USCCB - (SAAC) - Deceased African American Bishops

Deceased African American Bishops

Most Reverend James Augustine Healy (1830-1900)

1830: Born a slave in Georgia on April 6
1849: Graduated from Holy Cross in Worcester, MA
Studied in seminary first at Montreal and later at Saint Sulpice in Paris
1854: Ordained First African American Priest at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and ordained for the diocese of Boston
Served as assistant priest and pastor in Boston for several years
1875: Consecrated second bishop of Portland, Maine. First African American Bishop
Throughout Maine he established 60 new churches, 68 missions, 18 convents and 18 schools he lobbied for sovereignty for Native American tribes and an end to child labor
1900: Died

Websites with information and pictures on Bishop Healy
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/website/features/healy0805.htm
http://bc.scream.org/jhealy.html
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/website/features/healyimg.htm (images of Bishop Healy)

Most Reverend Joseph A. Francis, S.V.D. (1923-1997)

Biographical Data

Born, September 30, 1923
St. Mary's Seminary, Techny, IL, B.A. 1946
Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., M.A. 1956

Ordained to Priesthood: October 7, 1950
Ordained Bishop: June 26, 1976

Served as Auxiliary Bishop of diocese of Newark and titular Bishop of Valliposita

Committee Assignments:

Member, Bishop's Committee on Black Catholics
Advisor, Committee on Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs
Member, Evangelization Committee
Member, Campaign for Human Development

Other Areas of Interest

Board Member, Catholic Relief Services and
Chairman, Greater Newark Urban Coalition
Board Member, National Catholic Conference of Interracial Justice
Board Member, Catholic League of Religious and Civil Liberty
Board of Trustees, Global Education Associates 1978
Advisory Board, United Negro College Fund, Newark, NJ

Died on September 1, 1997

Most Reverend Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J. (1934-2000)

Biographical Data

Born May 29, 1934 in Biloxi Mississippi
Our Mother of Sorrows Elementary and High School, Biloxi
Joseph Minor Seminary, Newburgh, New York (1952-1956)
St. Joseph's Seminary college, Washington, D.C. (1956-1962)
Fordham University, Bronx, New York, M.A.

Ordained as a priest on June 9, 1962 as a member of Society of St. Joseph

Spiritual Direction of Josephite Seminary
Vicar General of the Josephites in 1971
Member of Josephite General Council (1971-1974)
Director of Spiritual and Educational Formation for the Society of Saint Joseph

Consecrated as bishop on July 16, 1974 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the

Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.
Appointed Regional Bishop of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, MD
May 4, 1988 Installed as Archbishop of Atlanta
Resigned July 10, 1990

Died on November 12, 2000

Most Reverend Raymond Rodly Caeser, S.V.D. (1932-1987)*

Biographical Data

Born, February 14, 1932 in Eunice, Louisiana
Entered Society for Divine Word seminary in 1947 in Bay St. Lousi, Mississippi
First religious profession as S.V.D. in 1953
Final religious profession in 1959

Ordained to the priesthood on May 4, 1961 as a priest of the Society of the Divine Word

Ordained Bishop August 5, 1978

Served as Bishop of Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papau, New Guinea

Died on June 18, 1987 in Brisbane, Australia and buried in Diocese of Goroka, Papua New Guinea
* Information and picture on Bishop Caesar provided by the Chicago Province Archive of the Society of the Divine Word

Most Reverend James Lyke, O.F.M. (1939-1992)

Biographical data

Born: February 18, 1939 in Chicago, IL
Entered minor seminary in high school
Entered Franciscan novitiate in Teutopolis, IL
Made solemn profession as Franciscan in 1959

Education

St. Joseph Seminary College, Oak Brook, Illinois
St. Francis Novitiate, Teutopolis
Ouincy College, B.A. in Philosophy
St. Joseph Theological Seminary, Teutopolis, IL. M.A. through Antonianum, Rome, Italy
The Union Graduate School, Cincinnati, OH. Ph.D. in Theology

Ordained to the priesthood on June 24, 1966

Served as Associate pastor, St. Thomas Church, Memphis, Tennessee
Served as Pastor of St. Thomas Church, Memphis, Tennessee
Served as Pastor of St. Benedict the Black Church, Grambling, Louisiana
Director, Newman Center, Grambling, Louisiana

Ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland on August 1, 1979

Served as vicar of the urban region for 11 years
Installed as Archbishop of Atlanta on June 24, 1991

Died December 27, 1992

Most Reverend Carl A. Fisher, S.S.J. (1945-1993)

Biographical data

Born: Nov. 24, 1945 in Pascagoula, Mississippi
St. Peter the Apostle School, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Epiphany Apostolic College High School, Newburgh, NY
St. Joseph's Seminary College, Washington, D.C. Undergraduate Degree in Philosophy
Oblate College, Washington, D.C., Graduate theological studies
American University, Washington, D.C., M.S.

Ordained to Priesthood: June 2, 1973

Served as pastor St. Francis Xavier, Baltimore, MD
Served as associate pastor of St. Veronica Church in Baltimore, MD
Served as National Director of Vocations for the Society of St. Joseph

Consecrated as Bishop: February 23, 1987

Served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and as San Pedro Regional Bishop

Committee Assignments

Bishop's Committee on Black Catholics
Bishop's Committee on Priestly Formation
Bishop's Life and Ministry Committee

Other Areas of Interest

Served as member of Corporate Board of Directors of Associated Catholic Charities in Baltimore
Charter Member of Associated Black Charities Board of Directors

Died in September 1993

Bishop Emerson J. Moore (1938-1995)

Biographical Data

Born, May 16, 1938 in Harlem, NY
Baptized Roman Catholic in 1953
Cardinal Hayes High School
Minor Seminary at Cathedral College in Manhattan
St. Joseph Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, NY
New York University, M.A. in Public Administration
Columbia University, degree in Social Work

Ordination to Priesthood: May 30, 1964 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York

Served as priest at St. Augustine in Ossining
Served as assistant pastor at the Church of the Holy Family in Manhattan
Served as Executive Director of the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Community Center
Founded Office for Black Ministry for Archdiocese of New York

Ordained as Bishop October 1987

Served as Vicar for Social Development for the Archdiocese of new York
Served as Board member of Catholic Relief Services
Served as Chairman of Africa Development Council

Died in 1995

Most Reverend Harold R. Perry, S.V.D. (1916-1991)

Biographical Data

Born, October 9, 1916 in the city Lake Charles, Louisana
Entered the Society of the Divine World at St. Augustine, Bay St. Louis, MS
St. Mary's Seminary, Techny, IL
St. Augustine Seminary, Bay St. Louis, MS

Ordained a priest in 1944

Assistant pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Lafayette, LA 1944-48
Notre Dame Church, St. Martinville, LA, 1948-49, 1952-53
St. Peter’s Church, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1949-51 St. Gabriel’s Church, Mound Bayou, MS, 1951-52
National Chaplain for Knights of Peter Claver
Board Member for National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice

Ordained as Bishop January 6, 1966

Titular Bishop of Mons in Mauritania
Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans

Deceased: July 17, 1991