The Tribune

FATHER George Clements, the world renowned and most decorated priest of all time, is expected to be one of the featured guest speakers at the annual R E Cooper Sr Meritorious Service Award Gala Banquet later this year.

Fr Clements was the subject of a film, which starred Academy Award winner Lou Gosset Jr, Malcolm Jamal-Warner and Carroll O’Connor, that featured the life of the first priest ever allowed to adopt children after a tumultuous fight with the Roman Catholic Church that ended up with the Pope. He was finally given permission and he adopted four boys, who have gone on to productive lives.

However, his story started from the Civil Rights Days and the March on Selma with Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Fr Clements played a prominent role in Civil Rights, especially in his town of Chicago. His story went on to chronicle his many fights with the gangs and drug dealers of the south side of Chicago. These fights with the gangs ended up with his Holy Angels Church being burnt to the ground.

Fr Clements escaped death many times as he was a target for the gangs, but his goal was to make a difference. He has been around the world many times, and invited on hundreds of TV shows. His home in Chicago is decorated with the many awards, plaques, certificates, keys to the city etc, that demonstrate how in demand he is for appearances all over the world.

Although he was considered controversial, Fr Clements is also known as a man of honour. Following his fight with the Catholic Diocese in Chicago, he was sent to The Bahamas where he was Pastor of Resurrection Church of East Street South, for three years.

Fr Clements considered his stay in the Bahamas one of the best times of his career. He went back to Chicago and then moved to Washington, where he started several national organisations, most notably the One Church One Addict, which dealt with the drug effects on addicts and how to help them. He then went on to start One Church One Child that dealt with African American adopting; and One Church One Inmate to help with the many African American prisoners being moved back into society.

The Mission Baptist Church, in celebrating its Diamond Jubilee Anniversary, will host the annual R E Cooper Sr National Meritorious Award for Service on October 29 at the Atlantis Imperial Ballroom. Dozens of celebrities and personalities are expected for the historic occasion as 21 outstanding people will be honoured for their service to help others in various categories.

Fr Clements has accepted the invitation to speak at the event and also to receive one of the awards for his service to mankind. He will be joined by other top celebrities who will be announced later this month.

The award will culminate a week of activities for all of the honourees, which include a school assembly presentation, a meeting with high ranking officials, an ecumenical service, a private luncheon and the gala function at Atlantis.

Many of the outstanding honourees will also be announced later this month. According to Dr R E Cooper, Jr, the keeper of his father’s legacy, many of these honourees have done so much to help others but yet have not been recognised for their contribution.

“We have looked at dozens of people who have done so much for our country and the world at large, but with Bahamian connections and they have been mostly overlooked for any kind of recognition,” Dr Cooper said. “True, they may not be looking for any, but based on their compassion for others and the service that they have offered we feel that they should be recognised. Based on what Dr R E Cooper Sr stood for, we have found it easier to select these individuals and publicly recognise them for their contribution to others”.