America's First Negro Bishop

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 26, 28 June 1906, Page 30

America's First Negro Bishop

A Latin American newspaper (says J;he ' Boston Transcript ') ,brmgs an ( interesting account of Monsignor Goniez~jfimenta s , bishop of Marianna, Brazil, who has recently died. Previous to his death he had the distinction of being the first bishop of the ' colored race in the .New World.' - " ' Sllveria Gomez Pimtnta was th-3 son of slave parents. Born in extreme poverty, he knew what it was to toe destitute and hungry, \vnen a child lie attended school half-narked and bare-footed, but he was from the first remarkable for his application and his -good conduct. He was, in fact, so excellent a schoolboy that his case came to the "attention of the Archbishop of Balua,, who took a liking- to the exceptional young negro and placed him, after some time, in the seminary of his See city. Here Pimenta, now a young man, pursued his studies for the piicsthood. While still young fie was raised to the episcopal dignity as Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of Balua. In this he still won favor, and when the late Pope Leo XIII. restored the diocese of Marianna, 'Amazon, whose area was 300,000; square kilometres and whose population was two millions, he designated as its prelate the negro Bishop. This new office was by no means a sinecure. For years the Bishop's territory had been more or less neglected, and the state of religion was far from ideal. He was almost alone and without resources, in his vast diocese. Added to this, it had been the scene of an anti-Catholic propaganda which rendered the new Bishop's task particularly difficult. But this son of slave parents, who had overcome so many obstacles in his life, was not discouraged by the situation, no matter how

hopeless it seemed. He bent every effort to the work t in hand-to the buildung and r maintaining of churches, schools, seminaries,, houses #f charity, etc., and gave so little thought to himself ar.d his own dignity as a Bishop -or even to his own comfort as a man, that he often went almost as- pooily cla-d, and 'certainly cwith feet as destitute of covering, as when Jie attended school y«ars. before in Balua. But he succeeded before death in rehabilitating the diocese which he" had j found in ruins, and in elevating the tone of its religious I and social life. I The merit of this negro Bishop was not confined to. his own diocese or to Brazil ;, nor did his life or labor prevent him- from continuing these studies in -which he showed himself so- brilliant at school. He was -a man ; ot vast learning and had a. high repatation among Orietn- : talists for his knowledge of the Semitic languages.