Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin
***********************************************************************
December 25, 2021
Father Martin Carter, SA., passed away this morning at Cabrini Center.
************************************************************************
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: FriarsNotice
To: Communications
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 11:27:01 AM EST
Subject: Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
A Message from the Minister General and Council – December 28, 2021
Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
Funeral arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA are as follows. All services will be held in Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel, Graymoor.
Friday, January 7, 2022
Reception of the Body at 4 p.m.
Visiting hours from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Wake service at 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.
Interment to follow in the Friars' cemetery.
Luncheon in the Friars' Dining Room will immediately follow the Mass.
All who plan to attend the luncheon are asked to RSVP to the Minister General's office at 845-424-2113.
***************************************************************************************
Please note: The Funeral Mass will be recorded and broadcast on January 8th on the Friars' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AtonementFriars/.
****************************************************************************************
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
cid:[email protected]
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
40 Franciscan Way, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-2113
****************************************************************************************
December 9, 2021
Fr. Martin Carter, SA., is alive and well. He continues his rehab at Cabrini Center, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester, NY.
***********************************************
A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER GENERAL AND COUNCIL – AUGUST 19, 2020
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
We ask your prayers for Father Martin Carter, SA.
Fr. Martin suffered a fractured left hip and a broken leg in a fall at Cabrini Nursing Home. He was admitted on Monday to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Although he is not able to receive visitors, Fr. Martin can be reached at the Medical Center at 914-493-7000. Press option 3 for patient information to be connected to his room.
***********************************************************************************
Professed: July 14, 1950
Ordained: April 19, 1975
Please Note:
Father Martin Carter, SA., is indeed alive and in residence at Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
I'm in the process of gathering material on the life of an extraordinary friar priest who was so proud of who he was.
******************************************************
Please see the Obituary of his sister who passed away on
February 23th 2020, who in her own life was "Extraordinal".
*****************************************************
Father Martin Carter, SA
Born in North Carolina, Fr. Carter entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1948, professed his first vows in 1950 and was ordained in 1975. In 1977, while teaching at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, he was instrumental in founding Kujenga, an organization dedicated to nurturing leadership abilities among black Catholic youth. Kujenga was founded in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1977, it means "to build" in Swahili. Father Martin Carter, S.A., who directed the Brooklyn Diocese's Office of Black Ministry in the late 1980s, introduced Kujenga in that New York City borough in 1989. Father Carter described Kujenga as a leadership-training program to emphasize young people's positive identity and gifts. "The youngsters I've talked to have been ecstatic to participate," he said. "They have gone on to college; they are raising families; they are living out their professions."
Father Carter participated in the 25th anniversary Kujenga retreat in Brooklyn, sponsored by the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, the retreat offered them an opportunity "to build" (kujenga in Swahili) their leadership skills and spirituality.
He worked in the Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1982 until 1988 and also served as Director of Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn before becoming pastor at Our Lady of Victory where he served from 1995 to 2008.
Credit: Graymoor Newsletter.
*********************************************************************************
Reflections on Nelson Mandela's Legacy of Reconciliation and At-One-Ment
A FRIAR REFLECTS
An interview with Father Martin Carter, SA Nelson Mandela died in December and many reflected on his legacy of ending apartheid in South Africa. He grew up in a totally segregated area of Soweto, and when he went to Johannesburg, he began to see the devastation of apartheid. He became an activist to effect change in his country. He was imprisoned for 27 years, and an international effort for his release changed the history of South Africa. He was elected that country's first Black president, and in that role he worked toward long awaited peace and reconciliation for all South African people. Father Martin Carter, SA, as a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement sees the connection to the friars' charism of unity and atonement. "Nelson was living the Gospel, despite the fact he was not a religious man," said Fr. Martin. "He stood for unity and atonement. He sought peace and reconciliation. He insisted on forgiving those who persecuted him." Throughout his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela focused on a poem by English Victorian poet, William Ernest Henly, to give him strength to stand tall in prison. The poem called "Invictus" says "… my head is bloody but unbowed." "I first met Nelson in 1993 in Brooklyn after he got out of Robben Island. He came to New York, and the Ministerial Association of Manhattan asked me to write a two minute piece for a rationale as to why Americans should donate to Mandela's South African election fund," said Fr. Martin. "He had a strong hand shake and would look you in the eye and talk to you as if he knew you your whole life." "Before I met Mandela, I was part of the anti-
apartheid ministry with Randall Robertson and others in New York who were working to trying to get Nelson out of prison as he served his long sentence," he added. "In 2007 a group of educators, politicians and business people came from South Africa to promote business, and I was asked to address them. They then invited me to South Africa to speak to university students and community leaders, and I was to see him at that time, but he was too ill for visitors," said Fr. Martin. "It had to be At-One-Ment to drive him to do what he did," said Fr. Martin. "He lived the experience of a man of Christian faith. As the poem "Invictus" says, "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Father Martin Carter, SA, has served in many ministries including as the first Director of Office for Black Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Raleigh, NC which was founded in 1983. In 1995, Father Carter was appointed the first black pastor in the 126-year history of Our Lady of Victory, in Brooklyn. Today, he lives at Graymoor in Garrison.
****************************************************************************
Brooklyn
New York
'Fathers Martin' leave with a big sense of Victory
By CLEM RICHARDSON
DAILY NEWS COLUMNIST
Apr 20, 2007 | 4:00 AM
"I'm sure we left this church better than we found it," Carter, 77, said of the Throop Ave. sanctuary, which, when he took over 12 years ago, was down to its last $500 and in danger of being closed by the Diocese of Brooklyn.
"The pastor handed me the keys and said, "The bad news is you only have $500 in the checking account," Carter said. "The good news is you have no debt."
Madison, 73, joined him in 1996. Since then, the two have overseen an almost complete renovation of the church and grounds, including its buildings. They've replaced the boilers and added a chapel in the basement, where smaller masses are now held. Membership has grown to more than 500 people.
They've also completed a ministerial milestone: Carter was the first African-American to serve as pastor at Our Lady of Victory in the church's history. When Madison joined him, the church was one of the few Catholic sanctuaries in the country to have two African-Americans at its head.
"They are two wonderful priests who have made an impact on the lives of the people they served," said Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. "They served with love and commitment. We're grateful to the Atonement Friars for the work they have done at Our Lady of Victory."
The two will officiate their final Our Lady of Victory Mass at the end of the month.
Both will return to Graymoor and the Society of Atonement friary in Putnam County, where they plan to study, reflect and travel.
Their careers have followed divergent but often similar paths which saw them on occasion reverse roles - though Carter is Madison's pastor at Our Lady of Victory, Madison was once Carter's pastor in Carter's home parish, Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in High Point, N.C.
They've been family friends for more than 50 years - their brothers were classmates at Catholic University in Washington in the 1950s.
Carter was born in High Point, a twin in a family of 15 - seven boys and eight girls. He was 18 when he was called to become a friar.
"You don't choose what you want to be," Carter said. "You choose what God wants you to be. When God calls, you answer."
After studying at the order's training center at Saranac Lake, Carter attended the Pope John XXIII Seminary, did his undergraduate work at Chicago State University, and graduate and doctoral work at Harvard, Emerson College and at the University of Chicago's McCormick Seminary.
His work has taken him around the world, including Boston and Jamaica, West Indies.
While working at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, Carter founded Kunjanga, a leadership program for young African-Americans which later became a national program sponsored by the Catholic Church. He was the director of Black Ministry and evangelization for the Raleigh, N.C., diocese when Bishop Thomas Daly brought him to Brooklyn to take over a similar position. It was Daly who asked Carter to take over Our Lady of Victory.
Madison was born in Jersey City to a family which had produced physicians "for over 100 years," he said.
His mother and his father were doctors; President Johnson awarded Madison's mother, Dr. Lena Edwards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 for her humanitarian work.
Madison has two sisters and three brothers, all of whom are still living.
He was attending Catholic University, studying to be an architect, when the school chaplain asked if he would teach religion to students at one of the boys' homes in Washington.
"I was so impressed that he asked me, and felt so lucky about it, that I had a change of life and wanted to follow St. Francis," Madison said. He entered St. John's to start his studies in 1953.
Ordained by Francis Cardinal Spellman in 1962 - at Graymoor - Madison took off for what he thought would be a lifetime of ministry in the hinterlands of Brazil and South America, but was later transferred to Golden, B.C., for his health.
When the Civil Rights era took off, Madison asked to be transferred to New York City, settling at All Saints Parish on 129th St. and Madison Ave. He stayed just four years before he was asked to take over as campus minister at Howard University, a school with which his family of doctors had a long affiliation - one of his grandfather's help found the university's dental school.
Madison stayed at Howard for eight years before transferring to Christ the King in High Point for four years before the diocese closed the parish.
He returned first to Yonkers, and Carter asked him to come to Our Lady of Victory.
The two are mindful of their position in the church's history - it was the first time two African-American brothers in the Society of Atonement had run a church.
Though they were not readily accepted by some African-American members of the community - "You know how we do!" Carter said with a laugh. "Before we came here, the pastors were mostly Euro-centric."
Still, the two are proud that they have returned Our Lady of Victory facilities to near-mint condition.
The Fathers Martin will officiate at their final Mass at the church, at 583 Throop Ave., at 9:30 a.m. on April 29. It will be followed by a black-tie reception in their honor at Glen Terrace, 5313 Avenue N from 3p.m. to 8p.m. Reception tickets are $100 and benefit the church.
Credit: NY Daily News.
*************************************************************************
History
Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve the African-American Catholics in High Point, and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition. Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, NY to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940. Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness Dec. 14, 1941.
During the 1940s and into the '50s, the Christ the King parish community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African-American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950. The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became continually more culturally diverse over time. A stained-glass window behind the church's choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four individuals representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish community today.
Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recalling of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close in 1981. The diocesan office of education converted the school for use as a day care center, which began its operation in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.
Upon the friars' leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish in December of that year. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath, was appointed to Christ the King Church. Assisting in the advancing growth of the Christ the King community have been many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual , educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish. Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study , to learn English as a Second Language, to put their faith into action in the local community and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English and Spanish speaking parishioners, and the parish African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region. The Women's Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry. The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish. One hundred and sixty-one households currently make up the parish registry.
Credit: CtK Parish Bulletin.
*****************************************************************
Obituary
Alice Carter Holmes began her earthly journey on February 4, 1926 in High Point, NC. She gracefully earned her wings on Monday February 24, 2020 in Greensboro, NC.
Alice was the daughter of Darrow and Lessie Carter. She married Robert Lee Holmes, (deceased 1980) and to this union was born thirteen children. She has 43 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren and 6 great, great grandchildren.
She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and was a lifelong member of St. Luke Lutheran Church LCMS. Alice served as a Lay Leader, a senior member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and sang in the choir. She was the church communicator for Lutheran Brotherhood and a member of Church Women United.
Mrs. Holmes earned her Associates degree in Education from Guilford Technical Institute (GTCC) and attended North Carolina A & T State University. Her employment was with Guilford County Head Start where she touched the lives of numerous families within Guilford County.
Within the community, Alice served as President of both Eastside Senior Citizen's Club and AARP. She participated in the Senior Games and received the Tommy R. Shoaf Spirit of the Games award. As a member of the Happy Tones Chorus she had the honor of performing at the Governor's Mansion and at the White House during the Clinton Administration.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by 3 sons, Roland M. Holmes, Calvin E. Holmes, and Edward L. Holmes; 4 daughters, Celeste H. Robinson, Cheryl H. Little, Dora H. Fuller, and Catherine A. Holmes.
Those left to honor her Legacy are her children, Alice F. Holmes (Lindenwold, NJ), Jacqueline (Jeffery) James (Pennsauken, NJ), Rhonda H. Blue, Brenda H. Dorsett and Willie D. (Robin) Holmes all of High Point, NC; and two brothers, Doctor Father Martin Carter (Dobbs Ferry NY) and Gilbert Carter of High Point, NC.
A Celebration of Life will take place at 1:30p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 310 South Tremont Drive, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive visitors and friends at the church from 1 to 1:30pm on Tuesday and other times at the residence of Ms. Rhonda Blue, 1711 Stoneybrook Drive, High Point, NC 27265. Burial will follow at Piedmont Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC.
Credit: Johnson & Sons Funeral Home, 206 Fourth Street,
High Point, N.C., 27260.
***********************************************************************
December 25, 2021
Father Martin Carter, SA., passed away this morning at Cabrini Center.
************************************************************************
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: FriarsNotice
To: Communications
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 11:27:01 AM EST
Subject: Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
A Message from the Minister General and Council – December 28, 2021
Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
Funeral arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA are as follows. All services will be held in Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel, Graymoor.
Friday, January 7, 2022
Reception of the Body at 4 p.m.
Visiting hours from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Wake service at 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.
Interment to follow in the Friars' cemetery.
Luncheon in the Friars' Dining Room will immediately follow the Mass.
All who plan to attend the luncheon are asked to RSVP to the Minister General's office at 845-424-2113.
***************************************************************************************
Please note: The Funeral Mass will be recorded and broadcast on January 8th on the Friars' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AtonementFriars/.
****************************************************************************************
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
cid:[email protected]
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
40 Franciscan Way, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-2113
****************************************************************************************
December 9, 2021
Fr. Martin Carter, SA., is alive and well. He continues his rehab at Cabrini Center, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester, NY.
***********************************************
A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER GENERAL AND COUNCIL – AUGUST 19, 2020
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
We ask your prayers for Father Martin Carter, SA.
Fr. Martin suffered a fractured left hip and a broken leg in a fall at Cabrini Nursing Home. He was admitted on Monday to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Although he is not able to receive visitors, Fr. Martin can be reached at the Medical Center at 914-493-7000. Press option 3 for patient information to be connected to his room.
***********************************************************************************
Professed: July 14, 1950
Ordained: April 19, 1975
Please Note:
Father Martin Carter, SA., is indeed alive and in residence at Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
I'm in the process of gathering material on the life of an extraordinary friar priest who was so proud of who he was.
******************************************************
Please see the Obituary of his sister who passed away on
February 23th 2020, who in her own life was "Extraordinal".
*****************************************************
Father Martin Carter, SA
Born in North Carolina, Fr. Carter entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1948, professed his first vows in 1950 and was ordained in 1975. In 1977, while teaching at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, he was instrumental in founding Kujenga, an organization dedicated to nurturing leadership abilities among black Catholic youth. Kujenga was founded in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1977, it means "to build" in Swahili. Father Martin Carter, S.A., who directed the Brooklyn Diocese's Office of Black Ministry in the late 1980s, introduced Kujenga in that New York City borough in 1989. Father Carter described Kujenga as a leadership-training program to emphasize young people's positive identity and gifts. "The youngsters I've talked to have been ecstatic to participate," he said. "They have gone on to college; they are raising families; they are living out their professions."
Father Carter participated in the 25th anniversary Kujenga retreat in Brooklyn, sponsored by the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, the retreat offered them an opportunity "to build" (kujenga in Swahili) their leadership skills and spirituality.
He worked in the Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1982 until 1988 and also served as Director of Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn before becoming pastor at Our Lady of Victory where he served from 1995 to 2008.
Credit: Graymoor Newsletter.
*********************************************************************************
Reflections on Nelson Mandela's Legacy of Reconciliation and At-One-Ment
A FRIAR REFLECTS
An interview with Father Martin Carter, SA Nelson Mandela died in December and many reflected on his legacy of ending apartheid in South Africa. He grew up in a totally segregated area of Soweto, and when he went to Johannesburg, he began to see the devastation of apartheid. He became an activist to effect change in his country. He was imprisoned for 27 years, and an international effort for his release changed the history of South Africa. He was elected that country's first Black president, and in that role he worked toward long awaited peace and reconciliation for all South African people. Father Martin Carter, SA, as a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement sees the connection to the friars' charism of unity and atonement. "Nelson was living the Gospel, despite the fact he was not a religious man," said Fr. Martin. "He stood for unity and atonement. He sought peace and reconciliation. He insisted on forgiving those who persecuted him." Throughout his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela focused on a poem by English Victorian poet, William Ernest Henly, to give him strength to stand tall in prison. The poem called "Invictus" says "… my head is bloody but unbowed." "I first met Nelson in 1993 in Brooklyn after he got out of Robben Island. He came to New York, and the Ministerial Association of Manhattan asked me to write a two minute piece for a rationale as to why Americans should donate to Mandela's South African election fund," said Fr. Martin. "He had a strong hand shake and would look you in the eye and talk to you as if he knew you your whole life." "Before I met Mandela, I was part of the anti-
apartheid ministry with Randall Robertson and others in New York who were working to trying to get Nelson out of prison as he served his long sentence," he added. "In 2007 a group of educators, politicians and business people came from South Africa to promote business, and I was asked to address them. They then invited me to South Africa to speak to university students and community leaders, and I was to see him at that time, but he was too ill for visitors," said Fr. Martin. "It had to be At-One-Ment to drive him to do what he did," said Fr. Martin. "He lived the experience of a man of Christian faith. As the poem "Invictus" says, "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Father Martin Carter, SA, has served in many ministries including as the first Director of Office for Black Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Raleigh, NC which was founded in 1983. In 1995, Father Carter was appointed the first black pastor in the 126-year history of Our Lady of Victory, in Brooklyn. Today, he lives at Graymoor in Garrison.
****************************************************************************
Brooklyn
New York
'Fathers Martin' leave with a big sense of Victory
By CLEM RICHARDSON
DAILY NEWS COLUMNIST
Apr 20, 2007 | 4:00 AM
"I'm sure we left this church better than we found it," Carter, 77, said of the Throop Ave. sanctuary, which, when he took over 12 years ago, was down to its last $500 and in danger of being closed by the Diocese of Brooklyn.
"The pastor handed me the keys and said, "The bad news is you only have $500 in the checking account," Carter said. "The good news is you have no debt."
Madison, 73, joined him in 1996. Since then, the two have overseen an almost complete renovation of the church and grounds, including its buildings. They've replaced the boilers and added a chapel in the basement, where smaller masses are now held. Membership has grown to more than 500 people.
They've also completed a ministerial milestone: Carter was the first African-American to serve as pastor at Our Lady of Victory in the church's history. When Madison joined him, the church was one of the few Catholic sanctuaries in the country to have two African-Americans at its head.
"They are two wonderful priests who have made an impact on the lives of the people they served," said Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. "They served with love and commitment. We're grateful to the Atonement Friars for the work they have done at Our Lady of Victory."
The two will officiate their final Our Lady of Victory Mass at the end of the month.
Both will return to Graymoor and the Society of Atonement friary in Putnam County, where they plan to study, reflect and travel.
Their careers have followed divergent but often similar paths which saw them on occasion reverse roles - though Carter is Madison's pastor at Our Lady of Victory, Madison was once Carter's pastor in Carter's home parish, Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in High Point, N.C.
They've been family friends for more than 50 years - their brothers were classmates at Catholic University in Washington in the 1950s.
Carter was born in High Point, a twin in a family of 15 - seven boys and eight girls. He was 18 when he was called to become a friar.
"You don't choose what you want to be," Carter said. "You choose what God wants you to be. When God calls, you answer."
After studying at the order's training center at Saranac Lake, Carter attended the Pope John XXIII Seminary, did his undergraduate work at Chicago State University, and graduate and doctoral work at Harvard, Emerson College and at the University of Chicago's McCormick Seminary.
His work has taken him around the world, including Boston and Jamaica, West Indies.
While working at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, Carter founded Kunjanga, a leadership program for young African-Americans which later became a national program sponsored by the Catholic Church. He was the director of Black Ministry and evangelization for the Raleigh, N.C., diocese when Bishop Thomas Daly brought him to Brooklyn to take over a similar position. It was Daly who asked Carter to take over Our Lady of Victory.
Madison was born in Jersey City to a family which had produced physicians "for over 100 years," he said.
His mother and his father were doctors; President Johnson awarded Madison's mother, Dr. Lena Edwards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 for her humanitarian work.
Madison has two sisters and three brothers, all of whom are still living.
He was attending Catholic University, studying to be an architect, when the school chaplain asked if he would teach religion to students at one of the boys' homes in Washington.
"I was so impressed that he asked me, and felt so lucky about it, that I had a change of life and wanted to follow St. Francis," Madison said. He entered St. John's to start his studies in 1953.
Ordained by Francis Cardinal Spellman in 1962 - at Graymoor - Madison took off for what he thought would be a lifetime of ministry in the hinterlands of Brazil and South America, but was later transferred to Golden, B.C., for his health.
When the Civil Rights era took off, Madison asked to be transferred to New York City, settling at All Saints Parish on 129th St. and Madison Ave. He stayed just four years before he was asked to take over as campus minister at Howard University, a school with which his family of doctors had a long affiliation - one of his grandfather's help found the university's dental school.
Madison stayed at Howard for eight years before transferring to Christ the King in High Point for four years before the diocese closed the parish.
He returned first to Yonkers, and Carter asked him to come to Our Lady of Victory.
The two are mindful of their position in the church's history - it was the first time two African-American brothers in the Society of Atonement had run a church.
Though they were not readily accepted by some African-American members of the community - "You know how we do!" Carter said with a laugh. "Before we came here, the pastors were mostly Euro-centric."
Still, the two are proud that they have returned Our Lady of Victory facilities to near-mint condition.
The Fathers Martin will officiate at their final Mass at the church, at 583 Throop Ave., at 9:30 a.m. on April 29. It will be followed by a black-tie reception in their honor at Glen Terrace, 5313 Avenue N from 3p.m. to 8p.m. Reception tickets are $100 and benefit the church.
Credit: NY Daily News.
*************************************************************************
History
Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve the African-American Catholics in High Point, and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition. Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, NY to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940. Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness Dec. 14, 1941.
During the 1940s and into the '50s, the Christ the King parish community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African-American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950. The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became continually more culturally diverse over time. A stained-glass window behind the church's choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four individuals representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish community today.
Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recalling of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close in 1981. The diocesan office of education converted the school for use as a day care center, which began its operation in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.
Upon the friars' leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish in December of that year. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath, was appointed to Christ the King Church. Assisting in the advancing growth of the Christ the King community have been many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual , educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish. Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study , to learn English as a Second Language, to put their faith into action in the local community and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English and Spanish speaking parishioners, and the parish African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region. The Women's Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry. The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish. One hundred and sixty-one households currently make up the parish registry.
Credit: CtK Parish Bulletin.
*****************************************************************
Obituary
Alice Carter Holmes began her earthly journey on February 4, 1926 in High Point, NC. She gracefully earned her wings on Monday February 24, 2020 in Greensboro, NC.
Alice was the daughter of Darrow and Lessie Carter. She married Robert Lee Holmes, (deceased 1980) and to this union was born thirteen children. She has 43 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren and 6 great, great grandchildren.
She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and was a lifelong member of St. Luke Lutheran Church LCMS. Alice served as a Lay Leader, a senior member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and sang in the choir. She was the church communicator for Lutheran Brotherhood and a member of Church Women United.
Mrs. Holmes earned her Associates degree in Education from Guilford Technical Institute (GTCC) and attended North Carolina A & T State University. Her employment was with Guilford County Head Start where she touched the lives of numerous families within Guilford County.
Within the community, Alice served as President of both Eastside Senior Citizen's Club and AARP. She participated in the Senior Games and received the Tommy R. Shoaf Spirit of the Games award. As a member of the Happy Tones Chorus she had the honor of performing at the Governor's Mansion and at the White House during the Clinton Administration.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by 3 sons, Roland M. Holmes, Calvin E. Holmes, and Edward L. Holmes; 4 daughters, Celeste H. Robinson, Cheryl H. Little, Dora H. Fuller, and Catherine A. Holmes.
Those left to honor her Legacy are her children, Alice F. Holmes (Lindenwold, NJ), Jacqueline (Jeffery) James (Pennsauken, NJ), Rhonda H. Blue, Brenda H. Dorsett and Willie D. (Robin) Holmes all of High Point, NC; and two brothers, Doctor Father Martin Carter (Dobbs Ferry NY) and Gilbert Carter of High Point, NC.
A Celebration of Life will take place at 1:30p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 310 South Tremont Drive, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive visitors and friends at the church from 1 to 1:30pm on Tuesday and other times at the residence of Ms. Rhonda Blue, 1711 Stoneybrook Drive, High Point, NC 27265. Burial will follow at Piedmont Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC.
Credit: Johnson & Sons Funeral Home, 206 Fourth Street,
High Point, N.C., 27260.
Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin Bulletin
***********************************************************************
December 25, 2021
Father Martin Carter, SA., passed away this morning at Cabrini Center.
************************************************************************
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: FriarsNotice
To: Communications
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 11:27:01 AM EST
Subject: Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
A Message from the Minister General and Council – December 28, 2021
Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
Funeral arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA are as follows. All services will be held in Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel, Graymoor.
Friday, January 7, 2022
Reception of the Body at 4 p.m.
Visiting hours from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Wake service at 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.
Interment to follow in the Friars' cemetery.
Luncheon in the Friars' Dining Room will immediately follow the Mass.
All who plan to attend the luncheon are asked to RSVP to the Minister General's office at 845-424-2113.
***************************************************************************************
Please note: The Funeral Mass will be recorded and broadcast on January 8th on the Friars' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AtonementFriars/.
****************************************************************************************
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
cid:[email protected]
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
40 Franciscan Way, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-2113
****************************************************************************************
December 9, 2021
Fr. Martin Carter, SA., is alive and well. He continues his rehab at Cabrini Center, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester, NY.
***********************************************
A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER GENERAL AND COUNCIL – AUGUST 19, 2020
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
We ask your prayers for Father Martin Carter, SA.
Fr. Martin suffered a fractured left hip and a broken leg in a fall at Cabrini Nursing Home. He was admitted on Monday to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Although he is not able to receive visitors, Fr. Martin can be reached at the Medical Center at 914-493-7000. Press option 3 for patient information to be connected to his room.
***********************************************************************************
Professed: July 14, 1950
Ordained: April 19, 1975
Please Note:
Father Martin Carter, SA., is indeed alive and in residence at Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
I'm in the process of gathering material on the life of an extraordinary friar priest who was so proud of who he was.
******************************************************
Please see the Obituary of his sister who passed away on
February 23th 2020, who in her own life was "Extraordinal".
*****************************************************
Father Martin Carter, SA
Born in North Carolina, Fr. Carter entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1948, professed his first vows in 1950 and was ordained in 1975. In 1977, while teaching at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, he was instrumental in founding Kujenga, an organization dedicated to nurturing leadership abilities among black Catholic youth. Kujenga was founded in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1977, it means "to build" in Swahili. Father Martin Carter, S.A., who directed the Brooklyn Diocese's Office of Black Ministry in the late 1980s, introduced Kujenga in that New York City borough in 1989. Father Carter described Kujenga as a leadership-training program to emphasize young people's positive identity and gifts. "The youngsters I've talked to have been ecstatic to participate," he said. "They have gone on to college; they are raising families; they are living out their professions."
Father Carter participated in the 25th anniversary Kujenga retreat in Brooklyn, sponsored by the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, the retreat offered them an opportunity "to build" (kujenga in Swahili) their leadership skills and spirituality.
He worked in the Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1982 until 1988 and also served as Director of Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn before becoming pastor at Our Lady of Victory where he served from 1995 to 2008.
Credit: Graymoor Newsletter.
*********************************************************************************
Reflections on Nelson Mandela's Legacy of Reconciliation and At-One-Ment
A FRIAR REFLECTS
An interview with Father Martin Carter, SA Nelson Mandela died in December and many reflected on his legacy of ending apartheid in South Africa. He grew up in a totally segregated area of Soweto, and when he went to Johannesburg, he began to see the devastation of apartheid. He became an activist to effect change in his country. He was imprisoned for 27 years, and an international effort for his release changed the history of South Africa. He was elected that country's first Black president, and in that role he worked toward long awaited peace and reconciliation for all South African people. Father Martin Carter, SA, as a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement sees the connection to the friars' charism of unity and atonement. "Nelson was living the Gospel, despite the fact he was not a religious man," said Fr. Martin. "He stood for unity and atonement. He sought peace and reconciliation. He insisted on forgiving those who persecuted him." Throughout his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela focused on a poem by English Victorian poet, William Ernest Henly, to give him strength to stand tall in prison. The poem called "Invictus" says "… my head is bloody but unbowed." "I first met Nelson in 1993 in Brooklyn after he got out of Robben Island. He came to New York, and the Ministerial Association of Manhattan asked me to write a two minute piece for a rationale as to why Americans should donate to Mandela's South African election fund," said Fr. Martin. "He had a strong hand shake and would look you in the eye and talk to you as if he knew you your whole life." "Before I met Mandela, I was part of the anti-
apartheid ministry with Randall Robertson and others in New York who were working to trying to get Nelson out of prison as he served his long sentence," he added. "In 2007 a group of educators, politicians and business people came from South Africa to promote business, and I was asked to address them. They then invited me to South Africa to speak to university students and community leaders, and I was to see him at that time, but he was too ill for visitors," said Fr. Martin. "It had to be At-One-Ment to drive him to do what he did," said Fr. Martin. "He lived the experience of a man of Christian faith. As the poem "Invictus" says, "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Father Martin Carter, SA, has served in many ministries including as the first Director of Office for Black Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Raleigh, NC which was founded in 1983. In 1995, Father Carter was appointed the first black pastor in the 126-year history of Our Lady of Victory, in Brooklyn. Today, he lives at Graymoor in Garrison.
****************************************************************************
Brooklyn
New York
'Fathers Martin' leave with a big sense of Victory
By CLEM RICHARDSON
DAILY NEWS COLUMNIST
Apr 20, 2007 | 4:00 AM
"I'm sure we left this church better than we found it," Carter, 77, said of the Throop Ave. sanctuary, which, when he took over 12 years ago, was down to its last $500 and in danger of being closed by the Diocese of Brooklyn.
"The pastor handed me the keys and said, "The bad news is you only have $500 in the checking account," Carter said. "The good news is you have no debt."
Madison, 73, joined him in 1996. Since then, the two have overseen an almost complete renovation of the church and grounds, including its buildings. They've replaced the boilers and added a chapel in the basement, where smaller masses are now held. Membership has grown to more than 500 people.
They've also completed a ministerial milestone: Carter was the first African-American to serve as pastor at Our Lady of Victory in the church's history. When Madison joined him, the church was one of the few Catholic sanctuaries in the country to have two African-Americans at its head.
"They are two wonderful priests who have made an impact on the lives of the people they served," said Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. "They served with love and commitment. We're grateful to the Atonement Friars for the work they have done at Our Lady of Victory."
The two will officiate their final Our Lady of Victory Mass at the end of the month.
Both will return to Graymoor and the Society of Atonement friary in Putnam County, where they plan to study, reflect and travel.
Their careers have followed divergent but often similar paths which saw them on occasion reverse roles - though Carter is Madison's pastor at Our Lady of Victory, Madison was once Carter's pastor in Carter's home parish, Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in High Point, N.C.
They've been family friends for more than 50 years - their brothers were classmates at Catholic University in Washington in the 1950s.
Carter was born in High Point, a twin in a family of 15 - seven boys and eight girls. He was 18 when he was called to become a friar.
"You don't choose what you want to be," Carter said. "You choose what God wants you to be. When God calls, you answer."
After studying at the order's training center at Saranac Lake, Carter attended the Pope John XXIII Seminary, did his undergraduate work at Chicago State University, and graduate and doctoral work at Harvard, Emerson College and at the University of Chicago's McCormick Seminary.
His work has taken him around the world, including Boston and Jamaica, West Indies.
While working at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, Carter founded Kunjanga, a leadership program for young African-Americans which later became a national program sponsored by the Catholic Church. He was the director of Black Ministry and evangelization for the Raleigh, N.C., diocese when Bishop Thomas Daly brought him to Brooklyn to take over a similar position. It was Daly who asked Carter to take over Our Lady of Victory.
Madison was born in Jersey City to a family which had produced physicians "for over 100 years," he said.
His mother and his father were doctors; President Johnson awarded Madison's mother, Dr. Lena Edwards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 for her humanitarian work.
Madison has two sisters and three brothers, all of whom are still living.
He was attending Catholic University, studying to be an architect, when the school chaplain asked if he would teach religion to students at one of the boys' homes in Washington.
"I was so impressed that he asked me, and felt so lucky about it, that I had a change of life and wanted to follow St. Francis," Madison said. He entered St. John's to start his studies in 1953.
Ordained by Francis Cardinal Spellman in 1962 - at Graymoor - Madison took off for what he thought would be a lifetime of ministry in the hinterlands of Brazil and South America, but was later transferred to Golden, B.C., for his health.
When the Civil Rights era took off, Madison asked to be transferred to New York City, settling at All Saints Parish on 129th St. and Madison Ave. He stayed just four years before he was asked to take over as campus minister at Howard University, a school with which his family of doctors had a long affiliation - one of his grandfather's help found the university's dental school.
Madison stayed at Howard for eight years before transferring to Christ the King in High Point for four years before the diocese closed the parish.
He returned first to Yonkers, and Carter asked him to come to Our Lady of Victory.
The two are mindful of their position in the church's history - it was the first time two African-American brothers in the Society of Atonement had run a church.
Though they were not readily accepted by some African-American members of the community - "You know how we do!" Carter said with a laugh. "Before we came here, the pastors were mostly Euro-centric."
Still, the two are proud that they have returned Our Lady of Victory facilities to near-mint condition.
The Fathers Martin will officiate at their final Mass at the church, at 583 Throop Ave., at 9:30 a.m. on April 29. It will be followed by a black-tie reception in their honor at Glen Terrace, 5313 Avenue N from 3p.m. to 8p.m. Reception tickets are $100 and benefit the church.
Credit: NY Daily News.
*************************************************************************
History
Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve the African-American Catholics in High Point, and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition. Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, NY to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940. Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness Dec. 14, 1941.
During the 1940s and into the '50s, the Christ the King parish community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African-American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950. The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became continually more culturally diverse over time. A stained-glass window behind the church's choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four individuals representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish community today.
Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recalling of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close in 1981. The diocesan office of education converted the school for use as a day care center, which began its operation in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.
Upon the friars' leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish in December of that year. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath, was appointed to Christ the King Church. Assisting in the advancing growth of the Christ the King community have been many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual , educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish. Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study , to learn English as a Second Language, to put their faith into action in the local community and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English and Spanish speaking parishioners, and the parish African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region. The Women's Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry. The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish. One hundred and sixty-one households currently make up the parish registry.
Credit: CtK Parish Bulletin.
*****************************************************************
Obituary
Alice Carter Holmes began her earthly journey on February 4, 1926 in High Point, NC. She gracefully earned her wings on Monday February 24, 2020 in Greensboro, NC.
Alice was the daughter of Darrow and Lessie Carter. She married Robert Lee Holmes, (deceased 1980) and to this union was born thirteen children. She has 43 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren and 6 great, great grandchildren.
She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and was a lifelong member of St. Luke Lutheran Church LCMS. Alice served as a Lay Leader, a senior member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and sang in the choir. She was the church communicator for Lutheran Brotherhood and a member of Church Women United.
Mrs. Holmes earned her Associates degree in Education from Guilford Technical Institute (GTCC) and attended North Carolina A & T State University. Her employment was with Guilford County Head Start where she touched the lives of numerous families within Guilford County.
Within the community, Alice served as President of both Eastside Senior Citizen's Club and AARP. She participated in the Senior Games and received the Tommy R. Shoaf Spirit of the Games award. As a member of the Happy Tones Chorus she had the honor of performing at the Governor's Mansion and at the White House during the Clinton Administration.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by 3 sons, Roland M. Holmes, Calvin E. Holmes, and Edward L. Holmes; 4 daughters, Celeste H. Robinson, Cheryl H. Little, Dora H. Fuller, and Catherine A. Holmes.
Those left to honor her Legacy are her children, Alice F. Holmes (Lindenwold, NJ), Jacqueline (Jeffery) James (Pennsauken, NJ), Rhonda H. Blue, Brenda H. Dorsett and Willie D. (Robin) Holmes all of High Point, NC; and two brothers, Doctor Father Martin Carter (Dobbs Ferry NY) and Gilbert Carter of High Point, NC.
A Celebration of Life will take place at 1:30p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 310 South Tremont Drive, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive visitors and friends at the church from 1 to 1:30pm on Tuesday and other times at the residence of Ms. Rhonda Blue, 1711 Stoneybrook Drive, High Point, NC 27265. Burial will follow at Piedmont Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC.
Credit: Johnson & Sons Funeral Home, 206 Fourth Street,
High Point, N.C., 27260.
***********************************************************************
December 25, 2021
Father Martin Carter, SA., passed away this morning at Cabrini Center.
************************************************************************
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: FriarsNotice
To: Communications
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 11:27:01 AM EST
Subject: Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
A Message from the Minister General and Council – December 28, 2021
Funeral Arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA
Funeral arrangements for Fr. Martin Carter, SA are as follows. All services will be held in Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel, Graymoor.
Friday, January 7, 2022
Reception of the Body at 4 p.m.
Visiting hours from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Wake service at 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.
Interment to follow in the Friars' cemetery.
Luncheon in the Friars' Dining Room will immediately follow the Mass.
All who plan to attend the luncheon are asked to RSVP to the Minister General's office at 845-424-2113.
***************************************************************************************
Please note: The Funeral Mass will be recorded and broadcast on January 8th on the Friars' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AtonementFriars/.
****************************************************************************************
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
cid:[email protected]
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
40 Franciscan Way, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-2113
****************************************************************************************
December 9, 2021
Fr. Martin Carter, SA., is alive and well. He continues his rehab at Cabrini Center, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester, NY.
***********************************************
A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER GENERAL AND COUNCIL – AUGUST 19, 2020
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
We ask your prayers for Father Martin Carter, SA.
Fr. Martin suffered a fractured left hip and a broken leg in a fall at Cabrini Nursing Home. He was admitted on Monday to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Although he is not able to receive visitors, Fr. Martin can be reached at the Medical Center at 914-493-7000. Press option 3 for patient information to be connected to his room.
***********************************************************************************
Professed: July 14, 1950
Ordained: April 19, 1975
Please Note:
Father Martin Carter, SA., is indeed alive and in residence at Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
I'm in the process of gathering material on the life of an extraordinary friar priest who was so proud of who he was.
******************************************************
Please see the Obituary of his sister who passed away on
February 23th 2020, who in her own life was "Extraordinal".
*****************************************************
Father Martin Carter, SA
Born in North Carolina, Fr. Carter entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1948, professed his first vows in 1950 and was ordained in 1975. In 1977, while teaching at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, he was instrumental in founding Kujenga, an organization dedicated to nurturing leadership abilities among black Catholic youth. Kujenga was founded in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1977, it means "to build" in Swahili. Father Martin Carter, S.A., who directed the Brooklyn Diocese's Office of Black Ministry in the late 1980s, introduced Kujenga in that New York City borough in 1989. Father Carter described Kujenga as a leadership-training program to emphasize young people's positive identity and gifts. "The youngsters I've talked to have been ecstatic to participate," he said. "They have gone on to college; they are raising families; they are living out their professions."
Father Carter participated in the 25th anniversary Kujenga retreat in Brooklyn, sponsored by the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, the retreat offered them an opportunity "to build" (kujenga in Swahili) their leadership skills and spirituality.
He worked in the Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1982 until 1988 and also served as Director of Office of Black Ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn before becoming pastor at Our Lady of Victory where he served from 1995 to 2008.
Credit: Graymoor Newsletter.
*********************************************************************************
Reflections on Nelson Mandela's Legacy of Reconciliation and At-One-Ment
A FRIAR REFLECTS
An interview with Father Martin Carter, SA Nelson Mandela died in December and many reflected on his legacy of ending apartheid in South Africa. He grew up in a totally segregated area of Soweto, and when he went to Johannesburg, he began to see the devastation of apartheid. He became an activist to effect change in his country. He was imprisoned for 27 years, and an international effort for his release changed the history of South Africa. He was elected that country's first Black president, and in that role he worked toward long awaited peace and reconciliation for all South African people. Father Martin Carter, SA, as a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement sees the connection to the friars' charism of unity and atonement. "Nelson was living the Gospel, despite the fact he was not a religious man," said Fr. Martin. "He stood for unity and atonement. He sought peace and reconciliation. He insisted on forgiving those who persecuted him." Throughout his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela focused on a poem by English Victorian poet, William Ernest Henly, to give him strength to stand tall in prison. The poem called "Invictus" says "… my head is bloody but unbowed." "I first met Nelson in 1993 in Brooklyn after he got out of Robben Island. He came to New York, and the Ministerial Association of Manhattan asked me to write a two minute piece for a rationale as to why Americans should donate to Mandela's South African election fund," said Fr. Martin. "He had a strong hand shake and would look you in the eye and talk to you as if he knew you your whole life." "Before I met Mandela, I was part of the anti-
apartheid ministry with Randall Robertson and others in New York who were working to trying to get Nelson out of prison as he served his long sentence," he added. "In 2007 a group of educators, politicians and business people came from South Africa to promote business, and I was asked to address them. They then invited me to South Africa to speak to university students and community leaders, and I was to see him at that time, but he was too ill for visitors," said Fr. Martin. "It had to be At-One-Ment to drive him to do what he did," said Fr. Martin. "He lived the experience of a man of Christian faith. As the poem "Invictus" says, "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Father Martin Carter, SA, has served in many ministries including as the first Director of Office for Black Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Raleigh, NC which was founded in 1983. In 1995, Father Carter was appointed the first black pastor in the 126-year history of Our Lady of Victory, in Brooklyn. Today, he lives at Graymoor in Garrison.
****************************************************************************
Brooklyn
New York
'Fathers Martin' leave with a big sense of Victory
By CLEM RICHARDSON
DAILY NEWS COLUMNIST
Apr 20, 2007 | 4:00 AM
"I'm sure we left this church better than we found it," Carter, 77, said of the Throop Ave. sanctuary, which, when he took over 12 years ago, was down to its last $500 and in danger of being closed by the Diocese of Brooklyn.
"The pastor handed me the keys and said, "The bad news is you only have $500 in the checking account," Carter said. "The good news is you have no debt."
Madison, 73, joined him in 1996. Since then, the two have overseen an almost complete renovation of the church and grounds, including its buildings. They've replaced the boilers and added a chapel in the basement, where smaller masses are now held. Membership has grown to more than 500 people.
They've also completed a ministerial milestone: Carter was the first African-American to serve as pastor at Our Lady of Victory in the church's history. When Madison joined him, the church was one of the few Catholic sanctuaries in the country to have two African-Americans at its head.
"They are two wonderful priests who have made an impact on the lives of the people they served," said Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. "They served with love and commitment. We're grateful to the Atonement Friars for the work they have done at Our Lady of Victory."
The two will officiate their final Our Lady of Victory Mass at the end of the month.
Both will return to Graymoor and the Society of Atonement friary in Putnam County, where they plan to study, reflect and travel.
Their careers have followed divergent but often similar paths which saw them on occasion reverse roles - though Carter is Madison's pastor at Our Lady of Victory, Madison was once Carter's pastor in Carter's home parish, Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in High Point, N.C.
They've been family friends for more than 50 years - their brothers were classmates at Catholic University in Washington in the 1950s.
Carter was born in High Point, a twin in a family of 15 - seven boys and eight girls. He was 18 when he was called to become a friar.
"You don't choose what you want to be," Carter said. "You choose what God wants you to be. When God calls, you answer."
After studying at the order's training center at Saranac Lake, Carter attended the Pope John XXIII Seminary, did his undergraduate work at Chicago State University, and graduate and doctoral work at Harvard, Emerson College and at the University of Chicago's McCormick Seminary.
His work has taken him around the world, including Boston and Jamaica, West Indies.
While working at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, Carter founded Kunjanga, a leadership program for young African-Americans which later became a national program sponsored by the Catholic Church. He was the director of Black Ministry and evangelization for the Raleigh, N.C., diocese when Bishop Thomas Daly brought him to Brooklyn to take over a similar position. It was Daly who asked Carter to take over Our Lady of Victory.
Madison was born in Jersey City to a family which had produced physicians "for over 100 years," he said.
His mother and his father were doctors; President Johnson awarded Madison's mother, Dr. Lena Edwards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 for her humanitarian work.
Madison has two sisters and three brothers, all of whom are still living.
He was attending Catholic University, studying to be an architect, when the school chaplain asked if he would teach religion to students at one of the boys' homes in Washington.
"I was so impressed that he asked me, and felt so lucky about it, that I had a change of life and wanted to follow St. Francis," Madison said. He entered St. John's to start his studies in 1953.
Ordained by Francis Cardinal Spellman in 1962 - at Graymoor - Madison took off for what he thought would be a lifetime of ministry in the hinterlands of Brazil and South America, but was later transferred to Golden, B.C., for his health.
When the Civil Rights era took off, Madison asked to be transferred to New York City, settling at All Saints Parish on 129th St. and Madison Ave. He stayed just four years before he was asked to take over as campus minister at Howard University, a school with which his family of doctors had a long affiliation - one of his grandfather's help found the university's dental school.
Madison stayed at Howard for eight years before transferring to Christ the King in High Point for four years before the diocese closed the parish.
He returned first to Yonkers, and Carter asked him to come to Our Lady of Victory.
The two are mindful of their position in the church's history - it was the first time two African-American brothers in the Society of Atonement had run a church.
Though they were not readily accepted by some African-American members of the community - "You know how we do!" Carter said with a laugh. "Before we came here, the pastors were mostly Euro-centric."
Still, the two are proud that they have returned Our Lady of Victory facilities to near-mint condition.
The Fathers Martin will officiate at their final Mass at the church, at 583 Throop Ave., at 9:30 a.m. on April 29. It will be followed by a black-tie reception in their honor at Glen Terrace, 5313 Avenue N from 3p.m. to 8p.m. Reception tickets are $100 and benefit the church.
Credit: NY Daily News.
*************************************************************************
History
Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve the African-American Catholics in High Point, and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition. Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, NY to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940. Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness Dec. 14, 1941.
During the 1940s and into the '50s, the Christ the King parish community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African-American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950. The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became continually more culturally diverse over time. A stained-glass window behind the church's choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four individuals representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish community today.
Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recalling of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close in 1981. The diocesan office of education converted the school for use as a day care center, which began its operation in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.
Upon the friars' leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish in December of that year. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath, was appointed to Christ the King Church. Assisting in the advancing growth of the Christ the King community have been many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual , educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish. Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study , to learn English as a Second Language, to put their faith into action in the local community and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English and Spanish speaking parishioners, and the parish African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region. The Women's Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry. The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish. One hundred and sixty-one households currently make up the parish registry.
Credit: CtK Parish Bulletin.
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Obituary
Alice Carter Holmes began her earthly journey on February 4, 1926 in High Point, NC. She gracefully earned her wings on Monday February 24, 2020 in Greensboro, NC.
Alice was the daughter of Darrow and Lessie Carter. She married Robert Lee Holmes, (deceased 1980) and to this union was born thirteen children. She has 43 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren and 6 great, great grandchildren.
She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and was a lifelong member of St. Luke Lutheran Church LCMS. Alice served as a Lay Leader, a senior member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and sang in the choir. She was the church communicator for Lutheran Brotherhood and a member of Church Women United.
Mrs. Holmes earned her Associates degree in Education from Guilford Technical Institute (GTCC) and attended North Carolina A & T State University. Her employment was with Guilford County Head Start where she touched the lives of numerous families within Guilford County.
Within the community, Alice served as President of both Eastside Senior Citizen's Club and AARP. She participated in the Senior Games and received the Tommy R. Shoaf Spirit of the Games award. As a member of the Happy Tones Chorus she had the honor of performing at the Governor's Mansion and at the White House during the Clinton Administration.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by 3 sons, Roland M. Holmes, Calvin E. Holmes, and Edward L. Holmes; 4 daughters, Celeste H. Robinson, Cheryl H. Little, Dora H. Fuller, and Catherine A. Holmes.
Those left to honor her Legacy are her children, Alice F. Holmes (Lindenwold, NJ), Jacqueline (Jeffery) James (Pennsauken, NJ), Rhonda H. Blue, Brenda H. Dorsett and Willie D. (Robin) Holmes all of High Point, NC; and two brothers, Doctor Father Martin Carter (Dobbs Ferry NY) and Gilbert Carter of High Point, NC.
A Celebration of Life will take place at 1:30p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 310 South Tremont Drive, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive visitors and friends at the church from 1 to 1:30pm on Tuesday and other times at the residence of Ms. Rhonda Blue, 1711 Stoneybrook Drive, High Point, NC 27265. Burial will follow at Piedmont Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC.
Credit: Johnson & Sons Funeral Home, 206 Fourth Street,
High Point, N.C., 27260.
