Across centuries and cultures, the Black Madonna has appeared as a sacred presence among people living through upheaval, grief, oppression, and profound social change. She has been honored as a symbol of healing, protection, liberation, wisdom, and fierce compassion. Today, as many wrestle with political instability, ecological collapse, spiritual disorientation, racial injustice, and the exhaustion of old religious frameworks, interest in the Black Madonna is rising once again.
What might this sacred figure be inviting us to see, remember, and become?
In this live online gathering, theologian Matthew Fox will explore the Black Madonna through the lens of creation spirituality, mysticism, and the recovery of the Divine Feminine. Christena Cleveland will reflect on her own pilgrimage into the world of the Black Madonna and what this sacred tradition reveals about race, patriarchy, healing, and liberation. Alessandra Belloni will bring the wisdom of Southern Italian devotional traditions to life through story, ritual, music, and embodied spiritual practice.
This will be more than a lecture. It will be a contemplative and experiential evening inviting participants into deeper reflection, imagination, embodiment, and spiritual renewal.
Together, we will explore:
- A (brief) history and mystery of the Black Madonna traditions
- The return of the Divine Feminine in a time of global crisis
- The connections between mysticism, justice, embodiment, and liberation
- Ritual, chant, pilgrimage, and sacred practice as pathways of transformation
- What the Black Madonna may offer us in this moment of cultural and spiritual unraveling
Whether you are spiritually curious, rooted in a faith tradition, deconstructing inherited theology, or longing for a more embodied and compassionate spirituality, this conversation will offer wisdom, challenge, and hope.
Matthew Fox
Matthew is a pioneering theologian, Episcopal priest, and the founder of Creation Spirituality, a tradition that invites us to encounter the sacred not only in scripture, but in the Earth, in creativity, and in our shared responsibility for justice and the common good. He is the author of 45 books, translated into more than 90 languages, including Original Blessing, which has shaped generations of spiritual seekers and leaders. Matthew’s work weaves together theology, mysticism, science, and social transformation, offering a vision of faith that is deeply grounded, expansive, and urgently relevant for the times we are living in. Read about his work at https://www.matthewfox.org/
Christena Cleveland
Christena Cleveland, PhD. is a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist whose work explores the intersections of race, spirituality, justice, and liberation. She is the author of the acclaimed books God Is a Black Woman and Disunity in Christ, and her writing invites people to reimagine faith beyond the limits of patriarchy and white supremacy. Through scholarship, storytelling, and pilgrimage, she helps individuals and communities recover more embodied, expansive, and healing spiritual frameworks. Christena holds a PhD in social psychology and has taught at Duke Divinity School and other leading academic institutions.
Alessandra Belloni
Alessandra Belloni is the Artistic Director and Founder of I Giullari di Piazza, an Italian music, theatre, and dance ensemble in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. A Roman-born singer, actress, and internationally recognized tambourine virtuoso, she is the only woman in the U.S. and Italy who specializes in Southern Italian folk music and dance, blending ancient rituals with powerful performance.
Belloni is the author of Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna (Inner Traditions) and has been featured in PBS, CNN, National Geographic, and RAI TV.
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Cameron Trimble is a strategist, spiritual leader, commercial pilot, author and serial entrepreneur guiding individuals and institutions through times of profound change. Follow her writing at https://www.pilotingfaith.org/
