Emerson John Moore

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Emerson John Moore
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
St Charles Borromeo Church, Harlem
In office1982–1995
Orders
OrdinationMay 30, 1964
by Cardinal Francis Spellman
ConsecrationSeptember 8, 1982
by Cardinal Terence Cooke
Personal details
Born(1938-05-16)May 16, 1938
Harlem
DiedSeptember 14, 1995(1995-09-14) (aged 57)
Hazelden Foundation
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
EducationCardinal Hayes High School
Alma materCathedral College

Emerson John Moore (May 16, 1938 – September 14, 1995) was an

Roman Catholic Church. An auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York (1982–1995), he was the first African American monsignor and the first to serve as a Catholic bishop in New York.[1] He was also one of the first and only Catholic bishops publicly known to have died of HIV/AIDS complications.[2]

Biography

Early life and education

Raised in a

Catholicism at age 15 in 1953.[5]

Moore studied for the

St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.[6] He also earned a Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University and a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University.[5]

Priesthood

On May 30, 1964, Moore was

Ossining and at the Church of the Holy Family in Manhattan.[5]

In 1968, Moore joined with the

Catholic Charities, both in Harlem.[3] He also founded the Office for Black Ministry in the Archdiocese of New York.[3]

In 1975, Moore was named

African American to receive that honor.[8] In 1979, Moore welcomed Pope John Paul II to Harlem, where the Pope gave an address to African Americans at St. Charles Borromeo.[8]

Episcopacy

On July 3, 1982, Moore was appointed

John Joseph Maguire and Bishop Harold Robert Perry serving as co-consecrators.[7] 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.[4] As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, a post which he held until 1989.[8] He also served as archdiocesan vicar for NYC's Black Catholics, 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.[5]

During the

clerical celibacy.[10]

Addictions and AIDS

Moore suffered from a substance abuse problem for several years, and was addicted to alcohol and cocaine.[11] He would disappear periodically from his public ministry to seek treatment, often missing events and suffering from financial difficulties.[1] He also suffered from AIDS, though it is unknown how he contracted the disease.[1][2]

In early 1994, Moore entered the Hazelden Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Center City, Minnesota, as a long-term patient.[1]

Death

In 1995, he died at Hazelden due to complications from AIDS, aged 57.[11]

The Archdiocese of New York, in an official announcement following his death, quoted the death certificate in saying he had died of "natural causes of unknown origin".[1] 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.[1]

At Moore's funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Cardinal O'Connor spoke of the hardships that Moore faced 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'."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sexton, Joe (1995-10-07). "Death of a Bishop: Of Holy Orders And Human Frailty; Beloved Clergyman Hid Personal Battles". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b Schaeffer, Pamela (1997-04-18). "Breaking silence: Priests with AIDs are eager to talk". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  3. ^ a b c d Hevesi, Dennis (1995-09-16). "Bishop Emerson J. Moore, 57, An Advocate of Racial Equality". The New York Times.
  4. ^
    New York Daily News. Archived from the original
    on 2010-07-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Deceased African American Bishops". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  6. ^ "Religion: Ordained Bishop". Jet. 1982-10-18.
  7. ^ a b c "Bishop Emerson John Moore". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  8. ^ a b c d "Our History". The Parish of St Charles Borromeo, Resurrection and All Saints.
  9. ^ "Catholic Bishop Rapped For Supporting Jackson". Jet. 1984-07-09.
  10. ^ Steinfels, Peter (1990-02-28). "Catholic Group Urges Sweeping Change in Church". The New York Times.
  11. ^ a b Vitello, Paul (2008-08-05). "In Harlem, Shock and Anger at Pastor's Removal". The New York Times.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of New York
1982–1995 		Succeeded by
–
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