Eugene Antonio Marino, SSJ (May 29, 1934 – November 12, 2000) was an American

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

prelate who served as archbishop of Atlanta from 1988 until 1990. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Washington In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

from 1974 to 1988. He was the first African-American Catholic archbishop in history and the first African-American bishop in Washington. Marino was a member of the Josephites. Marino resigned as archbishop of Atlanta in 1990, under accusations of having a sexual relationship with a female lay minister. He later worked as a chaplain and counselor in New York until his death in 2000.

Biography

Early life and education

Marino was born on May 29, 1934, in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, the sixth of eight children to Jesús María Marino, a baker, and Lottie Irene Bradford Marino, a maid. He attended parochial schools in Biloxi before joining the Josephites. Marino attended Epiphany Apostolic College in Baltimore, Maryland, and later earned his master's degree from St. Joseph's Seminary in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. He also completed a master's degree in religious education at

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

in the Bronx.

Priesthood

Marino was ordained a priest for the Josephites at the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington D.C. It is the largest Catholic church building in North America and is also the tallest habitable building in Wa ...

in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 1962, by Archbishop

Philip Hannan Philip Matthew Hannan (May 20, 1913 – September 29, 2011) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington from ...

. After his ordination, Marino taught religion and

physical science Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together is called the "physical sciences". Definition ...

at Epiphany College in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...

, for seven years. He served as the spiritual director at St. Joseph's Seminary in Washington, D.C., from 1968 until 1971, when he was appointed

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Josephites.

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

On July 12, 1974, Marino was named an auxiliary bishop of Washington by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. He was consecrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by Cardinal William Baum on September 12, 1974, with Bishops Harold Perry and Edward John Herrmann serving as co-consecrators. In 1984, Marino authored a

pastoral letter A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circu ...

on evangelization by the African-American bishops. Marino was named the secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1985, the first African-American to hold that position. Fordham University in 1986 awarded Marino an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1987, Marino organized a trip for African-American Catholics to see

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. During a talk with these men and women, he stated:

Archbishop of Atlanta

John Paul II appointed Marino as the archbishop of Atlanta on March 14, 1988. He was installed on May 5, 1988, becoming the first African-American archbishop. He would later be involved in efforts to address the sexual misconduct of priests.

Resignation and legacy

In May 1990, Marino suffered

chest pain Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with n ...

s while visiting New York. His doctors prescribed rest and seclusion. Marino resigned as archbishop on July 10, 1990, citing the need for "spiritual renewal, psychological therapy and medical supervision". He then underwent a six-week-long period of counseling. Over 25,000 Catholics sent him letters of support in a campaign orchestrated by African-American Catholic leaders. In August 1990, Vicki Long, a female lay minister, claimed that she and Marino had been engaged in a personal relationship while he was an auxiliary bishop in Washington. She had originally sought counseling with Marino after having a sexual relationship with a priest in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Long said she and Marino exchanged rings in a secret ceremony in 1988. After finishing his treatment following the scandal, Marino quietly moved to

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,488 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma hosts the annual Highland Festival on Memo ...

, to serve as chaplain for the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...

. In 1995, he moved to

Harrison, New York Harrison is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town and Administrative divisions of New York (state), village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York Cit ...

, to work at St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester, counseling patients on sexual behavior and

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

. He was also employed as a counselor and confidant for fellow priests and nuns at Salesian High School in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

. In 1999, Cardinal John O'Connor honored Marino in a small ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on the 25th anniversary of his appointment as bishop. On November 12, 2000, Marino died at age 66 in the St. Ignatius Retreat House in

Manhasset, New York Manhasset is an affluent Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is co ...

, of a heart attack. He was buried in

. Of his eight siblings, one brother and four sisters survived him.''Eugene Marino, 1st Black Catholic Archbishop, Dies Of Heart Attack In Atlanta''
Obituary
December 4, 2000. Retrieved on April 3, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marino, Eugene Antonio 1934 births 2000 deaths People from Biloxi, Mississippi 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Loyola University Chicago alumni Fordham University alumni American people of Puerto Rican descent Roman Catholic archbishops of Atlanta Catholics from Mississippi African-American Roman Catholic archbishops American Roman Catholic archbishops Josephite bishops Epiphany Apostolic College St. Joseph's Seminary (Washington, DC) Afro-Latino culture in the United States Puerto Rican people of African-American descent African-American members of Catholic religious communities