Robert Carter (priest)

The Reverend Dr
Robert Carter
SJ
Born
Robert Earl Carter

(1927-07-27)July 27, 1927
Chicago, Illinois, United States
DiedFebruary 22, 2010(2010-02-22) (aged 82)
The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Roman Catholic priest and LGBT rights activist
Known forLGBT rights activism, one of the first Roman Catholic priests in the United States to declare himself gay
Parent(s)Earl and Ila Grace Smith Carter

Robert Earl Carter (July 27, 1927 – February 22, 2010) was an American Roman Catholic priest and LGBT rights activist.

Early life

Carter was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 27, 1927, the son of Earl and Ila Grace Smith Carter. The Carters were Protestants who worshiped in different traditions. Carter grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, and later Park Ridge, Illinois.[1]

Career

Carter graduated from the University of Chicago in June 1946 and the next day was received into the Catholic Church as a convert. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1954 and was subsequently ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1963.[2] He became a scholar on John Chrysostom.[1]

Carter was gay, and became one of the first Roman Catholic priests in the United States to acknowledge this publicly after he became one of the founders of the National Gay Task Force in 1973 (later the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force).[1]

Death

Carter died on February 22, 2010, at his residence at Fordham University in The Bronx, New York City, New York.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Robert Carter, SJ - Profiles". LGBTQ Religious Archives Network. March 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Hevesi, Dennis (15 March 2010). "Robert Carter, Priest and Gay Activist, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.

Further reading