to oversee the activities of the organization, to ensure that the purpose for which the organization was established is being met, to develop a vision for the organization and a practical plan for meeting the vision, and to ensure that the voices of the general membership are heard.
(2) The Program Committee
Chair: Associate Convener
Members: On-Site Chair(s)
The role of the program committee shall be to solicit abstracts and ideas from the general membership for the annual meeting, to prepare the program, and to ensure that the program runs smoothly.
The associate convener’s role shall be to solicit papers from the general membership and organize the program and work with the on-site chair(s) to coordinate the program.
The role of the on-site chair(s), i.e., the member(s) whose institution has agreed to host the annual meeting, shall be to ensure that all necessary facilities are available for the annual meeting. This includes ensuring that:
The on-site chair(s) must also work with the university/college personnel to:
(3) The Editorial Board
Chair: Editor/Archivist
Members: Volunteers from among the general membership
The role of the editorial board shall be to:
Section 2: Other committees may be established by either the Executive Committee or the BCTS during its annual business meeting as seem necessary for the fulfillment of the organization’s mission and purpose.
Section 1: The BCTS shall meet annually at a time and place decided upon by the general membership. In the event that the general membership cannot come to a conclusion regarding the venue of the next annual meeting, the executive committee shall determine the venue.
Section 2: The dates and place of the next annual meeting shall be announced by the associate convener to the general membership no later than two months following each annual meeting. Shortly thereafter, the associate convener will issue a call for papers, reminding the membership of the dates and venue of the meeting and soliciting ideas for papers/discussions.
Section 3: A number equal to a simple majority of associate and full members in good standing shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of any business of the annual meeting of the BCTS.
Section 4: Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the executive committee.
Section 1: These by-laws may be amended at any meeting of the BCTS provided:
First Draft presented by Jamie T. Phelps, O.P. at the Annual Meeting, June 1992 Version 1 (June 6, 1992)
Version 2 Amended at Annual Meeting, June 1992, Pittsburgh
Final Version Amended and Passed at Annual Meeting June, 1993, San Antonio
Revision presented at 15th Annual Meeting, October 2004, Institute for Black Catholic Studies, New Orleans
Revision approved at 16th Annual Meeting, October 2005, in Houston, TX
Draft sent to members with proposed revisions on September 5, 2013
Final Version Amended and Passed at the 24th Annual Meeting, October 5, 2013 at Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY.