Marino, Eugene Antonio (1934-2000), became the first African American to be named an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Appointed by Pope John Paul II, Marino was archbishop of Atlanta from 1988 to 1990.
Marino was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on March 29, 1934. He was ordained a priest in 1962. In 1971, Marino became the first black vicar general of a major Roman Catholic religious order, St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart, also called the Josephites. He held that position until 1974, when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C. Marino was auxiliary bishop until his appointment as archbishop of Atlanta. He was also the first black secretary of the National (now United States) Conference of Catholic Bishops.
