Contributors to this volume use their own stories to demonstrate success of one institution, the Catholic school system, in educating many African Americans who have gone on to make important contributions to the community. Their own experiences are the starting points for their reflections on the historical and sociological treatment of the education of African Americans in Catholic schools. A common thread is that of the high expectations teachers held for their students regardless of race. Selections also make evident the importance of parent and community commitment. The following essays are included: (1) "The Academic Achievement of African Americans in Catholic Schools: A Review of the Literature" (Darlene Eleanor York); (2) "First Came the School: Catholic Evangelization among African Americans in the United States, 1827 to the Present" (V. P. Franklin); (3) "Making a Way Out of No Way: The Oblate Sisters of Providence and St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, 1828 to the Present" (Vernon C. Polite); (4) "Holy Angels: Pocket of Excellence" (Portia H. Shields); (5) "Segregation and Academic Excellence: African American Catholic Schools in the South" (Jacqueline Jordan Irvine); (6) "Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa: The French Catholic School Experience" (Michele Foster); (7) "A Good Education and the Fear of God" (Mary E. Dilworth); (8) "Act Your Age, Not Your Color" (Lisa D. Delpit); (9)"Growing Up Black and Catholic in Louisiana: Personal Reflections on Catholic Education" (Antoine M. Garibaldi); (10) "I'm Going Home: A Journey to Holy Angels" (William Tate); (11) "Topsy Goes to Catholic School: Lessons Learned in Academic Excellence, Refinement, and Religion" (Kimberly C. Ellis); and (12) "Lessons Learned: Implications for the Education of African Americans in Public Schools" (Jacqueline Jordan Irvine). References follow each chapter. (Contains five tables.) (SLD)