George Augustus Stallings Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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| Archbishop of the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation | |
Stallings in 1993
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| Church | Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation |
| In Office | 1990–present |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | May 12, 1990 by Richard Bridges |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1948 New Bern, North Carolina, US |
| Denomination | Independent Catholicism |
George Augustus Stallings Jr. (born March 17, 1948) is an American religious leader. He started the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation. He was also very active in the Black Catholic Movement, which worked to include African American culture more in the Catholic Church.
Stallings was a Catholic priest from 1974 to 1989, mostly in Washington, D.C.. In 1989, he created the Imani Temple as a new, independent church. He publicly separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1990. Because of this, the Archbishop of Washington removed him from the Catholic Church, a process called excommunication.
Contents
About George Stallings
Early Life and Becoming a Priest
George Augustus Stallings Jr. was born in 1948 in New Bern, North Carolina. His grandmother, Bessie Taylor, first took him to a Black Baptist church when he was a boy. He liked the services so much that he decided he wanted to become a minister. When he was in high school, he started showing his "Afrocentric" ideas. For example, he insisted on wearing a mustache, even if it went against school rules, to show his Black identity.
To get ready for the priesthood, he went to St. Pius X Seminary in Kentucky. He earned a BA degree in philosophy in 1970. His bishop then sent him to the Pontifical North American College in Rome. There, he earned three more degrees from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas between 1970 and 1975.
Stallings became a priest in 1974. His first job was helping out at Our Lady of Peace Church in Washington, D.C. In 1976, when he was 28, he became the main pastor of St. Teresa of Avila parish in Washington. He led this church for 14 years. During his time there, the church became known for mixing African American culture and gospel music into its services. He was a big part of the Black Catholic Movement, which aimed to bring African American traditions into Roman Catholicism.
In 1988, he was given a new job as a church evangelist, which meant he would help spread the church's message.
Starting a New Church
In the late 1980s, Stallings was often in the news. He appeared on many TV and radio shows. By 1989, Stallings announced he was leaving to start a new church, the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation. He said he left because he felt the Roman Catholic Church was not doing enough for the African American community or recognizing their talents.
In January 1990, Stallings announced that he was breaking away from the Pope's authority. He also said he would no longer follow some Roman Catholic teachings. Thirteen days before this, Archbishop James Hickey of Washington had told him to get help. This was because Stallings had not followed some rules and was living a very fancy life, which the Archbishop thought might be paid for by church donations. After Stallings started Imani Temple, Archbishop Hickey removed him and any Roman Catholics who joined Imani Temple from the Catholic Church.
Stallings became a bishop on May 12, 1990. He was made a bishop by Richard Michael Bridges, who was a bishop in another church group. In 1991, Bridges's group gave Stallings the title of archbishop.
In March 1993, Archbishop Stallings helped make Paul S. Morton a bishop for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship.
Marriage and Other Religious Connections
In 2001, Stallings married Sayomi Kamimoto from Okinawa, Japan. Their wedding was in New York City and was led by Sun Myung Moon, who started the Unification Church. Another former Catholic archbishop, Emmanuel Milingo, also got married at the same ceremony. Some members of Imani Temple were upset when Stallings suddenly announced his wedding. They left the church because they did not like his close connection to the Unification Church.
In 2004, Stallings helped organize an event where Moon was given a "crown of peace." Many members of the U.S. Congress attended this event. Some of them later said they felt they had been tricked about what the event was truly about.
Stallings was a leader in the American Clergy Leadership Conference, which is connected to Moon's Unification Church. He worked to help Moon's ideas become more popular among Black clergy. In 2006, Stallings was in the news again because of his connection with Milingo and his group, Married Priests Now!. Milingo made Stallings and three other bishops into bishops again in a special ceremony in September 2006. This meant they were automatically removed from the Roman Catholic Church again. Even though the Roman Church said they were no longer part of it, the Catholic Church still considered them "valid" bishops, just not allowed to act as such. After this, Stallings said he was happy about being removed from the Roman Church a second time.
Beliefs About Hell
After the death of Pentecostal bishop Carlton Pearson in January 2024, Stallings said he did not believe in an eternal and physical Hell. Pearson was known for believing that everyone would eventually be saved, a belief called Christian universalism.
Politics
Stallings first entered politics in December 1996. He ran for a seat on the D.C. Council for Ward 6. Stallings ran with the Umoja Party, which focused on nationalist ideas. He received eighteen percent of the votes.
Works
- I Am ... Living in the Rhythm of the God Within the Key of G Minor (2003, SKS Press). ISBN: 978-0974558608
Images for kids
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Stallings in 1993
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Paul Morton's consecration in 1993, with Archbishop Stallings laying hands during the prayer of ordination
