H/T to Deacon Steven Greydanus for finding and sharing this press release:
In a historic moment for the Catholic community, Catholic Notebook proudly announces the groundbreaking ordination of Reverend Mr. Gregory Lambert. On May 25th, 2024, Reverend Mr. Lambert will be the first-ever black American priest ordained in the state. The ordination is at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque, Iowa, at 10 am.
Originally hailing from Florida, Reverend Mr. Lambert’s journey to this historic occasion is extraordinary. His connection with Iowa began through a family member’s relocation, and after taking a year off from theological studies, Reverend Mr. Lambert decided to make Iowa his permanent home. His love for the area, its churches, culture, and people blossomed during biannual visits over five years.
Switching dioceses was challenging. Reverend Mr. Lambert faced skepticism and roadblocks, echoing the struggles of historical figures like Ven. Augustus Tolton and Fr. Norman Dukette. Despite these hurdles, he embraced the Archdiocese of Dubuque, leaving an indelible mark on communities like Peosta, Farley, Bankston, Epworth, Placid, and beyond.
Reverend Mr. Lambert’s journey wasn’t without its share of challenges, especially considering the disparities and discrimination often faced by individuals aspiring to serve in the Church. In a climate where indifference and disregard sometimes prevail, Reverend Mr. Lambert chose faith and reason, becoming a beacon of hope and inspiration for young black men and aspiring individuals, demonstrating the possibilities that unfold when surrendering to the will of God.
Last year, before being ordained a deacon, he gave this interview to the Black Catholic Messenger, in which he talks about growing up Buddhist in Florida:
NTW: Can you tell me about your call to the priesthood?
GL: I was born and raised in Melbourne, Florida, and raised in a household that actually practiced Buddhism. I didn’t think it was that strange until I told all my friends. I would be like, “Oh, you know, I’m Buddhist.” And they would respond to me with the same answers, like a lot of “I’m Methodist” or “I’m Christian.” I had to figure out I was kind of the odd one out.
But I really appreciated my Buddhist faith because for the Buddhist, they believe in a lot of meditation and centering and being able to go deep within oneself and find their inner strength. That true, unmovable strength and truth about who oneself is, located at the core of who they are. That’s meant to be reached through meditation. So for the Catholic faith, it kind of translated into my faith. I already knew how to meditate. I already knew how to keep quiet. I already knew how to look within myself and the Catholic faith teaches that the more we look within ourselves, we find God instead of just our truest self. It’s God who gives us our purpose, our direction, our reality. So it wasn’t that far of a jump for me.
NTW: And how did this jump occur?
GL: Well it wasn’t really of my own volition. My mom, who was the leader of our family, got converted by a friend at work. My mother was raised Catholic and then fell away from the faith. So she looked at us and said “I want to make sure that you guys get baptized,” even though she wasn’t a practicing Catholic at the time. She wanted us to be baptized and confirmed because that still held importance to her in her own life. So she wanted to make sure that her children had that. So I went through RCIA and I learned all that I could. I was about in eighth grade, 14 years old. I wasn’t the best student. I was very inquisitive. I was very curious. I’m still a very curious individual. But it took a while to get to that point where I held my faith as my own and not something that my parents were asking me to do and participate in.
NTW: How long was it between then and when you first entered the seminary? How did that happen?
GL: When I entered high school, I got invited to a youth group, where I met friends who to this day are some of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. I’m still in contact with a lot of them. I’ve been to their weddings. I’ve been to the baptisms of their children. Amazing people that helped me push my own faith and my own self-knowledge. That was the catalyst to make me ask the question: “What do I look at as a priority in my life? Who is God in my life? What are my actual skill sets and talents?”
It seemed overwhelmingly toward priesthood. I love people, I love speaking about my faith. I feel not just generally called to this but I truly feel drawn to this lifestyle that I want to live, which is within the priesthood. Everything about who I am in my character is in sync with this vocation. And that doesn’t happen unless I had really good people that I met in youth group to be able to push me towards that.
