Reverend George H. Clements

1985 Solomon Carter Fuller Award Recipient

Lecture Title: Opening our Hearts and Our Hearths   

Reverend Clements was ordained in May 1957 after completing bachelor and master of arts degrees in philosophy and a bachelor of arts degree in sacred theology and Licentiate of Sacred Theology at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He was the pastor of Chicago's Holy Angels Church, dedicating himself to improving the lives of youth, families, and Black people.

A founder and executive director of the Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, Rev. Clements was also a board member of the Better Boys Foundation, the NAACP, the Paul Hall Boys Club, and the Black United Fund. In addition, he was chaplain and founder of the Afro-American Patrolmen's League and founder and president of One Church, One Child, a program that finds Black adoptive parents for Black children. In recognition of his work, numerous organizations have presented awards to Rev. Clements, including the Association of Chicago Priests, which gave him the Pope John XXIII Award as the Priest of the Year, and the APA’s Solomon Carter Fuller Award recipient in 1985.