Marcelino Manuel da Graça
Marcelino Manuel da Graça | |
---|---|
Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Resting place | Pine Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Other names | Bishop Grace, Sweet Daddy Grace |
Occupation | Bishop |
Known for | Founder of the United House of Prayer For All People of the Church on the Rock of the Apostolic Faith |
Marcelino Manuel da Graça (January 25, 1881 or 1884—January 12, 1960), better known as Charles Manuel "Sweet Daddy" Grace, or Daddy Grace, was the founder and first
Origins and family
Marcelino Manuel da Graça's parents were Manuel (1837–1926) and Gertrude (1847–1933) da Graça. Marcelino da Graça's had five siblings, consisting of one brother, Benventura, and four sisters: Eugenia, Slyvia, Amalia, and Louise. He was born January 25, in
Marcelino Grace married twice. His first wife was Jane "Jennie" Lomba, a Cape Verdean woman also known as Jennie Lombard. They were married in 1909. They had a daughter, Irene, in 1910 and son, Norman in 1912. Norman died in 1947. Whether they officially divorced was disputed. His second wife was named Angelina (Montano) Grace, a woman of Mexican descent, whom he married in 1932. They had a son, Marcelino, in 1935. They divorced in 1937.
In her book Daddy Grace, Marie W. Dallam notes that the entire da Graça family were
Benventura da Graça would later become a Church of the Nazarene pastor in the U.S. Marcelino, however, was said inside the da Graça family (according to the research done by Dallam) to have always been a "special child". Unlike the conventional ministry of his brother, he went on to establish an independent Christian ministry. After becoming a famous bishop, it was recounted that as a youth he had received a commission to preach directly from God.
United House Of Prayer
After leaving his job as a railway cook, Marcelino, using the anglicized version of his name, Charles Manuel (Emmanuel) Grace, began using the title "Bishop". In 1919, he built the first House of Prayer in
Bishop Grace died in 1960 and is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Faith-healing savior
For Bishop Grace and his followers the miraculous stories as told of the
Style
Grace was an early prototype of what is now understood in western culture as the "celebrity preacher".[3] Active during the early and mid-20th century, Grace used attention-getting maneuvers such as wearing loudly colored suits with bold, different-colored piping and shiny buttons, along with glitzy, expensive jewelry and long, unpainted fingernails.
Legacy and followers
The most notable organizational outcome of the 41 year ministry of Bishop Grace in the United States of America is the religious denomination known as the United House of Prayer For All People. Each successive leader/Bishop of the United House of Prayer for All People continues in the one-man leadership style initiated by Bishop Grace and each successive Bishop is called "Daddy" in turn. This was later shown through his successor Bishop W.McCollough (1960-1991)who went on to continue Grace’s legacy, for 31 years. CUD GOD
Besides the United House of Prayer for All People, other U.S. denominations also trace their origins to the ministry of Bishop Grace. [3] Prominent among them is the New York City-based "House of the Lord Pentecostal Church on the Mount".
See also
- United House of Prayer for All People
- Religion in Black America
References
- ^ "United House of Prayer for All People". britannica.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ a b c Folco, Marc. "Sweet Daddy Grace still a legend in New Bedford, Massachusetts". Southcoast Today. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b Dallum, Mari (2007). Daddy Grace.