Resolution Honoring Father George Clements
WHEREAS, Father George Clements is celebrating his sixtieth year in the priesthood;
and
WHEREAS, This esteemed body has been notified of Father Clements' auspicious milestone by the Honorable David Moore, Alderman of the 17th Ward; and
WHEREAS, George Harold Clements was born in Chicago on January 26, 1932. He was the fourth of six children born to Samuel George Clements and Aldonia Peters Clements. George Clements grew up near 51st and King Drive in the Bronzeville community; and
WHEREAS, He attended Corpus Christi Elementary School in Chicago. It was at this Catholic school that Sister Felician was promoting the idea of George going to the seminary. He then attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, becoming the first African-American to graduate from this Catholic high school. At Quigley he met Dan Mallette, who became a lifelong friend and a Father at a church in Scotland; and
WHEREAS, George Clements attended St. Mary of the Lake Seminary where he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sacred Theology and a Master's degree in Philosophy. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest by Cardinal Samuel Stritch on May 3, 1957; and
WHEREAS, Father Clements served as Associate Pastor at St. Ambrose Parish for five years. In 1962, he was assigned to work with the Reverend Gerald Scanlan at St. Dorothy in Chatham. It was there he became a national leader in the civil rights movement. He participated in the 1965 freedom march from Selma to Montgomery, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. He remains socially active, still participating in anti-violence marches at the age of 85; and
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WHEREAS, Father Clements was named Pastor at Holy Angels Church in Bronzeville in 1969, becoming the church's first African-American pastor. The church membership grew from 1,500 to over 4,000, including members of the Black Panthers. Under his leadership, Holy Angels School became the largest black Catholic elementary school in the country. The church burned to t...
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