Wilton D. Gregory
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The Most Reverend Wilton Daniel Gregory (born December 7, 1947) is an African American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Archbishop of Atlanta.
[edit] Biography
He was born in Chicago to Wilton and Ethel (née Duncan) Gregory. Attending Catholic schools in Chicago, he became attracted to the priesthood before he even converted to Catholicism, which he did at age 11. He studied at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary before being ordained as a priest on May 9, 1973 by John Cardinal Cody.
After receiving a doctorate in Sacred Liturgy in 1980 from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, Gregory did pastoral work in Glenview, taught at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, and served as a Master of Ceremonies under Cardinals Cody and Benardin. On October 31, 1983 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Oliva. Gregory received his episcopal consecration on the following December 13 from Cardinal Bernardin, with Bishops Alfred Abramowicz and Nevin Hayes, OCarm, serving as co-consecrators. He remained in Chicago until December 29, 1993, when he was appointed the seventh Bishop of Belleville; he was installed on February 10, 1994. Pope John Paul II named Gregory the seventh Archbishop of Atlanta on December 9, 2004, and his installation took place on January 17, 2005.
From 2001 to 2004, Gregory served as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, having previously served as Vice President and also Chairman of several committees. During his presidency, the American bishops issued the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" in response to sexual abuse cases. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America.
He maintains a bi-weekly column in the Georgia Bulletin titled "What I Have Seen and Heard"[1].
[edit] Trivia
- Gregory is the first African American ever to head an episcopal conference.
- In April of 2005, Gregory was named "Person of the Week" by Time Magazine.[2]
- He holds doctorates of humane letters from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Xavier University in Cincinnati, and McKendree College in Lebanon, and doctorates in humanities from Lewis University in Romeoville and Saint Louis University in St. Louis.
