St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church recently Hosted the Kujenga Youth Leadership Conference in St. Louis.
The annual conference, which seeks to build leadership skills (Kujenga means “to build” in Swahili), increase spirituality and solidify self-identity, was sponsored by the St. Charles Lwanga Center. Supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal, the center promotes Catholic teaching, Catholic spiritual formation and leadership development, including advocacy for justice and racial equity concerns within the Black Catholic community and beyond. Elements of African culture were woven throughout the day.
The cultural aspect is an important part of Kujenga, said Richard Buckley, a parishioner and one of the conference organizers. “It’s helping young people connect to the significance of the African fabric,” he said. “It’s the things that (African ancestors) believed in, what gave them the center of their belief in God. And it’s the things that help African Americans keep connected. If you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where to go.”
