Emerson John Moore
Encyclopedia
Emerson John Moore was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. An auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of New York
(1982-95), he was the first African American
to serve as a Catholic bishop in New York.
family, Emerson Moore was born in the Harlem
section of New York City
, the son of a subway
motorman
and a hospital
nurse. He was raised in the Bronx, where he attended Cardinal Hayes High School
. He converted to Catholicism
at age 15 in 1953.
Moore studied for the priesthood
at Cathedral College
in Brooklyn
and at St. Joseph's Seminary
in Yonkers
. He also earned a Master of Social Work
degree from Columbia University
and a Master of Public Administration
degree from New York University
.
a priest by Cardinal Francis Spellman at St. Patrick's Cathedral
. He then served as a curate
at St. Augustine Church in Ossining
and at the Church of the Holy Family in Manhattan
. In 1967, Moore joined with the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus in describing the Catholic Church in the United States a "white
racist
institution." In 1969, he became director of the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Community Center and of the central office of Catholic Charities
, both in Harlem. He also founded the Office for Black Ministry in the Archdiocese of New York
.
In 1975, Moore was named pastor
of St. Charles Borromeo Church, also known as "Harlem's Cathedral." He was once described by Cardinal John J. O'Connor as "the most popular preacher in town." In 1979, Moore welcomed Pope John Paul II
to Harlem, where the Pope gave an address to African Americans at St. Charles Borromeo. Moore was shortly afterwards elevated to the rank of monsignor
, becoming the first African American
to receive that honor.
of New York and titular bishop
of Curubis by John Paul II. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following September 8 from Cardinal Terence Cooke, with Archbishop John Joseph Maguire
and Bishop Harold Robert Perry
serving as co-consecrators
. He was the sixth African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to serve in the Archdiocese of New York. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, a post which he held until 1989. He also served as archdiocesan vicar for social development, a board member of Catholic Relief Services
, chairman of the Africa Development Council, and a member of the New York State Commission on Government Integrity.
During the 1984 presidential election
, Moore supported Democratic
civil rights activist Jesse Jackson
, because Jackson was "the only one forcing people to look at hard issues." That same year, he was arrested alongside City Clerk David Dinkins
during a protest against apartheid outside of the South Africa
n consulate in Manhattan. In 1990, he was the only bishop to sign an appeal made by Call to Action
for major reforms in the Catholic Church, including the ordination of women
and the repeal of clerical celibacy
.
problem for several years, and was addicted alcohol
and cocaine
. He would disappear periodically from his public ministry to seek treatment, often missing events and suffering from financial difficulties. He also suffered from acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS); however, it is unknown how he contracted the disease.
In early 1994, Moore entered the Hazelden Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Center City
, Minnesota
, as a long-term patient. He later died there due to complications with AIDS, at age 57. The Archdiocese of New York, in an official announcement following his death, said Moore had died of "natural causes of unknown origin." Cardinal O'Connor said he could not discuss the circumstances of Moore's death but he would not be ashamed if one of his priests or bishops had AIDS.
At his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Cardinal O'Connor spoke of the hardships that Moore face as an African American bishop in the Catholic Church, saying, "It is not enough that a black bishop be ordinarily intelligent. He is expected to be extraordinarily intelligent. It is not enough for him to preach adequately; he must preach brilliantly. It is not enough for him to be polite; he must be the essence of courtesy. If he speaks with pride of being black, he's racist; if he supports civil rights, he's a threat. If he praises white people, he's an Uncle Tom. He is expected to be a paragon of priestliness, yet be more human than the weakest among us. In short, if he cannot walk on water, he's an utter failure; if he walks on water too easily, he has forgotten his 'place'."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. An auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
(1982-95), he was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to serve as a Catholic bishop in New York.
Early life and education
Raised in a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
family, Emerson Moore was born in the Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of a subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
motorman
Motorman
A motorman is the person who operates an electrified trolley car, tram, light rail, or rapid transit train.The term refers to the person who is in charge of the motor in the same sense as a railroad engineer is in charge of the engine. The term was gender-neutral...
and a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
nurse. He was raised in the Bronx, where he attended Cardinal Hayes High School
Cardinal Hayes High School
Cardinal Hayes High School is a Catholic high school for boys in the Bronx, New York City. The school serves the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It is a member of the CHSAA.- History :...
. He converted to Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
at age 15 in 1953.
Moore studied for the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at Cathedral College
Cathedral Preparatory Seminary (Queens)
Cathedral Preparatory Seminary is a private, Roman Catholic high school and seminary in Elmhurst, Queens, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and at St. Joseph's Seminary
St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
St. Joseph's Seminary and College, sometimes referred to as Dunwoodie, after the Yonkers, New York neighborhood it is located in, is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York. Its primary mission is to form men for the priesthood in the Catholic Church...
in Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. He also earned a Master of Social Work
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work is a master's degree in social workand especiality of sociology.- United States :In the United States, MSW degrees must be received from a graduate school that has been approved by the Council on Social Work Education...
degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and a Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Priesthood
On May 30, 1964, Moore was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest by Cardinal Francis Spellman at St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. He then served as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. Augustine Church in Ossining
Ossining (town), New York
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
and at the Church of the Holy Family in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. In 1967, Moore joined with the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus in describing the Catholic Church in the United States a "white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
institution." In 1969, he became director of the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Community Center and of the central office of Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
, both in Harlem. He also founded the Office for Black Ministry in the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
.
In 1975, Moore was named pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Charles Borromeo Church, also known as "Harlem's Cathedral." He was once described by Cardinal John J. O'Connor as "the most popular preacher in town." In 1979, Moore welcomed Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to Harlem, where the Pope gave an address to African Americans at St. Charles Borromeo. Moore was shortly afterwards elevated to the rank of monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
, becoming the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to receive that honor.
Episcopacy
On July 3, 1982, Moore was appointed auxiliary bishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of New York and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Curubis by John Paul II. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following September 8 from Cardinal Terence Cooke, with Archbishop John Joseph Maguire
John Joseph Maguire
John Joseph Maguire was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop and coadjutor archbishop in the Archdiocese of New York.-Early life and education:...
and Bishop Harold Robert Perry
Harold Robert Perry
Harold Robert Perry, S.V.D. was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. An auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans for over twenty years, he was the first African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century.-Biography:Harold Perry was born in Lake Charles,...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He was the sixth African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to serve in the Archdiocese of New York. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, a post which he held until 1989. He also served as archdiocesan vicar for social development, a board member of Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. bishops, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 90 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and...
, chairman of the Africa Development Council, and a member of the New York State Commission on Government Integrity.
During the 1984 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
, Moore supported Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
civil rights activist Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, because Jackson was "the only one forcing people to look at hard issues." That same year, he was arrested alongside City Clerk David Dinkins
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.-Early life:...
during a protest against apartheid outside of the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n consulate in Manhattan. In 1990, he was the only bishop to sign an appeal made by Call to Action
Call to Action
Call to Action is an organization that advocates for a variety of liberal causes to change the Catholic Church. Call to Action's goals include women's ordination, an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, a change in the church's teaching on a variety of sexual matters, and a change to the way the...
for major reforms in the Catholic Church, including the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
and the repeal of clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church)
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which, in some Churches, only unmarried men are, as a rule, to be ordained to the priesthood. The same discipline holds in some other Churches for ordination to the episcopate....
.
Health problems and death
Moore suffered from a substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
problem for several years, and was addicted alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. He would disappear periodically from his public ministry to seek treatment, often missing events and suffering from financial difficulties. He also suffered from acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(AIDS); however, it is unknown how he contracted the disease.
In early 1994, Moore entered the Hazelden Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Center City
Center City, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 582 people, 194 households, and 148 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,240.8 people per square mile . There were 214 housing units at an average density of 456.3 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, as a long-term patient. He later died there due to complications with AIDS, at age 57. The Archdiocese of New York, in an official announcement following his death, said Moore had died of "natural causes of unknown origin." Cardinal O'Connor said he could not discuss the circumstances of Moore's death but he would not be ashamed if one of his priests or bishops had AIDS.
At his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Cardinal O'Connor spoke of the hardships that Moore face as an African American bishop in the Catholic Church, saying, "It is not enough that a black bishop be ordinarily intelligent. He is expected to be extraordinarily intelligent. It is not enough for him to preach adequately; he must preach brilliantly. It is not enough for him to be polite; he must be the essence of courtesy. If he speaks with pride of being black, he's racist; if he supports civil rights, he's a threat. If he praises white people, he's an Uncle Tom. He is expected to be a paragon of priestliness, yet be more human than the weakest among us. In short, if he cannot walk on water, he's an utter failure; if he walks on water too easily, he has forgotten his 'place'."