George Alexander McGuire
Encyclopedia
George Alexander McGuire was the first Bishop
, Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate
of the African Orthodox Church
(AOC). He was an Episcopal Priest
who became involved in a movement to establish a Black Anglican denomination. He was consecrated a Bishop 28 September 1921 in Chicago, Illinois by Joseph Rene Vilatte
, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of America of the Syrian Church of Antioch. Archbishop Vilatte was assisted by Bishop Carl A. Nybladh. This consecration placed Bishop McGuire in valid apostolic succession, something he greatly desired.
McGuire was from the Caribbean and was born on 28 March 1866 in Sweets, Antigua. He studied in local grammar schools, a teacher's college and the Moravian Seminary. He first served as a pastor of Moravian churches. Later in his career in 1910, he became a physician and surgeon at the Boston College of Physicians and Surgeons while he was a pastor in Cambridge, MA.
The AOC was originally called the Independent Episcopal Church. At its first Conclave (i.e., meeting of its House of Bishops), 10 September 1924, the name was changed to African Orthodox Church. Rev. McGuire was unanimously elected Archbishop of this new Church, enthroned with the title Archbishop Alexander.
Rev. McGuire has previously served for several years as the Chaplain
of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), an organization founded and led by Marcus Garvey
. When he decided in 1924 to relocate UNIA headquarters to the West Indies, McGuire decided to leave UNIA and instead devote himself to the expansion of his Church. Endick Theological Seminary was founded shortly thereafter, as well as an Order of Deaconesses. A church magazine
, the Negro Churchman, also began publication with McGuire as its Editor
.
McGuire founded a parish of his denomination in West Palm Beach, Florida
in 1925. Two years after that, he consecrated an African clergy as Metropolitan Archbishop for South Africa
and central and southern Africa, William Daniel Alexander. At the same time McGuire was elected Patriarch
of the denomination with the title Alexander I. The church then spread to Uganda, as well.
On 8 November 1931 McGuire dedicated Holy Cross Pro-Cathedral
in New York City
. His church maintained its greatest strength in NYC.
Patriarch McGuire died 10 November 1934. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, NYC. He was survived by his wife, Ada Robert McGuire (a native of Antigua), and one daughter. At the time of his death the African Orthodox Church had about 30,000 members and about fifty clergy in thirty parishes located in the U.S.A., Africa
, Cuba
, Antigua
and Venezuela
. George Alexander McGuire was canonized by the African Orthodox Church on July 31, 1983 and is considered a saint of the church.
African Americans and Orthodox Christianity
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
of the African Orthodox Church
African Orthodox Church
The African Orthodox Church is a primarily African-American denomination founded in the United States in 1921. It has approximately 15 parishes and 5,000 members, down significantly from the time of its greatest strength....
(AOC). He was an Episcopal Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who became involved in a movement to establish a Black Anglican denomination. He was consecrated a Bishop 28 September 1921 in Chicago, Illinois by Joseph Rene Vilatte
Joseph René Vilatte
Joseph René Vilatte was, at different times, a Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Russian Orthodox and Jacobite...
, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of America of the Syrian Church of Antioch. Archbishop Vilatte was assisted by Bishop Carl A. Nybladh. This consecration placed Bishop McGuire in valid apostolic succession, something he greatly desired.
McGuire was from the Caribbean and was born on 28 March 1866 in Sweets, Antigua. He studied in local grammar schools, a teacher's college and the Moravian Seminary. He first served as a pastor of Moravian churches. Later in his career in 1910, he became a physician and surgeon at the Boston College of Physicians and Surgeons while he was a pastor in Cambridge, MA.
The AOC was originally called the Independent Episcopal Church. At its first Conclave (i.e., meeting of its House of Bishops), 10 September 1924, the name was changed to African Orthodox Church. Rev. McGuire was unanimously elected Archbishop of this new Church, enthroned with the title Archbishop Alexander.
Rev. McGuire has previously served for several years as the Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), an organization founded and led by Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
. When he decided in 1924 to relocate UNIA headquarters to the West Indies, McGuire decided to leave UNIA and instead devote himself to the expansion of his Church. Endick Theological Seminary was founded shortly thereafter, as well as an Order of Deaconesses. A church magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, the Negro Churchman, also began publication with McGuire as its Editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
McGuire founded a parish of his denomination in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
in 1925. Two years after that, he consecrated an African clergy as Metropolitan Archbishop for South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and central and southern Africa, William Daniel Alexander. At the same time McGuire was elected Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of the denomination with the title Alexander I. The church then spread to Uganda, as well.
On 8 November 1931 McGuire dedicated Holy Cross Pro-Cathedral
Pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His church maintained its greatest strength in NYC.
Patriarch McGuire died 10 November 1934. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, NYC. He was survived by his wife, Ada Robert McGuire (a native of Antigua), and one daughter. At the time of his death the African Orthodox Church had about 30,000 members and about fifty clergy in thirty parishes located in the U.S.A., Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. George Alexander McGuire was canonized by the African Orthodox Church on July 31, 1983 and is considered a saint of the church.
See also
- African Orthodox ChurchAfrican Orthodox ChurchThe African Orthodox Church is a primarily African-American denomination founded in the United States in 1921. It has approximately 15 parishes and 5,000 members, down significantly from the time of its greatest strength....
- Harlem RenaissanceHarlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
- Orthodox Christianity in UgandaOrthodox Christianity in UgandaUganda is the first country to the south of the Sahara where an Orthodox Christian community began to form.-Present day:Currently there are four Eparchies which are united into a Metropolia headed by Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga. The Metropolia is in Namungona, a suburb of the capital Kampala. The...
African Americans and Orthodox Christianity
- Raphael MorganRaphael MorganVery Rev. Raphael Morgan was a Jamaican-American priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, designated as "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies, later the founder and superior of the Order of the Cross of Golgotha, and thought to be the first Black Orthodox clergyman in America.He spoke...
- Albert J. RaboteauAlbert J. RaboteauAlbert Jordy Raboteau is an African American scholar of African and African American religions.Before Raboteau was born, his father, Albert Jordy Raboteau , was killed in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, by a white man who was never convicted of the crime. His mother moved from the South where she was...