First African American cardinal to celebrate MLK Mass in Phoenix
Tony Gutiérrez, The Catholic Sun – January 6, 2026
Last year, Cardinal Wilton Gregory became the first African American to participate in a papal conclave, which eventually elected Pope Leo XIV. While there have been African cardinals from the earliest days of the Church, Cardinal Gregory is the first U.S. citizen of African descent to wear the red cassock. The history-making prelate will concelebrate and preach at the diocese’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mass at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 at Xavier College Preparatory High School’s Chapel of Our Lady in Central Phoenix.
Following the Mass, the diocese’s Black Catholic Ministry will host the MLK Service Awards and Prayer Breakfast, recognizing students who have found ways to embody Dr. King’s legacy of justice, compassion and service in today’s world. Cardinal Gregory will also celebrate Mass the next day at St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish in Phoenix — the diocese’s personal parish for Black Catholics — at 11 a.m.
Cardinal Gregory, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., had several firsts as an African American, including the first to be named a cardinal and first to serve as president of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference. His tenure as USCCB president (2001-2004) came during one of the most difficult periods in the American Church’s history when the sex abuse crisis rocked the nation. In the history of the Church in the U.S., there have been 29 black bishops but only four archbishops, including Cardinal Gregory.