Gregory, Wilton (1947-…), became a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church on Nov. 28, 2020. He was the first African American ever appointed to that position. Cardinals are high-ranking members of the Catholic clergy. They advise the pope and elect his successor after he dies or resigns. Gregory also has served as the archbishop of Washington, D.C., since 2019.
Wilton Daniel Gregory was born on Dec. 7, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up on Chicago’s South Side. As a student at St. Carthage Grammar School, a Catholic elementary school, Gregory decided he wanted to be a priest and converted to Catholicism. His parents were Christian, but not Catholic. Gregory attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South high school in Chicago. He later studied at Niles College of Loyola University Chicago, and then at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, in Mundelein, Illinois. A seminary is a school that trains future clergy and lay church leaders. He completed several bachelor’s and master’s degrees, including a Master of Divinity degree in 1973 and a Master of Sacred Theology degree in 1974. Theology is the study of God and religion. In 1980, Gregory completed a Doctorate in Sacred Liturgy at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, Italy. Liturgy refers to a rite or body of rites for public worship.
Gregory was ordained (officially appointed) as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1973. Following his ordination, he served as an associate pastor in Glenview, Illinois. He also taught at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, where he had been a student. In 1983, Gregory was ordained as an auxiliary (assisting) bishop of Chicago. He was instrumental in the production of Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal (1987). Gregory later served as bishop of Belleville, Illinois, from 1994 through 2004. From 1998 to 2001, he was also the vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
In 2001, Gregory was elected as the first Black president of the USCCB. As president, he led the group’s response to an emerging scandal that involved widespread sexual abuse of children by clergy. The USCCB adopted a national policy of removing known sex offenders from ministry and reporting sexual abuse to civil authorities.
In 2004, Pope John Paul II named Gregory archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia. He served in that post from 2005 until 2019, when Pope Francis made him archbishop of Washington, D.C. Gregory became Washington’s first Black archbishop. The following year, Francis elevated Gregory to the rank of cardinal. As a church leader, Gregory has worked toward improving race relations and Black representation in the church, and set a welcoming tone for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) Catholics.
