02/03/2026
February is Black History Month, and today I want to honor a Black woman whose name is rarely spoken outside of spiritual lineages.
Mother Catherine Seals was a powerful spiritual leader based in Memphis, Tennessee and a central figure in the Spiritual Church movement. She was known for her healing work, prophetic gifts, and leadership during a time when Black spirituality was heavily policed and misunderstood.
Like many Spiritual Church leaders, Mother Seals blended hoodoo and conjure traditions with Christianity, spirit communication, ancestor reverence, and healing practices. These churches were often led by Black women and served as sanctuaries for working class Black communities navigating Jim Crow violence, poverty, and spiritual displacement.
This is Black history.
Black women building institutions.
Black spirituality as survival.
Sacred work carried forward without permission.
Black history lives in our rituals, our altars, and the women who kept the doors open when no one else would.
