Harold Perry, 1St Black This Century To Be U.S. Roman Catholic Bishop

NEW ORLEANS - Bishop Harold R. Perry, the first African American consecrated as a Roman Catholic bishop in the 20th century, died yesterday. He was 74.

The Most Rev. Perry, auxiliary bishop of New Orleans since 1965, died of complications of Alzheimer's disease at a health-care center, the church said.

"As the first African-American bishop in this century, he was a symbol of the great changes which have taken place in our church and in our country," Archbishop Francis Schulte said.

There was at least one black U.S. Catholic bishop in the 19th century, Bishop James Healy of Portland, Maine, who served from 1875 to 1900.

In 1964, Bishop Perry became the first black clergyman to deliver the opening prayer in Congress.

A native of Lake Charles, Bishop Perry was the eldest son of a French-speaking rice-mill worker and a domestic cook. He was ordained in 1944 - the 26th black man in the history of American Catholicism to attain priesthood.

For eight years he served as an associate pastor at parishes in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi before being sent to Broussard, La., as founding pastor of St. Joseph's parish for the 1,000 black Catholics.

In 1958, he was named rector at Divine Word Seminary in Bay St. Louis, his alma mater.

In 1965, the Most Rev. Perry was named auxiliary bishop.

Bishop Perry served as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus parishes in New Orleans and as rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

He observed the silver jubilee of his consecration as a bishop earlier this year at a ceremony in St. Louis cathedral.

A wake service will be held Sunday in the cathedral. A burial Mass, conducted by Schulte, was scheduled for Monday.

Several bishops, including some of the 15 black bishops who have been named since 1965, were expected to attend.

Bishop Perry is survived by two brothers, Dr. Frank A. Perry of Nashville, Tenn., and Dr. James Perry of Oakland, Calif., and two sisters, Thelma Perry White of Washington, D.C., and Verlie Perry Kennedy of Oakland.