Jump to content

Llewellyn Scott

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Llewellyn J. Scott, TOSF (1892 – December 17, 1978) was an American Catholic activist who founded the St. Martin de Porres Hospice in Washington, D.C. in 1935.[1] He was the first African American to start a Catholic Worker House and was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis.[2][3]

Biography

[edit]

Born in 1892 in Washington, Scott was raised as a Baptist and suffered from rickets as a child, causing him to be temporarily unable to walk until the age of 10.[4] He was nursed to health by former Army Surgeon General John Moore and his wife Mary Jane.[1] Scott recovered and was enrolled in a Catholic school with the help of the Moores and soon converted to the faith himself at St. Augustine Church, with Mary Jane as his Confirmation sponsor.[1][5]

Scott served in France during World War I and graduated from Howard University at the age of 25. He later worked as a teacher in North Carolina and Washington before being hired by the United States Department of Defense.[6]

Scott founded the St. Martin de Porres Hospice in 1935 after meeting Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Dorothy Day and realizing the need to serve the poor with a refreshed perspective.[7][5] The house was first purchased on I Street in the Swampoodle section of Northeast D.C. with a donation from Day, and later relocated to 12th Street.[1][8][5] He was the first African American to start a Catholic Worker House.[2] The operation later expanded to three locations and at one point caught the attention of a teenaged Cyprian Davis.[9][10][11] Scott is estimated to have served more than 10,000 men with his services, which included food and temporary housing.[12][13] He received regular financial support from the Archbishop of Washington.[6]

Scott led the Washington chapter of the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice and met three popes during his ministry.[1][14] He was active in the Civil rights movement and marched with Martin Luther King Jr. shortly before his assassination.[6][15][16] He received the Poverello Medal from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1954 and was honored by Howard University for outstanding postgraduate achievement in 1956.[17] He appeared on This Is Your Life in 1955.[12] He received an award for his work from Pope John XXIII in 1959. He received an outstanding achievement award from the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations in 1961.[1]

Scott retired from the Department of Defense in 1960 and the St. Martin de Porres Hospice closed in 1967. Scott died from leukemia in 1978 at the age of 86.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Scott was a devout Catholic, attending daily Mass, and supported his mother and a disabled sister with his part-time salary from the government. He never married.[1][13] He was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis and was close to the TOR Franciscans of Steubenville, Ohio.[3]

Legacy

[edit]

The Llewellyn Scott House was founded by Catholic Worker Michael Kirwan in Washington in Scott's honor in the late 20th century.[18][19] In 2009, he was honored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a chronology for the 25th anniversary of the pastoral letter against racism, "Brothers and Sisters to Us".[20]

Reference

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Joyce, Maureen (1978-12-20). "Llewellyn Scott, Founded Hospice for Indigent Men". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  2. ^ a b Rice, Lincoln R. (2012). "Confronting the Heresy of "The Mythical Body of Christ": The Life of Dr. Arthur Falls". American Catholic Studies. 123 (2): 71. ISSN 2161-8542. JSTOR 44195406.
  3. ^ a b Brown, Francis F. (1994). A History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio: The Mussio years (1945-1977). Edwin Mellen Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-7734-9110-6.
  4. ^ Davis, Cyprian (2012-02-08). "Built of living stones: 5 black Catholics to remember". U.S. Catholic. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  5. ^ a b c MacGregor, Morris J. (1999). The Emergence of a Black Catholic Community: St. Augustine's in Washington. CUA Press. pp. 260–261. ISBN 978-0-8132-0943-2.
  6. ^ a b c "Faith". Catholic News Herald. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  7. ^ Three Minutes a Day. Christophers. 2001. ISBN 978-0-939055-28-9.
  8. ^ MacGregor, Morris J. (2006). Steadfast in the Faith: The Life of Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle. CUA Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-8132-1428-3.
  9. ^ Day, Dorothy (1957-02-01). "On Pilgrimage – February 1957". Catholic Worker Movement. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  10. ^ Day, Dorothy (1961-09-01). "On Pilgrimage (September 1961)". Catholic Worker Movement. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  11. ^ Golden, Nichole (2006-03-30). "Renowned Scholar Shares Black Catholic History - Georgia Bulletin". georgiabulletin.org. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  12. ^ a b "Opinion | WHEN LLEWELLYN SCOTT FED THE POOR". The Washington Post. 1995-12-19. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  13. ^ a b "Tale of Two Capitals | Commonweal Magazine". www.commonwealmagazine.org. 1939-07-14. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  14. ^ Appropriations, United States Congress Senate Committee on (1961). Hearings. p. 515.
  15. ^ Golden, Nichole (2006-03-30). "Renowned Scholar Shares Black Catholic History - Georgia Bulletin". georgiabulletin.org. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  16. ^ Lacroix, Patrick (2021-01-29). John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith. University Press of Kansas. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-7006-3049-3.
  17. ^ "Catholic News Service - Newsfeeds 9 December 1957". The Catholic News Archive. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  18. ^ "I Remember Michael". America Magazine. 2002-11-18. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  19. ^ McCarthy, Colman (1999-11-13). "Michael Kirwan Dies". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  20. ^ "25th Anniversary "Brothers and Sisters To Us" Selected Chronology" (PDF). U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Llewellyn_Scott&oldid=1293448841"