corf
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
December 16, 2020
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution congratulating Wilton Gregory on becoming the first African American Cardinal.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber are pleased to congratulate His Eminence Wilton Daniel Gregory on becoming the first African American cardinal in the history of Catholicism following his elevation to the rank of Cardinal Priest by Pope Francis on November 28, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory was born on December 7, 1947 in Chicago to Wilton Sr. and Ethel Duncan Gregory. One of three children, he has two sisters: Elaine and Claudia; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, as a student at St. Carthage Grammar School, Cardinal Gregory decided he wanted to become a priest even though he was not a Catholic. He was baptized and received his First Communion in 1959 and was confirmed later that year; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from St. Carthage in 1961, Cardinal Gregory attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, a seminary high school, Niles College of Loyola University, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 9, 1973, and three years after his ordination he began graduate studies at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, where he earned his Doctorate of Sacred Liturgy in 1980; and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory swiftly ascended in the Catholic leadership. After having served as an associate pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glenview, as a member of the faculty of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, and as a master of ceremonies to Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin, he was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago on December 13, 1983, and installed as bishop of Belleville, Illinois on February 10, 1994; an...
Click here for full text