This
month, as we remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the anniversary
of the “Emancipation Proclamation” as declared in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, we
wish to be reminded as well of an influential person-of-color whose legacy continues
to impact the lives of many at the College of the Holy Cross. Bishop James Augustine Healy, the eldest of
10 siblings, was a son of an Irish immigrant and a slave woman who worked in
the family plantations of Georgia.
Valedictorian of the first graduating class (1849) at Holy Cross, Healy
is also famed as the first black priest and first black bishop ordained in the
United States. The Bishop Healy
Emergency Fund that provides financial support for Holy Cross students of
color, was aptly named in his honor and memory.
Rev.
J.B. Delaney in 1980, editor of the Guidon – Catholic Monthly magazine,
described Bishop Healy as a “ripe scholar, gifted in speech, and those who ever
heard him in the pulpit always carried away with them a lasting impression.” During
his 25-year term as bishop of Maine and New Hampshire, Bishop Healy reportedly had
the impressive record of building 60 churches, 68 missions, 18 schools, many
convents and welfare institutions that served the growing Catholic population
of the time. He was also a known
advocate for the rights of native American tribes and an end to child labor.
Bishop
Healy belonged to a formidable brood. The Healy children, however were
technically considered ‘slaves’ and ‘illegitimate’ by Georgia laws and were
thus sent by their parents to northern schools for their education. Three other Healy brothers also went to Holy
Cross for their studies. Patrick, who
joined the Jesuits became the 1st black president of Georgetown
University; Sherwood, also recruited as a Jesuit, became an expert in canon law
and Gregorian chants while Michael became a ship commander, the first African
American to be assigned to command
a US government ship. Three Healy
sisters also became Catholic nuns.
According
to Jessie Carney Smith (1994), Bishop Healy fought a case in support of the
Church's tax-exempt status. The good bishop presented the actual savings made
by the State as a result of the Church’s many social welfare work. During his term, the bishop reportedly bought
one-half of an island near Portland as a summer vacation spot for orphans. He was also on
a commission that established the Catholic University of America in Washington
D.C.
An alumnus of Holy Cross, Bishop James Augustine Healy truly exemplified
the Jesuit ideal of being a person for and with others especially for those who
were marginalized. He died on August
5, 1900 and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Portland, Maine.
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