James Augustine Healy is named the first black bishop in the U.S.

April 27, 2021 |

Used with permission of Archive, Archdiocese of Boston

Although James Healy and his nine siblings—all fathered by a Georgia plantation owner—are officially slaves, their faith brings them north for education and freedom. Three of the Healy brothers—James, Patrick and Alexander—become the first African American priests in the U.S., although they do not identify with being Black and never speak on behalf of Blacks.

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