Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory (September 30, 1922 – January 25, 1995) was an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

priest in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. He held the first

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

ceremony in Virginia at St. Peter's Church in Richmond in August 1978.

Biography

Edward Meeks Gregory was born the fifth of seven children of Constance Adela (née Heath) Gregory (1890–1982) and George Craghead Gregory (1887–1956) at "Granite Hall", the family estate in northwestern

Chesterfield County, Virginia Chesterfield County is a County (United States), county located just south of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north an ...

, on September 30, 1922. His father was a prominent attorney, businessman and historian. He became an

priest in

. He served Episcopal High School in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

;

Christchurch School Christchurch School is a private college-preparatory coeducational boarding school in Christchurch, Virginia, founded in 1921 by the Episcopal Church Diocese of Virginia. The school enrolls approximately 225 students, boarding and day, grades ...

Christchurch, Virginia Christchurch is an unincorporated community in Middlesex County, Virginia, United States. Christchurch is located on Virginia State Route 33 southeast of Urbanna. Christchurch has a post office A post office is a public facility and a ...

; St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia; and lastly, St. Peter's Episcopal Church also in Richmond. During the era of Massive Resistance and the desegregation crisis post-

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

in Virginia, when Prince Edward County’s public schools were closed, Gregory raised money for black students to attend private schools from 1959 to 1964. He conducted the first

ceremony in Virginia at St. Peter's Church in Richmond in August 1978. In 1979, while serving on Richmond'’s Human Relations Commission, Gregory became a big proponent, albeit unsuccessfully, of adding sexual orientation to the city code's nondiscrimination policies. He served as president of the Richmond-Petersburg Council on Human Relations and the Richmond Area Council on Human Relations. Gregory also helped found the Daily Planet, which services the needs of the homeless, and was the clerical advisor and member of the Richmond branch of Dignity/Integrity, the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual caucuses of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Church in the United States. He died in 1995. His tombstone in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery bears the Latin inscription ''Pontificeamus'' (“Let us build bridges.”). The annual Edward Meeks Gregory Service Award at Christchurch School is given to a worthy student each year. On January 22, 2007, a stained glass window honoring the Rev. Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory was dedicated in the Chapel of Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian fellowship and residential community in a former monastery in Richmond, Va. The Reverend Edward Meeks Gregory Papers are open for research at James Branch Cabell Library of

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

Biography

References

Further reading