Harold Robert Perry
|
Harold Robert Perry S.V.D. |
|
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans | |
| In office | 1965-1991 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | January 6, 1944 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 9, 1916 Lake Charles, Louisiana |
| Died | July 17, 1991 (aged 74) |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | Frank J. and Josephine Perry |
| Alma mater | Divine Word Seminary |
Harold Robert Perry, S.V.D. (October 9, 1916 – July 17, 1991) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. An auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans for more than twenty years, he was the first African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century.
Harold Perry was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Frank J. Perry, a rice mill worker, and his wife Josephine, a domestic cook. The eldest of six children, he was raised in a devoutly Catholic and French-speaking home. At age 13, he entered the seminary of the Society of the Divine Word in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He continued his studies at ecclesiastical institutions in Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1938, he took his vows as a member of the Divine Word Society.
On January 6, 1944, Perry was ordained to the priesthood. He was the 26th African American to become a Catholic priest. He then served as assistant pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Lafayette until 1948, when he was transferred to Notre Dame Church in St. Martinville. He served at St. Peter's Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (1949–51) and at St. Gabriel's Church in Mound Bayou, Mississippi (1951–52) before returning to Louisiana as founding pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Broussard. During his six years as pastor, he built the church, rectory and school.
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