Eugene Antonio Marino facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Most Reverend Eugene Antonio Marino SSJ |
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|---|---|
| Archbishop emeritus of Atlanta | |
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| See | Atlanta |
| Enthroned | May 5, 1988 |
| Reign ended | July 10, 1990 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Andrew Donnellan |
| Successor | James Patterson Lyke, OFM |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 9, 1962 |
| Consecration | September 12, 1974 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 29, 1934 Biloxi, Mississippi |
| Died | November 12, 2000 (aged 66) Manhasset, New York |
| Previous post | Auxiliary Bishop of Washington (1974–88) |
| Alma mater | Epiphany Apostolic College |
| Coat of arms |  |
Eugene Antonio Marino, SSJ (May 29, 1934 – November 12, 2000) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia from 1988 until 1990, becoming the first African American archbishop in history. He was also the first such auxiliary bishop in Washington, D.C. and the first to be secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
During his time as archbishop of Atlanta, he helped address the conduct of other priests, until his own relationship with a lay minister became public knowledge. He soon resigned, later working as a chaplain and counselor until his death in 2000.
Biography
Early life and education
Marino was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, the sixth of a total of eight children to baker and Puerto Rican Jesús María Marino and Lottie Irene Bradford Marino, an African American maid. He attended parochial schools in Biloxi before joining the Josephites. He attended Epiphany Apostolic College in New York and later earned his master's degree from St. Joseph's Seminary in Washington, DC. He also completed a master's degree in religious education at Fordham University in The Bronx. He was ordained a priest in 1962.
Priesthood
After ordination, Marino taught religion and physical science at Epiphany College in Newburgh, NY for seven years. He was the spiritual director at St. Joseph's Seminary in Washington, D.C. from 1968 until 1971, when he became vicar general of the Josephites.
Episcopacy
From September 12, 1974 until 1988 he was an auxiliary bishop for the Washington archdiocese, the first of four African Americans to hold this position, as well as becoming the secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1985, the first African American to hold that position. In 1987 he organized a trip for a number of African American Catholics to see Pope John Paul II, and during a talk with these men and women, he stated:
Up as a young boy in Mississippi, with the double—I was going to say handicap, but I'll say blessing—of being black and Catholic, I never thought I would see the day when I would be standing here preaching God's holy word in this place, as a priest, indeed as a bishop. Generations of black Catholics never lived to see a black priest or sister, let alone ever dream that their son or daughter might become one.
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Death
In the early morning hours of November 12, 2000, while ministering at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, New York as a counselor and confidant for the personal problems of fellow priests and nuns, Marino died at age 66 at the St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, New York. He was discovered in bed by the housekeeper and it was established that he had died of a heart attack. He was buried in Biloxi, Mississippi. Of his eight siblings, one brother and four sisters survived him.
