While researching the architectural history of Greek American
churches in Philadelphia, I came upon Raphael Morgan, a
fascinating individual. Reverend Morgan became the first African
American Orthodox priest. He was born in Jamaica in the 1860s or
1870s, was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1895, converted
to Orthodoxy in 1907 and was ordained. I will not recount
Morgan's life story here, but simply refer you to his Wikipedia
biography and a lecture by Matthew Namee (also available on
podcast). What is amazing to me is that Fr. Raphael was an
integral part of the Greek community between 1907 and 1916. His
religious sponsor for ordination was Fr. Demetrios Petrides,
whom I mentioned in yesterday's posting on the Greek churches of
Lancaster. Fr. Raphael's home was the Church of the
Annunciation, the first Greek-Orthodox parish in Philadelphia.
Originally an Episcopalian church (All Saints), the building was
bought by the Greeks in 1908 and was converted into the
Annunciation. It was torn down in the 1960s, a