From Chicago's St. Carthage Catholic School to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City (with a few stops along the way!)
It all began when Wilton Daniel Gregory, a fifth grade student at St. Carthage grade school, informed his parish priest that he wanted to be a priest. Told by the priest that he was not even a Catholic, young Wilton Gregory responded with a question that began a most amazing journey: “Then what do I have to do?
He became a Catholic. He went to the seminary for 12 years. He made a stop as a deacon in Park Ridge. He was ordained a priest. He served in Glenview. He then lived in Rome earning his doctoral degree. Upon his return, he was a professor at the seminary from which he was ordained. He was ordained a bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago. A few years after that, he became Bishop of Belleville, Illinois. He was elected by his brother bishops to be President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was called to serve as Archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia, and then Washington, D.C. until Pope Francis elevated Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory to the College of Cardinals, the highest rank in the Catholic Church, after the Pope. Not a bad journey for a kid from the Englewood community on the South Side of Chicago!
The First Friday Club has invited Cardinal Gregory to reflect, reminisce, and offer his insights on key moments and highlights of his remarkable journey from a grade school in Chicago to the Sistine Chapel. Please join us for this memorable event.
