James Augustine Healy
James Augustine Healy | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Portland | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Diocese of Portland |
| Appointed | February 12, 1875 |
| Term ended | August 5, 1900 (his death) |
| Predecessor | David William Bacon |
| Successor | William Henry O'Connell |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 10, 1854 by Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour |
| Consecration | June 2, 1875 by John Joseph Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 6, 1830 Jones County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1900 (aged 70) Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross Saint-Sulpice Seminary Sulpican Seminary |
| Signature | |
James Augustine Healy (April 6, 1830 – August 5, 1900) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first known African American to serve as a Catholic priest or bishop. With his predominantly European ancestry, Healy passed for a white man and identified as such.
Born into slavery in the Healy family of Georgia, James Healy was the son of a White plantation owner and a mixed-race enslaved woman. He was later freed, educated overseas, and ordained a priest in 1854. He served as Bishop of Portland in Maine from 1875 until his death in 1900.