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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING HIS EMINENCE WILTON DANIEL CARDINAL GREGORY ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ELEVATION TO CARDINAL IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the Cook County Board of Commissioners that Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory was elevated to the rank of Cardinal Priest on November 28, 2020 at the Vatican by His Holiness Pope Francis; and
WHEREAS, Wilton Daniel Gregory was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended St Carthage Grammar School. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and Niles College in Chicago and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein; and
WHEREAS, Wilton Daniel Gregory was ordained to the priesthood by John Cardinal Cody on May 9, 1973; and
WHEREAS, Wilton Daniel Gregory performed pastoral work in Glenview at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge, Illinois. He also taught at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary and served as a Master of Ceremonies under Cardinals Cody and Bernardin; and
WHEREAS, Wilton Daniel Gregory was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Oliva on October 31, 1983; and
WHEREAS, on December 29, 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Wilton Daniel Gregory the seventh Bishop of Belleville; and
WHEREAS, from 2001 to 2004, Wilton Daniel Gregory served as the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the first African American to head an episcopal conference, and served as Vice President from 1998 to 2001 as well as chairman of several committees, and
WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II, in one of his last episcopal appointments before his death, named Bishop Gregory the seventh Archbishop of Atlanta on December 9, 2004, and
WHEREAS, on April 4, 2019, Pope Francis named Wilton Daniel Gregory Archbishop of Washington; and
WHEREAS, during Cardinal Gregory’s Presidency of the United States Conference of Bishops, the American bishops issued the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”, and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory is the first African American Cardinal from the United States; and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory has worked tirelessly throughout his career to address many of the significant social and economic issues that affect all Americans and has sought a role for the Catholic Church in finding solutions to problems that burden those who are less fortunate in our society; and
WHEREAS, Cardinal Gregory has written extensively on church issues, including pastoral statements on the death penalty and social justice issues. Cardinal Gregory has published numerous articles on the subject of liturgy, particularly in the African American community; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board does hereby offer its heartfelt congratulations to His Eminence Wilton Daniel Cardinal Gregory and wishes him much success in his important role as Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body, and a suitable copy of the same be tendered to His Eminence Wilton Daniel Cardinal Gregory.
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