Background
Marino was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, the sixth of a total of eight children to baker and Puerto Rican Jesús María Marino and Lottie Irene Bradford Marino, a maid.
archbishop bishop Catholic priest
Marino was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, the sixth of a total of eight children to baker and Puerto Rican Jesús María Marino and Lottie Irene Bradford Marino, a maid.
Student, Josephite Minor Seminary, Newburgh, New York. Student, St. Joseph Seminary College, Washington. Student, Fordham University.
AB, St. Joseph's Seminary. Master of Arts, Fordham University.
He was of both African American and Puerto Rican descent. He was also the fourth African American to become auxiliary bishop for Washington, District of Columbia and the first to be secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. As archbishop of Atlanta, he tackled the conduct of other priests until his resignation after his affair with a lay-minister became public knowledge.
He then went on to continue his education at Loyola University and Fordham University in The Bronx, New York City, graduating in 1967.
During his education at university, Marino also taught at Epiphany Apostolic College and following his graduation he was the spiritual director at Saint Joseph"s Seminary in Washington, District of Columbia from 1968 until 1971, when he became vicar general of the Josephites. From September 12, 1974 until 1988 he was an auxiliary bishop for the Washington archdiocese, the fourth African American ever to hold this position, as well as becoming the secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1985, the first African American to hold that position.
In 1987 he organised a trip for a number of African American Catholics to see Pope John Paul II, and during a talk with these men and women, he stated:
Marino went on to become the first African American archbishop in American history when he was installed as on May 5, 1988, becoming involved in efforts to address the sexual misconduct of priests. Marino, however, was himself engaged in an affair with a female lay minister during this period, which became public knowledge in 1990.
The lay minister, Vicki Long, revealed that she had been secretly married to Marino in 1988.
Following these events, after just two years as archbishop of Atlanta, Marino, who had been in seclusion since June 1, 1990, resigned on 10 July 1990 and cited "spiritual renewal, psychological therapy and medical supervision" as the reason. He then took a six-week-long period of counseling. From this posting until his death in 2000 he worked in a counseling program at Saint Vincent"s Hospital in Harrison, New York, counseling on sexual behavior and substance abuse.
On the early morning of November 12, 2000, while at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, New York acting as a counselor and confidant for the personal problems of fellow priests and nuns, Marino died aged 66.
He was discovered in bed by the housekeeper and it was established that he had died of a heart attack. He was buried in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Member National Catholic Office for Persons With Disabilities. Advisor Association Ladies of Charity of the United States. County advisor Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
Episcopal moderator United States Conference of Secular Institutions. Member National Conference Catholic Bishops (bicentennial committee, commission on black caths., commission on pernament diaconate), United States Catholic Conference (co-chair national catholic conference for interracial justice, episcopal advisor national office for black caths.), Center for Applied Research, Catholic University American (board of trustees), Xavier U. Louisiana (board of trustees), Georgia Commision on the Holocaust (chair bishop's advising committee, catholic committee of the South).