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. was born on March 17, 1948. He is an American religious leader. He started the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation. He was also very involved in the Black Catholic Movement. He served as a Catholic priest from 1974 to 1989. He worked in Washington, D.C. for many years. In 1989, he created the Imani Temple as a separate church group. In 1990, he publicly left the Roman Catholic Church. This happened on The Phil Donahue Show. The Archbishop of Washington later said he was no longer part of the Catholic Church.
Contents
About George Stallings
His Early Life and Ministry
George Stallings Jr. was born in 1948. His hometown was New Bern, North Carolina. His grandmother, Bessie Taylor, took him to a black Baptist church when he was a boy. He loved the services so much. He said he wanted to become a minister.
When he was in high school, he showed strong feelings about his African heritage. He insisted on wearing a mustache. This was against school rules. He saw it as a way to show his black identity.
To become a priest, he went to St. Pius X Seminary in Kentucky. He earned a degree in philosophy in 1970. His bishop then sent him to Rome. There, he studied at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He earned three degrees between 1970 and 1975.
Stallings became a priest in 1974. His first job was at Our Lady of Peace Church in Washington, D.C. In 1976, at age 28, he became the pastor of St. Teresa of Avila parish in Washington. He led this church for 14 years. Under his leadership, the church became known for including African American culture. They used gospel music in their church services. He worked to bring African American culture into Roman Catholicism.
In 1988, he was given a new role. He became a church evangelist.
His Marriage and Later Work
In 2001, George Stallings married Sayomi Kamimoto. She was 24 years old and from Okinawa, Japan. Their wedding took place in New York City. Sun Myung Moon, who started the Unification Church, led the ceremony. Another former Catholic archbishop, Emmanuel Milingo, also married at the same event.
Some members of the Imani Temple were surprised by Stallings' marriage. They were upset by his connection to the Unification Church. Some members even left the church in protest.
In 2004, Stallings helped organize an event. At this event, Moon was given a "crown of peace." Several members of the United States Congress attended. Some later said they felt they had been misled about the event. Stallings said that how the event was approved was "shrouded in mystery."
Stallings became a co-president of the American Clergy Leadership Conference. This group is linked to Moon's Unification Church. He worked to increase Moon's influence among black clergy. In 2006, he gained attention again. This was because of his connection with Milingo and his group, Married Priests Now!.
His Political Involvement
Stallings first entered politics in December 1996. He announced he would run for the Ward 6 D.C. Council seat. He ran with the Umoja Party. This party focused on nationalist ideas. He received eighteen percent of the votes.
His Published Work
- I Am ... Living in the Rhythm of the God Within the Key of G Minor (2003, SKS Press). ISBN: 978-0974558608
