Wilton Daniel Gregory, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, first African American Cardinal of Catholic Church, Pope Francis, Mary Cummins, Chicago, Illinois, parents, siblings, grandparents, Alabama, Mississippi, archbishop, Washington
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Wilton Daniel Gregory was just named Cardinal of the Catholic Church today by Pope Francis. Cardinal Wilton Gregory is the First American and First African American Cardinal of the Catholic Church.
Wilton Gregory was born December 7, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Wilton Daniel Gregory Sr born 22 Jun 1928 Colp, Williamson, Illinois, USA, died 8 Dec 2010 Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA and Ethel Duncan born 31 May 1930 Chicago, Illinois, died Dec 10 2013 Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA. His parents were married 26 Feb 1949 in Cook County, Illinois after he was born. It's possible they were married previously and got married again in Cook county for legal reasons. Not all records are available.
Below is Wilton Gregory's mother Ethel Duncan Gregory's obituary.
GREGORY, ETHEL Ethel Gregory Nee Duncan, age 83, passed away at Holy Family Villa in Palos Park, Illinois on December 10, 2013. Born in Chicago, Illinois on May 31, 1930 to Robert and Etta Mae Duncan. Loving wife of the late Wilton D. Gregory, Sr. Loving mother of Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia, Elaine (William B.) Swenson of Va-caville, California and Claudia (Robert) Ferguson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Loving Grandmother of Jance E. Swenson and Henry Swenson of Vacav-ille, California. Mass of Christian burial Saturday at Holy Family Villa Chapel 12220 S. Will Cook Rd., Palos Park, Illinois at 11:30 AM. Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery. Visitation 10:30 AM until time of Mass. Transcription by Mary Cummins.
Note about his father's death.
"Wilton Daniel Gregory Sr., father of Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, died Dec. 8 after an extended hospital stay. He was 82. Archbishop Gregory will celebrate a memorial Mass for his father on Monday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.
At the time of his death, Mr. Gregory was in a hospice at Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago. He was buried in a private internment service at Mary, Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Ill. Archbishop Gregory, in a memo to the Catholic Center staff and priests on his father’s death, said, “It was a special grace that I was able to baptize my father in the emergency room when I came to visit him at the end of October.”
Below is the obituary of his maternal grandmother Etta Mae Clark Duncan.
"DUNCAN Etta Mae Duncan, nee Clark, beloved wife of the late Robert Duncan; loving mother of Ethel D. Gregory; loving sister of Wilma Joiner of Colorado and the late Ellen E. Gray; fond grandmother of Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, Claudia (Robert) Ferguson of New York and Elaine (William B.) Swenson of California; dear grant-grandmother of Jance Swenson. Friends are Invited to join the family in celebrating the Mass of the Resurrection on Saturdey, Nov. 16, 1886, at 11 am.. in St. James Church, 2842 S. Wabash. Interment to follow in Queen of Heaven Cemetery." Transcription by Mary Cummins.
Obituary of great grandmother Evelyn/Evaline Bostic/Bostick Jackson.
"Funeral Services Set For Mrs. Evelyn Jackson. Funeral services for Mrs. Evelyn Jackson, 68, Murphysboro, who died Tuesday night, will be held 2:00 p. m., Sunday at the Meyer Funeral home in Murphysboro, the Rev. D. C. Poole officiating. Burial will be in Bostick cemetery. She was born in Murphysboro and lived all her life here. She was married in Jackson county in 1892 to Larkin Jackson, who survives. Besides her husband, she leaves five daughters, Mrs. Daisy Garrard, Mrs. Myrtle Jolins, both of Detroit, Mich., Mrs. Helen Duncan, Mrs. Edith Dunlap, and Mrs. Minnie Chavis, all of Chicago; three sons, Roy Jackson, Cornelius Jackson, and Monore Jackson, all of Murphysboro; four sisters, Mrs. Lucy Bostwick, St. Louis, Mrs. Blanche Allen and Mrs. Ruth White, both of Murphysboro, one brother, Ernest Bostwick, Chicago, Ill., four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Friends may call at the Meyer funeral home until the hour of services." Transcription by Mary Cummins.
Obituary of great great grandfather Stephen Bostick father of Evaline above.
"Stephen Bostick Rites Thursday. The funeral of Stephen Bostick (colored) well known farmer of north Murphysboro, will be held Thursday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock in the Shiloh Baptist church. The body will lie in state until the hour of the funeral at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Arthur White, of 807 Hickory street. Interment at Bostick cemetery. Transcription by Mary Cummins. The Daily Independent, Murphysboro, Illinois, 06 Dec 1928, Thu • Page 1"
Wilton has two siblings. One is Elaine Gregory who was born 1950 married in 1979 to William Brearton Swenson born 1952 in California who live in Vacaville, California. Willie Swenson's family is from Sweden. The second sister is Claudia Leanne Gregory married to Robert W Ferguson Jr who live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wilton has two nephews, Jance Elliott Swenson born 1981 and Henry Theodore Swenson born 1986 both born in California. Henry is named after his grandfather and is an actor.
Wilton went to Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in 1965 in Chicago, Illinois. He sang in the Schola Cantorum which is a choral group that sings music for mass.
Wilton Daniel Gregory 1965 Chicago Illinois
He was in the student council and appears to be the only African American in the school based on the pics.
Wilton Daniel Gregory 1965 Chicago Illinois
Wilton Daniel Gregory 1965 Chicago Illinois
Wilton Daniel Gregory 1973 at his ordination
Some information about Wilton Gregory's great great grandfather Stephen Bostick who was a civil war veteran and one of the brothers who started Bostick Settlement.
"Stephen Bostick, a slave living in Williamson County, Tenn., knew of Lincoln’s plan, first announced in September, and also considered “deserting.” He, like Union soldiers above, knew that if caught, he might be executed or never return home. For Bostick, too, “desertion” was a big decision. He left from Triune, Tenn., near Stones River, and traveled to Memphis where he faded into the town’s large population until Lincoln’s proclamation became law.
On Jan. 4, 1863, Stephen Bostick, a free man, enlisted as an ordinary seaman on the USS Gen. Bragg. As a member of the Bragg’s crew, he took part in capturing Vicksburg, guarding the mouth of the Red River and supporting the expedition against Shreveport, La. During the June 15, 1864, Battle of Tunica Bend, Louisiana Confederates on shore raked the Bragg with rifle fire. A musket ball ripped through Bostick’s right shoulder and forearm crippling it. The war was over for Bostick, who received an invalid’s pension for his disability.
By January 1866, Steven Bostick had moved to Illinois and lived in Jackson County. He was one of the thousands of new “Egyptians” who would come here after the Civil War. His reasons for coming are unknown, and it is probable he arrived with few possessions.
He married here, raised a family, and through “hard work and fear of God,” acquired the large farm which became the heart of what was once known as the “Bostick Settlement.” This community was first made up of the families of other men from Triune who served on the Bragg and grew as additional families from Williamson County arrived to find new lives.
Bostick, former slave, wounded Civil War veteran, entrepreneur and “esteemed farmer” died in 1928. On his death, he was accorded a rare honor for an African-American at the time, an obituary in Murphysboro’s newspaper. It read “Stephen Bostick, colored, Civil War veteran … enjoyed the respect of all men who knew him, white men and colored.” Egypt had accepted Bostick as one of its “soldiers.”
To learn more about Logan and Southern Illinois’ Civil War history, visit Gen. John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro and view the new exhibit, Caught in the Sweep of History: Egypt in the Civil War. To learn more history, see the museum’s website, Facebook page and YouTube videos.
— Compiled by P. Michael Jones, director of Gen. John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro."
Some background from Wikipedia.
"In December 1865 Dudley Bostick, Hardin Bostick, and Issac Morgan arrived in Murphysboro and established the city’s African-American community. All three men were former slaves and had become friends after joining the Union Navy on Emancipation Day (January 1, 1863) at Memphis, Tennessee, and being assigned to the U.S.S. General Bragg, a steamer in the Mississippi Squadron of the U.S. Navy. Stephen Bostick, Hardin’s brother and also a Bragg crew member, joined them by January 1866.
Stephen, who had been wounded at Tunica Bend in 1864 and had received a disability discharge and a pension, lived in Cincinnati to that point. The Bosticks, all from Williamson County, Tennessee, became successful farmers and established a loose knit community, the Bostick Settlement, about 51/2 miles southeast of Murphysboro. This community grew and prospered and attracted other related families from Williamson County. In time the Bostick Settlement had its own school, church, and cemetery.
When denied membership in Murphysboro’s Worthen Post #127 Grand Army of the Republic, the Bosticks became charter members of Murphysboro’s Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 727 (Colored). By 1900 Post No. 727 had disbanded and its members integrated with Post No.127 where Stephen Bostick would even serve as an officer as the aging Civil War veterans realized that there was more that connect the old comrades than separated them.
As time passed and families grew but farm income did not the children of the original settlers began to move out to seek better lives. Today the descendants of the Bostick Settlement’s families have spread across the nation living from Massachusetts to California and from Michigan to Florida. The only memorial to these pioneer families whose courage allowed them to strike out into the unknown to better their lives and the lives of their families is the settlement’s cemetery. The museum has worked with many groups since 1994 to clean and interpret this historic site and while it is not yet finished it is well on its way.
To visit the Bostick Cemetery…take Hwy 127 south from Murphysboro. Turn right on Orchard Hills Road and follow the Shawnee Wine Trail. The cemetery is located on the left, on a private lane about 1/4 mile past the Murdale water tower.
Bostick Settlement and Cemetery, Murphysboro
Established in 1870, the Bostick Settlement was Murphysboro’s first and most prominent black community; nearly all of Murphysboro’s 120 black residents lived there. The Bostick Settlement was formed by three brothers, Stephen, Dudley and Hardin Bostick. Born slaves in Tennessee, the brothers joined the Union Navy in January 1863. After the war, they settled on farmland south of Murphysboro and were soon joined by other former slaves, mostly from their native Tennessee. The farming community was successful and soon constructed its own church, school and cemetery. By 1907, Stephen Bostick owned 170 acres of land, making him one of the most successful farmers in the county. As the twentieth century progressed, however, the settlement dwindled in numbers. Many of the original settlers are buried in Bostick Cemetery. "
Biography
Early life and education
Wilton Gregory was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ethel (née Duncan) and Wilton Gregory.[2] One of three children, he has two sisters: Elaine and Claudia.[3] Gregory's parents divorced when he was quite young, and his grandmother, Etta Mae Duncan, subsequently moved in with the family at their home on the South Side.[4] In 1958, he was enrolled at St. Carthage Grammar School, where he decided to become a priest even before he converted to Catholicism.[3] He was baptized and received his First Communion in 1959, and was confirmed by Bishop Raymond P. Hillinger later that year.[3]
After graduating from St. Carthage in 1961, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and Niles College in Chicago, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein.[2] After ordination, he completed a doctorate in liturgy (SLD) at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome.
Ordination and ministry
At the age of 25, he was ordained to the priesthood by John Cardinal Cody on May 9, 1973.[5] He engaged in advanced studies at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome and earned the Doctor of Sacred Liturgy degree.
Gregory performed pastoral work in Glenview at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge, Illinois.[6] He also taught at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary and served as a Master of Ceremonies under Cardinals Cody and Bernardin.
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
On October 31, 1983, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Oliva.[7] Gregory received his episcopal consecration on the following December 13 from Cardinal Bernardin, with Bishops Alfred Abramowicz and Nevin Hayes, O.Carm., serving as co-consecrators.
Bishop of Belleville
On December 29, 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Gregory the seventh Bishop of Belleville;[8] he was installed on February 10, 1994.
From 2001 to 2004, Gregory served as the president of the USCCB, the first African-American to head an episcopal conference,[9] as Vice President from 1998 to 2001[10] 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 Roman Catholic sex abuse cases. He is also a member of the board of trustees at The Catholic University of America. In 2002, in recognition of his handling of the sex abuse scandal with repeated apologies and the defrocking of priests, he was chosen as Time's Person of the Week.[11]
Archbishop of Atlanta
Coat of arms as Archbishop of Atlanta
Pope John Paul II, in one of his last episcopal appointments before his death, named Bishop Gregory the seventh Archbishop of Atlanta on December 9, 2004.[12] His installation took place on January 17, 2005.
Gregory has been active in the Roman Catholic Church in advocating for the prevention of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic religious, and for implementing policies to protect the faithful from sexual abuse by Roman Catholic religious.[4] He has been one of the leading bishops in the United States regarding this endeavor.[4]
Gregory wrote a bi-weekly column for the Roman Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, The Georgia Bulletin entitled "What I have seen and heard".[13] In it, he regularly shared reflections about his faith, work, and experiences.[13]
Gregory was complimentary of Pope Francis's 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia. At a 2017 conference at Boston College, he described it as "a document that recognizes the real and serious problems and challenges facing families today, but at the same time it is a proclamation of hope through the mercy and grace of God." Gregory spoke of Pope Francis as someone who "challenges the church and its pastors to move beyond thinking that everything is black and white, so that we sometimes close off the way of grace and growth."[14]
In 2018, a group of Catholics started a petition urging Gregory to remove "pro-LGBT" Monsignor Henry Gracz of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta from his position as a spiritual advisor to victims of sexual abuse for allegedly going against Church teaching. Gregory refused, saying that "there are [were] no plans" to remove Gracz from his advisory role. He added, "Msgr. Gracz is following the admonition of Pope Francis to accompany people on the periphery of society. His priestly heart is not closed to those who find themselves misunderstood or rejected."[15]
Archbishop of Washington
On April 4, 2019, Pope Francis named Gregory Archbishop of Washington.[16][17] He was installed on May 21, 2019.[18] The archdiocese comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Saint Mary's.
In an interview on August 1, 2019, Gregory criticized rhetoric from President Donald Trump. "I fear that recent public comments by our president and others and the responses they have generated, have deepened divisions and diminished our national life," he said. He added, "The growing plague of offense and disrespect in speech and actions must end."[19]
When asked by a transgender person about whether there was a place for them in the Church, Gregory responded by saying, "You belong to the heart of this Church. And there is nothing that you may do, may say, that will ever rip you from the heart of this Church. There is a lot that has been said to you, about you, behind your back, that is painful and is sinful."[20]
On June 2, 2020, President Donald Trump visited the national Catholic shrine to coincide with an executive order on religious freedom.[21] Gregory condemned the president's visit saying "I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree."[22][23][24][25]
On September 18, 2020, Pope Francis appointed Gregory to serve as the apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Saint Thomas, a suffragan diocese of Washington.[26]
After the election of Joe Biden as President of the U.S., Gregory emphasized the need to "engage and dialogue" with the new administration. He noted a "clear divergence of opinions" on abortion and a closer alignment of views on "a better respect for the dignity of our immigrant community, the cessation of capital punishment", and "the pursuit of racial and social justice issues".[27] He said he was "not going to veer" from the long-established practice of allowing Biden to receive Communion.[28]
Cardinalate
On October 25, 2020, Pope Francis announced he would raise Gregory to the rank of cardinal at a consistory scheduled for November 28, 2020.[29][30] At that consistory, Pope Francis made him Cardinal Priest of Immacolata Concezione di Maria a Grottarossa.[31] Gregory became the first black cardinal from the United States.[32]
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