Charlotte diocese’s first African American priest dies. ‘His impact was far-reaching.’
Rev. Wilbur Thomas was a quiet trailblazer and rock of fraternal support to those who knew him.
For 50 years he served the Diocese of Charlotte and was its first African American priest. His beautiful voice could fill the pews of a church, while his steady presence assured those close to him.
“We had some giants among the priests of our diocese and Wilbur was one of those giants who not only inspired confidence and hope for the church, but a great deal of faith,” Rev. Morris Boyd, a retired priest and longtime friend, said.
Thomas died peacefully on Dec. 6 at CarePartners Hospice Solace Center in Asheville, surrounded by family and friends, the Catholic News Herald reported. He was 75.
The rite of committal and inurnment will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, at St. Eugene Catholic Church, located at 72 Culvern St. in Asheville.
Fellow priests remember Thomas well, but his impact was far-reaching, Sam Cooper, who is Black and the parish council chairman of Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, said.
The sanctuary located on Badger Court in northeast Charlotte is the largest African American Catholic parish between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Cooper said. The reason it is, is largely because of Thomas.
Thomas started the Perpetual Hope Gospel choir at the parish, where he would mix old Negro spirituals with gospel music, Cooper said. His prolific sermons attracted all, and he brought the church from financial ruins when he arrived in 1979 to its prominence today, he added.
“He touched a lot of people outside of just Catholicism,” Cooper said. “He truly laid the groundwork for the African American heritage in the church.”
His love for his faith and priesthood
Thomas was born April 17, 1947 in Charlotte, and adopted as an infant by Wilbur O. and Ruth N. Thomas of Lexington, North Carolina. When he was 10, a local priest inspired his parents to convert to Catholicism, after a stroke left his father bedridden, an obit published in the Catholic Herald News said. When Thomas was 12 he too decided to become Catholic.
“He was a good man, he was a holy man too,” Rev. Ed Sheridan, a retired priest and longtime friend, said. “He took his vocation extremely serious.”
Thomas was ordained to priesthood on March 26, 1973. At the time, he was among the first African American Catholic priests ordained in North Carolina. Shortly after, he transferred to the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte becoming its first Black priest.
Thomas had a way of breaking down barriers and any prejudices he may face. He was a true example for any priest in the diocese, Sheridan said.
“He just did his work and people saw how good he is and how sincere he was and they accepted him with open arms,” he said.
Boyd said he remembered fondly working together with Thomas at Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina.
Sometimes he would hear the deeply private man singing in his office in between prayers, he said. His marvelous voice was well known and one time even got him brought on stage with the Platters, a 50’s musical group.
Boyd said he had heard about the night from another priest, but two weeks before Thomas passed he finally confirmed it in a phone call.
“Wilbur was a good friend and it was just a privilege to know him,” Boyd said.
“He’s a priest for other priests”
Monsignor Patrick Winslow, Vicar General and Chancellor of Diocese of Charlotte, said Thomas was already a fixture when he met him in the early 2000s.
“He was woven into the institution of the church in western North Carolina,” he said. “He was very much a part of the foundation of the new diocese.”
Thomas helped form the African American Affairs Ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte in 1985. The initiative celebrates and promotes the contributions of Black Catholics, Winslow said. He also helped to create the Campus Ministry and Youth Ministry programs for the diocese. He served as the first Youth Ministry director from 1976 to 1979.
He was passionate about the youth and was a guiding hand for fellow priests, Winslow said. Thomas served as Vicar of Priests, where he provided mentoring and pastoral services for other diocesan priests
“He’s a priest for other priests,” he said.
He had a love for meetings, but it really came out of place of wanting to be surrounded by people, Winslow said. He was a peacemaker and bridge builder. If there were tough topics to discuss, he wanted to ensure people had a space to speak truthfully, Winslow said.
“I would say that his love for God was only rivaled by his love for people,” he said.
A trailblazer
Thomas’ legacy will be enduring, but as with most priests it will be the unseen effects that are truly lasting, Winslow said.
“He had a great impact in what we do see,” Winslow said.
Catholics are a small population in the deep south, he said. While it’s often referred to as the Bible Belt, Catholics were not always included. When the Diocese of Charlotte was formed 50 years ago, there were only tens of thousands of Catholics across North Carolina compared with the millions of protestants, Winslow said.
It was important to have Black Catholics represented and reflected through the presbyterate, Winslow said. Thomas represented the church’s Black roots and Black Catholics across the state, he said.
“He was part of the beautiful seed known as the church,” Winslow said. “He is in that sense foundational.”
That foundation inspired others.
Cooper said growing up in Whiteville, North Carolina his family was the only Black family in the Catholic church he was raised in.
Coming to Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church was galvanizing, Cooper, who has been a parishioner for 42 years, said.
Every Sunday morning Cooper drives past three different Catholic churches just to get to Consolation.
The church plans to hold a service to honor his legacy, but a time has not yet been set, Cooper said.
A Vigil and Rosary was held on Tuesday at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina. The Funeral Mass was also celebrated at the Basilica on Wednesday.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 11:22 AM.
