By Alex Bass
RALEIGH – The Black experience from segregation to integration remains near the heart of Wilton Daniel Gregory, the first African American ever elevated to the Roman Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals, the body that elects each Pope.
Gregory, also Archbishop of Washington, D.C., was back in Raleigh Nov. 8 at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, where he served as homilist at the “Mass of the Faithful” celebrating the Diocese of Raleigh’s 100th anniversary. Gregory’s cardinal-specific red cassock was accented by a bishop’s pectoral cross, this custom-made version in the red, black and green colors aligned with African American heritage.
“He’s the same man I knew all those years ago,” said Father John Durbin, a Diocesan priest and pastor of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish (Apex), who attended Mundelein Seminary (outside Chicago) with Gregory, albeit in different graduating classes. “He has a great sense of humor. He’s a wonderful, loving shepherd.”
Gregory’s latest visit to Raleigh during African American Catholics History Month was one of thanksgiving. Eucharist – the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ shared during Mass – means “thanksgiving.” Gregory was elevated to the College of Cardinals two days after Thanksgiving Day in 2020. His relationship with the Diocese includes his time as Archbishop of Atlanta (2005-19), the metropolitan province that includes Raleigh.