Harold Robert Perry
Encyclopedia
Harold Robert Perry, S.V.D.
(October 9, 1916—July 17, 1991) was an American
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
. An auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
for over twenty years, he was the first African American
to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century.
, Louisiana
, to Frank J. Perry, a rice mill worker, and his wife Josephine, a domestic cook. The eldest of six children, he was raised in a devoutly Catholic and French
-speaking home. At age 13, he entered the seminary
of the Society of the Divine Word
in Bay St. Louis
, Mississippi
. He continued his studies at ecclesiastical institutions in Illinois
and Wisconsin
. In 1938, he took his vows
as a member of the Divine Word Society.
On January 6, 1944, Perry was ordained
to the priesthood
. He was the 26th African American to become a Catholic priest. He then served as assistant pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Lafayette
until 1948, when he was transferred to Notre Dame Church in St. Martinville
. He served at St. Peter's Church in Pine Bluff
, Arkansas
(1949–1951) and at St. Gabriel's Church in Mound Bayou
, Mississippi
(1951–1952) before returning to Louisiana as founding pastor
of St. Joseph's Church in Broussard
. During his six years as pastor, he built the church, rectory and school.
In 1958, Perry was named rector
of his alma mater
at the Divine Word Seminary in Bay St. Louis. Becoming more active in the civil rights movement, he joined the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice upon its founding in 1960. Writing in the Catholic monthly Interracial Review in 1961, Perry wrote: "Catholic institutions could have won great respect among Southern
Negroes if they had dropped segregation
long ago. In many instances, segregation continues up to and including the Communion rail
. We have missed a real opportunity to impress the Negro with the true attitude of the church." In 1963, he and other religious leaders were invited to the White House
to discuss peaceful desegregation
with President John F. Kennedy
. Perry's tenure as rector came to an end in 1964, when he became provincial superior
of the Southern province of the Divine Word Society in the United States. That same year, he also became the first African American clergyman to deliver the opening prayer in Congress
.
On September 29, 1965, Perry was appointed titular bishop
of Mons in Mauretania and auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
by Pope Paul VI
. He was the first African American of the modern era to become a Catholic bishop. Announcing Perry's appointment, Archbishop Philip Hannan
said, "We welcome the first American-born Negro bishop." However, Bishop James Augustine Healy
, the son of a white plantation owner and a biracial slave, holds the distinction of being the first African American to be elevated to the Catholic episcopate. Perry's appointment was praised by many civil and religious leaders, including President Lyndon B. Johnson
, whom Perry credited as having "accomplished more for our own people than any President since Lincoln
." However, Perry declared, "My appointment is a religious one, not a civil rights appointment. My religious work comes first. I have no desire to work directly as a civil rights leader." He received his episcopal
consecration
on January 6, 1966 from Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi
, with Archbishops Philip Hannan and John Cody serving as co-consecrators
. White protestors held a demonstration outside his consecration, and one woman described it as "another reason why God will destroy the Vatican
."
As an auxiliary bishop, Perry served as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in New Orleans, vicar general
of the archdiocese, and rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
. He lived in the rectory on the grounds of Ursuline Academy, the oldest girl's school in the United States. For many years he also served as national chaplain
of the Knights of Peter Claver. He remained an auxiliary bishop until his death at age 74, due to complications of Alzheimer's disease
at Wynhoven Health Care Center. Upon his death, Archbishop Francis B. Schulte
said, "Bishop Perry's passing is a great loss not only to the church of New Orleans but to the church of America. As the first African American bishop in this century, he was a symbol of the great changes which have taken place in our church and in our country. His long and effective service will be greatly missed."
Divine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
(October 9, 1916—July 17, 1991) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. An auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
for over twenty years, he was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century.
Biography
Harold Perry was born in Lake CharlesLake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, to Frank J. Perry, a rice mill worker, and his wife Josephine, a domestic cook. The eldest of six children, he was raised in a devoutly Catholic and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking home. At age 13, he entered the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of the Society of the Divine Word
Divine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
in Bay St. Louis
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Bay Saint Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,209. It is the county seat of Hancock County...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He continued his studies at ecclesiastical institutions in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. In 1938, he took his vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
as a member of the Divine Word Society.
On January 6, 1944, Perry was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
. He was the 26th African American to become a Catholic priest. He then served as assistant pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
until 1948, when he was transferred to Notre Dame Church in St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
. He served at St. Peter's Church in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
(1949–1951) and at St. Gabriel's Church in Mound Bayou
Mound Bayou, Mississippi
Mound Bayou is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The population was 2,102 at the 2000 census. It is notable for having been founded as an independent black community in 1887 by former slaves led by Isaiah Montgomery. By percentage, its 98.4 percent African-American majority population is one...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(1951–1952) before returning to Louisiana as founding pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Joseph's Church in Broussard
Broussard, Louisiana
Broussard is a small city in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 6,754 from the 2005 Census Est.Broussard is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. During his six years as pastor, he built the church, rectory and school.
In 1958, Perry was named rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
at the Divine Word Seminary in Bay St. Louis. Becoming more active in the civil rights movement, he joined the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice upon its founding in 1960. Writing in the Catholic monthly Interracial Review in 1961, Perry wrote: "Catholic institutions could have won great respect among Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
Negroes if they had dropped segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
long ago. In many instances, segregation continues up to and including the Communion rail
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
. We have missed a real opportunity to impress the Negro with the true attitude of the church." In 1963, he and other religious leaders were invited to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to discuss peaceful desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
with President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. Perry's tenure as rector came to an end in 1964, when he became provincial superior
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
of the Southern province of the Divine Word Society in the United States. That same year, he also became the first African American clergyman to deliver the opening prayer in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
On September 29, 1965, Perry was appointed titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Mons in Mauretania and auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. He was the first African American of the modern era to become a Catholic bishop. Announcing Perry's appointment, Archbishop Philip Hannan
Philip Hannan
Philip Matthew Hannan was an American Roman Catholic Archbishop. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and later as the Eleventh Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from September 29, 1965 to...
said, "We welcome the first American-born Negro bishop." However, Bishop James Augustine Healy
James Augustine Healy
James Augustine Healy was the first African-American Roman Catholic priest and the first African-American Roman Catholic bishop in the United States...
, the son of a white plantation owner and a biracial slave, holds the distinction of being the first African American to be elevated to the Catholic episcopate. Perry's appointment was praised by many civil and religious leaders, including President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, whom Perry credited as having "accomplished more for our own people than any President since Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
." However, Perry declared, "My appointment is a religious one, not a civil rights appointment. My religious work comes first. I have no desire to work directly as a civil rights leader." He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on January 6, 1966 from Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi
Egidio Vagnozzi
Edigio Vagnozzi was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the second president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.-Biography:Egidio Vagnozzi was born in Rome to Francesco and Pasqua ...
, with Archbishops Philip Hannan and John Cody serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. White protestors held a demonstration outside his consecration, and one woman described it as "another reason why God will destroy the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
."
As an auxiliary bishop, Perry served as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in New Orleans, vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the archdiocese, and rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a religious title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, by the Roman Catholic Church. It refers to a statue of the Madonna kept in a shrine in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. She is also known as Notre-Dame de Bon Secours...
. He lived in the rectory on the grounds of Ursuline Academy, the oldest girl's school in the United States. For many years he also served as national chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the Knights of Peter Claver. He remained an auxiliary bishop until his death at age 74, due to complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at Wynhoven Health Care Center. Upon his death, Archbishop Francis B. Schulte
Francis B. Schulte
Francis Bible Schulte is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston from 1985 to 1988, and Archbishop of New Orleans from 1989 to 2001.-Biography:...
said, "Bishop Perry's passing is a great loss not only to the church of New Orleans but to the church of America. As the first African American bishop in this century, he was a symbol of the great changes which have taken place in our church and in our country. His long and effective service will be greatly missed."