His Excellency, The Most Reverend Emerson John Moore | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Bishop of New York | |
 St Charles Borromeo Church, Harlem | |
| In office | 1982–1995 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 30, 1964 by Francis Spellman |
| Consecration | September 8, 1982 by Cardinal Terence Cooke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-05-16)May 16, 1938 Harlem, New York City, US |
| Died | September 14, 1995(1995-09-14) (aged 57) Center City, Minnesota, US |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Education | Cardinal Hayes High School |
| Alma mater | Cathedral College Columbia University New York University |
Emerson John Moore (May 16, 1938 – September 14, 1995) was an AmericanCatholic prelate who served as anauxiliary bishop of theArchdiocese of New York from 1982 to 1995. He was the first African-Americanmonsignor and bishop in the archdiocese.[1]
Emerson Moore was born in theHarlem section ofNew York City on May 16, 1938. He was the son of asubwaymotorman and a hospital nurse.[2] He was raised in theBronx, where he attendedCardinal Hayes High School.[3] Born into aBaptist family, he converted to Catholicism at age 15 in 1953.[3][4]
Moore studied for thepriesthood at Cathedral College inManhattan and atSt. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York.[5] He later earned aMaster of Social Work degree fromColumbia University in Manhattan and aMaster of Public Administration degree fromNew York University.[3]
On May 30, 1964, Moore wasordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York by CardinalFrancis Spellman atSt. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.[6] After his 1964 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Moore as an assistant pastor at St. Augustine Church inOssining, New York and then at theChurch of the Holy Family Parish in Manhattan.[3]
In 1968, Moore joined with theNational Black Catholic Clergy Caucus in describing the American Catholic Church as a "whiteracist institution."[1] In 1969, he became director of the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Community Center and of the central office ofCatholic Charities, both in Harlem.[4] Moore also founded the Office for Black Ministry in the archdiocese.[4]
In 1975, Moore was namedpastor ofSt. Charles Borromeo Parish, also known as "Harlem's Cathedral."[7] CardinalJohn J. O'Connor described Moore as "the most popular preacher in town."[1] In 1978, the Vatican elevated Moore to the rank ofmonsignor, becoming the firstAfrican American to receive that honor.[7] In 1979, Moore welcomedPope John Paul II to Harlem, where the pope addressed congregants at St. Charles Borromeo.[7][8]
On July 3, 1982, Moore was appointedauxiliary bishop of New York andtitular bishop of Curubis by John Paul II.[6] He received hisepiscopalconsecration on September 8, 1982, from CardinalTerence Cooke, with ArchbishopJohn Maguire and BishopHarold Perry serving asco-consecrators.[6] Moore was the sixth African-American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to serve in the archdiocese.[2]
As an auxiliary bishop, Moore continued to serve as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, a post which he held until 1989.[7] He also served as archdiocesan vicar for African-American Catholics, a board member ofCatholic Relief Services, chair of the Africa Development Council, and a member of the New York State Commission on Government Integrity.[3]
During the1984 presidential election, Moore supportedDemocratic civil rights activistJesse Jackson, because Jackson was "the only one forcing people to look at hard issues."[9] That same year, Moore was arrested alongside City ClerkDavid Dinkins during an anti-apartheid protest outside of theSouth African consulate in Manhattan.[4] In 1990, Moore was the only bishop to sign an appeal made byCall to Action for major reforms in the Catholic Church, including theordination of women and the repeal ofclerical celibacy.[10]
In early 1994, Moore entered theHazelden Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center inCenter City,Minnesota.[1]Moore had suffered fromsubstance abuse problems for several years. He would periodically leave his public ministry to seek treatment, often missing events and suffering from financial difficulties. While at Hazelden, Moore admitted to addictions tocrack cocaine and alcohol.[11][1] He was also diagnosed withHIV/AIDS.[1][12]
On September 14, 1995, Moore died at Hazelden from HIV/AIDS at age 57.[11]The archdiocese said that he died of "natural causes of unknown origin".[1] O'Connor said he could not discuss the circumstances of Moore's death, but said that he would not be ashamed if one of his priests or bishops contracted HIV/AIDS.[1]
At Moore's funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral, O'Connor discussed the challenges 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]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by – | Auxiliary Bishop of New York 1982–1995 | Succeeded by – |
