Healy, James Augustine, Bishop, 1830-1900

Born in Georgia to a mixed-race slave mother and Irish immigrant father, he was ordained in 1854 and consecrated in 1875; knowledge of his African ancestry was largely restricted to his mentors in the Church. (Augustus Tolton, a former slave who was publicly known to be African-American when ordained in 1886, is for that reason sometimes credited as the first African-American Catholic priest rather than Healy.)

Healy was one of nine mixed-race siblings of the Catholic Healy family of Georgia who survived to adulthood and achieved many "firsts" in United States history; his brothers Patrick and Alexander also became Catholic priests.

James is credited with greatly expanding the Catholic church in Maine at a time of increased Irish immigration. He also served the Abenaki people and many parishioners of French Canadian descent who were traditionally Catholic. He spoke both English and French.

When Healy returned to the United States, he became an assistant pastor in Boston. He served the Archbishop, who helped establish his standing in the church. In 1866 Healy became the pastor of St. James Church, the largest Catholic congregation in Boston. In 1874 when the Boston legislature was considering taxation of churches, Healy defended Catholic institutions as vital organizations that helped the state both socially and financially. He also condemned certain laws that were generally enforced only on Catholic institutions. He founded several Catholic charitable institutions to care for the many poor Irish immigrants who had arrived during the Great Famine years.

His success in the public sphere led to his appointment by Pope Pius IX to the position of second bishop of Portland, Maine. Healy was consecrated as Bishop of Portland on June 2, 1875, becoming the first African American to be consecrated a Catholic bishop. For 25 years he governed his large diocese, supervising also the founding of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, when it was split from Portland in 1885. During his tenure in Maine, which was a period of extensive immigration from Catholic countries, Healy oversaw the establishment of 60 new churches, 68 missions, 18 convents, and 18 schools. He also served the many French Canadians and Abenaki people in Portland , who were historically Catholic. Healy was the only member of the American Catholic hierarchy to excommunicate men who joined the Knights of Labor, a national union, which reached its peak of power in 1886.

Two months before his death, Healy was called as assistant to the Papal throne by Pope Leo XIII, a position in the Catholic hierarchy just below that of cardinal.