The Lyke Conference, the nation’s premier Black Catholic liturgical event, is named after the late liturgist Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, the second of the three Black archbishops in US history—was founded in 2004 as an outlet where attendees could be trained in African-American patrimony.

The mission of the Lyke Foundation, which sponsors the Lyke Conference, is to annually gather those involved in the liturgical practices within the Black Catholic community.