Albeit, a former member of David Clayton Thomas' Magnificent Sanctuary Band II, bassist James Wesly Smith was an original member of Motown Records Gladys Knight and the Pips legendary "Grapevine" period rhythm section, traveling the world over, as well covering other Motown Acts on an on-call basis, such as Martha and the Vandellas, the Spinners, Jimmy Ruffin, David Ruffin, and Brenda Holloway, to name a few.

    Tours with the  Johnny Otis Show yeomanship brought the South Carolinian native by way of Cincinnati back to his original Southern roots.

    A Catholic from the cradle, he has sought to marry music with the devotions so common and loved in the Church, assisting those who sing not only "pray twice", but meditate through a culturally relevant experience.

     Since Our Lord, Yeshua, Jesus the Christ dispatched disciples to the continent some 40 days before His Crucifixion, the Church in Africa has existed, that faith tradition of the Africans,  St. Augustine, of St. Athanasius, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Anthony of the Desert, St. Denis of Carthage, St. Cyprian of Carthage, and St. Clement of Alexandria, to name a few amongst the 30,000.

    For while Peter  (and later) Paul went North and West, the Apostles St. Philip, St. Matthew Levi (called the Apostle to Ethiopia--Ethiopia was a shorthand for all Africa at the time), St. Nathaniel Bartholomew, and St. Jude Thaddeus Lebbeus (cousin of Our Lord) all went South, to the continent that gave Baby Yeshua (Jesus), Maryam, and Yusef shelter while Herod sought to kill the child.

      The disciple St. Mark (writer of the oldest gospel, Gospel of Mark) was African from what is now the Alexandria region...and oh, yes, there was no "North" Africa on any ancient Roman, Greek, or Turkish maps (See Barrington's maps of the old world). It was strictly a 19th century colonialist construct.

    The distinction proves important to those of us having suffered through colonialism, racism, and other "isms" of such as King Leopold of Belgium  (who removed African limbs of those refusing to work the Rubber plantations even into the 1910s). It remains a sore point and reason why so many continue to choose Al Islam over the faith tradition of Yeshua, Jesus the Christ.

     These do not recognize that  the African Church--until its near total destruction by the Arians and Vandals in the 400s A.D.-- proved so powerful that even Emperor Flavius Constantine wrote a letter to the bishops there in the convocation of the First Nicene Council.

     Thus, we present the cultural relevant, Black Catholic Chaplet of Divine Mercy Devotions, with Speaking Drums. (Other devotions to follow, from the St. Brigid Catholic Church of Los Angles). For Christianity--the faith of Our Lord-- was not brought to Africa (and her progeny, called amongst those who know, A'nt Hagar's Chillun). Our Lord established it there, Himself, during his 6 to 7 year sojourn (until Herod Archaelus). 

     Thus for our African brethren, and the Gondwanaland geologic and historical Diaspora descendants-- those of the Marshall Islands, the Solomons, the Leewards,  Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia there can be a recognition that we have always had a place at the Lord's Supper. (Indeed, St. Clement of Alexandria wrote early there were Ethiopians in the Upper room at Pentecost).

Peace and love of the Christ be with YOU.

James Wesly Smith

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