Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory

Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory

Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory (1922–1995) was an Episcopalian priest in Richmond, Virginia. Reverend Meeks held the first gay marriage ceremony in Virginia, on the lawn of St. Peter's Church in Richmond, in August 1978.

Biography

Edward Meeks Gregory was born the fifth of seven children of Constance Adela (nee Heath) Gregory (1890-1982) and George Craghead Gregory (1887-1956) at "Granite Hall", the family estate in northwestern Chesterfield County, Virginia on September 30, 1922. His father was a prominent attorney, businessman and historian.

He became an Episcopalian priest in Richmond. He was associated with Christ Church School, Christ-Church, Virginia; St. Marks Episcopal Church, Richmond, and lastly, St. Peters Episcopal Church in Richmond. During the era of Massive Resistance and the desegregation crisis post-Brown v. Board of Education 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. [ http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=11356 ] Reverend Meeks held the first gay marriage ceremony in Virginia, on the lawn of St. Peter's Church in Richmond, in August 1978. [ http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/lagar/listserv.html ] 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. [ http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=11356 ] 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. [ http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/lagar/listserv.html ]

He died in 1995. His tombstone in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery bears the Latin inscription, “Pontificeamus,” or in English, “Let us build bridges.”

The annual Edward Meeks Gregory Service Award at Christ Church School is given to a worthy student each year. [ http://www.christchurchschool.org/news/press/detail.asp?newsid=277590 ] On January 22, 2007, a stained glass window honoring the Rev. Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory was be dedicated in the Chapel of Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian fellowship and residential community in a former monastery in Richmond, Va. [ http://www.thediocese.net/News_services/communique/full_email011107.html ] [ http://richmondhillva.org/who.html ] The Reverend Edward Meeks Gregory Papers are open for research at James Branch Cabell Library of Virginia Commonwealth University. [ http://www.library.vcu.edu/newdominion.]

References

Further reading

*Claflin, Mary Anne, and Richardson, Elizabeth Guy (1977) "Bon Air: A History", Hale Publishing, Richmond, Virginia
*Sorely, Merrow Egerton (1935) "Lewis of Warner Hall"

.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • George C. Gregory — George Craghead Gregory (July 17, 1878 August 25, 1956) was an American attorney, businessman, historian, and author. He lived with his wife and seven children at Granite Hall , an estate located near Granite in northwestern Chesterfield County… …   Wikipedia

  • Christianity — /kris chee an i tee/, n., pl. Christianities. 1. the Christian religion, including the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches. 2. Christian beliefs or practices; Christian quality or character: Christianity mixed with pagan elements; …   Universalium

  • Western architecture — Introduction       history of Western architecture from prehistoric Mediterranean cultures to the present.       The history of Western architecture is marked by a series of new solutions to structural problems. During the period from the… …   Universalium

  • United States congressional delegations from New York — These are tables of congressional delegations from New York to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Over the years, New York has demographically changed so that it is hard to consider each district to be a… …   Wikipedia

  • biblical literature — Introduction       four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha.       The Old… …   Universalium

  • The Young and the Restless minor characters — The following are characters from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless who are notable for their actions or relationships, but who do not warrant their own articles. Contents 1 Current Characters 1.1 Genevieve …   Wikipedia

  • List of Democratic Party superdelegates, 2008 — State vote totals respective to the number of superdelegates that correspond to that candidate.[clarification needed] This is a list of Democratic party unpledged delegates, also known as …   Wikipedia

  • Ontario general election, 1990 — 1987 ← September 6, 1990 → 1995 …   Wikipedia

  • List of current National Football League staffs — The following is a list of current National Football League (NFL) team staffs: Contents 1 AFC East 1.1 Buffalo Bills 1.2 Miami Dolphins 1.3 New England Patriots …   Wikipedia

  • Liste des joueurs de NBA — Cette liste regroupe l ensemble des joueurs ayant évolué en National Basketball Association. Les joueurs actuels, jouant en NBA sont inscrits en gras. Cette liste inclut des joueurs de la National Basketball League (NBL), de la Basketball… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”