I still feel the pain of what occurred more than 50 years ago, but the church—our church—has asked for forgiveness. I will give it another chance.

Father Clements, who was just the second African American priest ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago, was long involved in social justice issues affecting his hometown. But it was the adoption of four boys—one at a time, starting in 1980—that led to his high profile on a national level. The saga—Father Clements was the first U.S. Catholic priest to adopt a child—eventually found its way to Hollywood as a made-for-TV movie.

At a public memorial service in the cathedral, the site of the funerals of James Baldwin and Duke Ellington, several friends of Ms. Morrison provided their recollections of her talent, warmth and sense of humor.

I reached out by email to every diocese in the country and asked: Has your diocese started any new initiatives based on the 2018 pastoral letter on racism published by the U.S.C.C.B?

The U.S. Catholic Church still has work to do toward racial reconciliation, writes America associate editor Olga Segura, and this summer’s 1619 Project in The New York Times provides a template worth considering.

Systemic racism still haunts the U.S. Catholic Church, writes Tia Noelle Pratt. The church must strive to become a place for diverse peoples to come together.