Years active 1957–present Name George Clements | Role Priest | |
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Full Name George Harold Clements Born January 26, 1932 (age 92) ( 1932-01-26 ) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Occupation Roman Catholic priest, activist Children Joey, Friday, Stewart, Saint Anthony Parents Samuel George Clements, Aldonia Clements | ||
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George H. Clements is an American Roman Catholic priest who, in 1981, became the first Catholic priest in the Chicago area to adopt a child. Through his founding of several programs, including "one church-one child"], "one church-one addict", and "one church-one inmate", he brought greater recognition to social problems and encouraged the adoption of African-American children. In June 1969, Father Clements became the first black pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church on the South Side of Chicago. He is also well known for his involvement in civil rights activities during a period that extended from the late 1960s to present.
Contents
- come along jody billy failing brittany karlson george clements jack devereux
- Early life
- Chronological summary of accomplishments
- One church one child
- One church one addict
- One church one inmate
- Popular culture
- Honors and legacy
- References
Early life
George Clements was born George Harold Clements in Chicago, Illinois on January 26, 1932 to Samuel George, a Chicago city auditor, and Aldonia (Peters) Clements. He attended Corpus Christi Elementary School in Chicago, and graduated from Chicago's Quigley Academy Seminary in 1945. He studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sacred Theology, and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy. Clements became an ordained priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 3, 1957.
Chronological summary of accomplishments
One church-one child
Clements started the One Church-One Child program locally in Chicago at Holy Angels Church in 1980. Though the program was started locally in Chicago, it became a national effort in 1988. The goal of the program was to use churches as a recruitment tool to find adoptive parents for African-American children, a demographic group that often has disproportionately long adoption waiting periods.
One church-one addict
After retiring from Holy Angels, Clements moved to Washington, D.C. In 1994, Clements started a program known as "one church-one addict". The goal of the program was to assist churches nationwide in helping recovering drug addicts through job counseling, spiritual consolation, and professional treatment.
One church-one inmate
In 1999, Clements started a program called one church-one inmate, a collaborative effort to help prison inmates and their families. The program was designed to facilitate the transition of inmates from incarcerated life to a life as productive and "spiritually healed" law-abiding citizens.
Popular culture
The Father Clements Story was produced as a television movie by NBC and starred actors Lou Gossett, Jr., Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Carroll O'Connor. Gossett, Jr. played Father Clements, Warner played Clements' adopted son Joey, and O'Connor played Cardinal John Cody, the Archbishop of Chicago.