Bishop Cheri "I've Known Rivers" Pin - includes shipping

“I’ve Known Rivers” Pin Description 

*The funds raised by the sale of these pins will benefit the Subcommittee of African American Affairs at the USCCB and the Collegiate Units of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary.

In 2021 the late Bishop Fernand Cheri III, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, worked with Dr. Ansel Augustine to create a special Pectoral Cross for the African American Bishops of the United States.  A replica of the front and back of the cross is merged into this pin.

The term “I’ve Known Rivers” symbolizes the unique, and frequently, toilsome, journey that our African American shepherds – as well as many Black Catholics, experience in our Church and country.  This is also encompassed within the Langston Hughes Poem that begins with this phrase.

The meanings of the symbols on the lapel pin are as follows:

Kente Background:  West African cloth that symbolizes identity, royalty, social status, spiritual power, as well as communication.

River Cross:  The red, black, and green, are colors associated with liberation of people of African descent and linked to the liberation our faith calls us to achieve and receive. Red is for the blood of our people.  Black is for the color of our skin.  Green is for the natural wealth and fertility of Africa, and our desire to build this same reality in our various locations in the Diaspora.  This central flowing cross also symbolizes our connection to our waters of Baptism and our roles as Priests, Prophets, and Kings.

The Adinkra Symbols (West African Spiritual Symbols from left to right):

AKOBEN:  “War Horn” symbolizes vigilance and wariness as we continue the struggle of our ancestors to strive towards liberation for us, our communities, and society as a whole.

ANKH: “Eternal Life” a reminder that our goal is to achieve eternal life in Heaven, as well as to share the “good news” of Christ’s redemptive love to those around us so that they would desire eternal life as well.

BESE SAKA:  “Sack of Cola Nuts” is a symbol of affluence, abundance, and unity; and a reminder for us to work together to achieve, and to continue to advocate for, the unique needs of our community.  We remember the wisdom from our Black Bishops in their document, What We Have Seen and Heard.

GYE NYAME:  “Except for God” is a reminder that there is nothing greater than God, and we must remember that all of our desires are fulfilled through His plan for our lives.  This a reminder that no matter what we face, good or bad, we must continue to trust His plan for us, and our communities.

*We are grateful to the Flaherty Family Foundation for their generous sponsorship in the creation of these pins.