- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Welcome to St. Titus’ Episcopal Church
Whether you are here for the first time or your family has been part of St. Titus’ for generations, whether you’re here in person or watching online, the Holy Spirit has brought you to this place.We’re glad you’re here! Our Mission and Vision Statements are printed below. You can learn more about this faith community on our website, sttitusdurham.org. We would be happy to talk with you about who we are and what we do at St. Titus’. We invite you to join us on our journey of faith.
Our Mission Statement
St. Titus’ is a diverse and growing community committed to walking with Christ by serving others, pursuing justice and welcoming all.
Our Vision Statement
God dreams for St. Titus’ to be sacred ground where all of God’s children experience the unconditional love of Jesus. In faithful response, we will offer Spirit-filled worship where people from diverse backgrounds encounter God. As an intergenerational community, we will deepen our faith through sharing scripture, Christian tradition and our own experience. We will be open and authentic with one another, and respond to the needs of our neighbors with compassion and creativity. Our passion for God’s justice and peace will compel us to become agents for social, political, and economic transformation. St. Titus’ will be Beloved Community.
Prelude Toccata on “Amazing Grace”
by J. Christopher Pardini
| The Processional Hymn | For all the saints, who from their labors rest | The Hymnal 1982, #287 |
The Welcome The Reverend Valerie J. Mayo
Rector, St. Titus’ Episcopal Church
The Opening Musical Selection The Magic of African Rhythm
The Opening Acclamation EOW, p.50
Celebrant Blessed be the one, holy, and living God.
People Glory to God for ever and ever.
The Celebrant continues BCP, p.355
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Salutation
Celebrant God be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
The Collect of the Day
Liberating God, we thank you for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well: Unshackle us from the chains of prejudice and fear, that we may show forth the reconciling love and true freedom which you revealed in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Please be seated.
The Lessons
The Epistle Galatians 3:23-29
Reader A reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
People Thanks be to God.
The Psalm 119: 17-24 Gimel Retribue servo tuo BCP, p.764
17 Deal bountifully with your servant, *
that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may see *
the wonders of your law.
19 I am a stranger here on earth; *
do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is consumed at all times *
with longing for your judgments.
21 You have rebuked the insolent; *
cursed are they who stray from your commandments!
22 Turn from me shame and rebuke, *
for I have kept your decrees.
23 Even though rulers sit and plot against me, *
I will meditate on your statutes.
24 For your decrees are my delight, *
and they are my counselors.
The Gradual Hymn Your Words Are Spirit and Life Janice Williams, Cantor
By Bernadette Farrell
Refrain (sung by congregation and choir):
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord,
richer than gold, stronger than death.
Your words are spirit and life,
O Lord, Life everlasting.
Words (based on Ps. 19:8-11) and music by Bernadette Farrell, © 1993 Bernadette Farrell Publications, published by OCP Publications. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A- 727550. All rights reserved.
The Gospel Mark 12:1-12
Gospeller The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Mark.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ .
Then he began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?’
When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.
Gospeller The Gospel of our Savior.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon The Reverend Charles L. Fischer, III
Vice President for Seminary Advancement
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Nicene Creed [Please stand as you are able]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Musical Selection Ave Maria
By Javier Busto © 1992 Walton Music Corp. (for USA and Canada)
A Litany of Thanksgiving The Reverend Lindsey Ardrey
The Reverend Marion Sprott
God of the prophets, who taught us to let justice roll down like an ever-flowing stream, thank you for placing Elijah’s mantle upon Pauli’s shoulders.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to be encouraged by her prophetic invitation, and to remember that it is only as we seek justice for others that we experience your saving health in our lives.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
Author of all freedom, who reminds us that it is for freedom that we have been set free, thank you for Pauli’s vision of freedom, beckoning us to make freedom the measure of our souls.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to hear the invitation to embrace spiritual freedom and to see more clearly the ways in which some are still denied their freedoms and liberties.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
God of all tribes and nations, who saw that it was too little a thing that your light should be harnessed within one people, thank you for Pauli’s growing awareness of the way in which our world is deeply connected.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to follow the example of Pauli, that oppression may be challenged on behalf of peoples, regardless of race or gender.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
God of our dreams, who guided Jacob with a dream of angels ascending and descending, who convicted Peter of the value of inclusion with a dream of embracing all of Creation, thank you for the dream that Pauli passed onto us, that “none shall rest in any land and none return to dreamless sleep and no tongue be stilled” until anyone may stand in any place, thrust shoulders to the sky, friend and kindred to every other.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to be inspired by the dream of God to respect the dignity of every human being.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
God of the Angels heralding Peace, who invited peace and reconciliation between those who are far off and those who are near, thank you for Pauli’s commitment to protest, balanced by a resistance to violence and by a love for the beauty of life and creation.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to know ourselves to be held in the gaze of your love, that we might learn to love, and to embrace all of creation.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
God who knows us before we are born, thank you for Pauli’s strong sense of identity that gave her a stability from which she could grow into a person of deep conviction.
In thanksgiving, we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to find those touchstones in our own lives that remind us who we are and what we are called to do.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
Jesus the teacher, who taught through both words and actions, thank you for Pauli’s love of learning and her strength to pass that learning on, even in ways that challenged the sensibilities of those around her.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to be mindful of new ways we might learn to see with an eye toward justice and peace for all peoples.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
Gracious God, who called into being a people, helping them see their oppression and then opening the sea that they might pass through to freedom, thank you for Pauli’s family and friends who joined in her work and gave her the nourishment to lead others.
In thanksgiving we remember Pauli’s work.
Help us to remember the support that surrounds us, enabling us to open paths to freedom for others, even in ways that may seem small in our eyes.
Help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity.
— Composed by The Reverend Dr. Marion Thullbery
The Concluding Collect
O God, whose voice came through a burning bush, who led your people with a pillar of fire by day, whose spirit was seen in tongues of flame over the heads of those gathered on that first Pentecost, may we follow in the example of your servant Pauli, in whom the fire of passion for life and love led to action on behalf of oppressed people throughout our global village, that emboldened by her witness, we might discover in our own souls the fire of passion for our service in this world: We ask it of you who gave us your name out of holy fire. Amen.
| The Exchange of the Peace | EOW, p.56 |
Celebrant The peace of Christ be always with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us share the peace with one another and our guests.
The Celebrant and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.
Musical Selection Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)
Songwriters: Nickolas Ashford / Valerie Simpson. Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Greetings Cheryl Myers, Senior Warden
St. Titus’ Episcopal Church
Special Acknowledgments and Recognitions Lew Myers, Church Member
The Rev. Valerie J. Mayo, Rector
St. Titus’ Episcopal Church
The Life and Legacy of Pauli Murray Angela M. Mason
Executive Director of the
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
The Holy Communion (Eucharistic Prayer 1, Enriching our Worship)
The Offertory
The offering at this service will be gifted by St. Titus’ to the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Join the effort to establish an impactful and welcoming Pauli Murray Center that will activate visitors of all ages to be inspired by Pauli’s legacy and stand up and speak out for peace, equity, and justice. For donations to The Pauli Murray Center please use the QR code for St. Titus’ Church shown here and add “Pauli Murray Service” on the Memo Line.
The Offertory Sentence Ephesians 5:2
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
| Musical Selection | Melodies from Heaven |
Words and music by Kirk Franklin. Copyright℗ 2022 Tribal Records
The Great Thanksgiving (standing)
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Celebrant
It is truly right, and good and joyful, to give you thanks, all-holy God, source of life and fountain of mercy.
For the wonderful grace and virtue declared in all your saints, who have been the chosen vessels of your grace, and the lights of the world in their generations.
Therefore, joining with Angels and Archangels and with the faithful of every generation, we lift our voices with all creation as we sing:
The Sanctus Holy, Holy, Holy LEVAS II, #254
| Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. |
The Celebrant continues
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of the universe and giver of life. You formed us in your own image and called us to dwell in your infinite love. You gave the world into our care that we might be your faithful stewards and show forth your bountiful grace.
But we failed to honor your image in one another and in ourselves; we would not see your goodness in the world around us; and so we violated your creation, abused one another, and rejected your love. Yet you never ceased to care for us, and prepared the way of salvation for all people.
Through Abraham and Sarah you called us into covenant with you. You delivered us from slavery, sustained us in the wilderness, and raised up prophets to renew your promise of salvation. Then, in the fullness of time, you sent your eternal Word, made mortal flesh in Jesus. Born into the human family, and dwelling among us, he revealed your glory. Giving himself freely to death on the cross, he triumphed over evil, opening the way of freedom and life.
On the night before he died for us, Our Savior Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his friends, and said: “Take, eat: This is my Body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said: “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Celebrant and People
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
The Celebrant continues
Remembering his death and resurrection, we now present to you from your creation this bread and this wine. By your Holy Spirit may they be for us the Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that we who share these gifts may be filled with the Holy Spirit and live as Christ’s Body in the world. Bring us into the everlasting heritage of your daughters and sons, that with [__________] and all your saints, past, present, and yet to come, we may praise your Name for ever.
Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer LEVAS II, #264
The Celebrant says
As our Savior Christ has taught us we are bold to sing:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread EOW, p.69
Celebrant We break this bread to share in the Body of Christ.
People We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.
| The Fraction Anthem | Lamb of God | LEVAS II, #270 |
Celebrant
The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
A Prayer for Spiritual Communion
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar or your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
The Administration of Communion
At the time of communion, you are invited to come forward and receive the bread and wine. The priest will place a wafer in your hand. You may then receive wine either by direct consumption from a chalice (Common Cup), or you may give the wafer to the Eucharistic minister who will dip the wafer in the wine and place the wafer on your tongue. You may also still come forward to receive a blessing. Simply cross your arms over your chest before the priest for the blessing. After receiving communion or a blessing, you may return to your seat.
The Bread and cup are given to the communicants with these words:
The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen
The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation. Amen.
Celebrant All are welcome to the Lord’s table. Won’t you come?
| The Communion Hymns | (All four selections are from the African American Heritage Hymnal) | |
| Let Us Break Bread Together | #686 | |
| A Communion Hymn | #682 | |
| Lord, I Have Seen thy Salvation | #679 | |
| The Blood Will Never Lose its Power | #256 | |
The Post-Communion Prayer EOW, p.69
Celebrant Let us pray.
God of abundance, you have fed us with the bread of life and cup of salvation; you have united us with Christ and one another; and you have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue for ever in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Corporate Blessing EOW, p.71
The Celebrant says
Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.
(source: St.. Clare)
| The Closing Hymn | Lift every voice and sing | LEVAS II, #1 |
The Dismissal
Celebrant Let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
People Thanks be to God.
| Postlude | Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing By Nettleton |
St. Titus’ Episcopal Church thanks everyone involved in planning and overseeing the Pauli Murray service. We are grateful to the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice for producing the promotional materials. We thank the Voices for Christ Chorale, our guest musicians, and all our participating clergy and speakers.
The Ice Cream Social that follows this service is coordinated by Paula Drew-Estes, Francine Davis, Danita Parker, and Whitney Williams. We appreciate their contributions, along with donations from our local vendors.
All are welcome at St. Titus’!
Sunday services are at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
St. Titus’ Episcopal Church, 400 Moline Street, Durham, NC 27707
Program Participants
| Presider | The Right Reverend Sam Rodman, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina |
| Rector | The Reverend Valerie J. Mayo, Rector, St. Titus’ Episcopal Church |
| Preacher | The Reverend Charles L. Fischer, III, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| Crucifer | Veronica Quiett |
| Banner Bearers | Grey DeWalt and Elijah Mayo-McMullen |
| Torch Bearers | Itzel Angel Belige Romero and Bruce Nshimirinana |
| Icon Bearers | Genevieve Furges |
| Gospeller | The Reverend Valerie J. Mayo |
| Litanists | The Reverend Lindsay Ardrey, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina The Reverend Marion Sprott, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina |
| First Lesson | Veronica Quiett |
| Psalm | Robyn Furges |
| Lay Eucharistic Ministers | Robyn Furges, Keith Bishop and Lionell Parker |
| Music Director | Ramon Holloway, Choir Conductor/ Pianist, St. Titus’ Episcopal Church |
| Choir | The Voices for Christ Chorale |
| Organist | Dr. Paula D. Harrell, D.M.A., White Rock Baptist Church |
| Percussionists | Henry Kennelly, St. Titus’ Episcopal Church and Tele Shabu with The Magic of African Rhythm |
| Ushers | St. David’s Usher Guild, St. Titus’ Episcopal Church |
| Altar Guild | Hazel Brown, Cheryl Myers, Kaye Sullivan, Janice Williams |
| Technical Team | Livio Carnera, Chuck Hennessee, Deborah DeBourg-Brown, Elijah Mayo-McMullen |
| Reception Coordinators | Paula Drew-Estes, Diane Hundley, Pat Valentine, Danita Parker, Whitney Williams-Brown |
| Pauli Murray Project | Angela M. Mason, Executive Director |
Voices for Christ Chorale
Choir Members
| Sopranos | ||
| Sandra Brunson | St. Mark’s AME Zion Church | Durham, NC |
| Cheryl Barnes | All Saints’ United Methodist Church | Morrisville, NC |
| Sue Crane | All Saints’ United Methodist Church | Morrisville, NC |
| Alma Jones | Mount Level Missionary Baptist Church | Durham, NC |
| Marjorie Freeman* | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Evelyn Little | Henderson Grove Missionary Baptist Church | Morrisville, NC |
| Eileen Morgan | St. Luke’s Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Monnie Riggin | St. Luke’s Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Altos | ||
| Pam Howard* | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Diane Hundley | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Joy Morgan | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Lori Themper | All Saints’ United Methodist Church | Morrisville, NC |
| Janice Williams | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Velma Wilson | Mount Vernon Baptist Church | Durham, NC |
| Tenors | ||
| Ronald Peterson | Mount Level Missionary Baptist Church | Durham, NC |
| Gabe St. Clair | St. Philip’s Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Paula Steward | Mount Vernon Baptist Church | Durham, NC |
| Dr. Del Wigfall | St. Philip’s Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Spike Yancy | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Basses | ||
| Keith Chadwell | White Rock Baptist Church | Durham, NC |
| Preston Edwards | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Gregory Jacobs | St. Titus’ Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
| Lewis Moore | St. Philip’s Episcopal Church | Durham, NC |
* Honored Choir Members
Special Acknowledgements and Recognitions
The Reverend Charles L. Fischer, III
Rev. Fischer is the Vice President for Seminary Advancement at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and oversees the functions of the Advancement Office. He is a graduate of Morehouse College (B.A.) and Virginia Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Ordained in the Episcopal Church, he has served parishes in the dioceses of Atlanta, Maryland, and Washington, and currently works with St. Paul’s (Mt. Lebanon, PA).
Mary Hawkins
A long-time member of St. Titus’ Episcopal Church and dedicated volunteer, Mary Hawkins received her M.Ed. from East Carolina University and a M.S.P.H. from North Carolina Central University. She is a retired NCCU Assistant Professor and Certified Health Education Specialist, and chairs St. Titus’ Communications Ministry and edits The Titusian newsletter.
Barbara Lau
Barbara Lau served as the Founding Director of the Pauli Murray Project from 2009 to 2023. She earned a BA in Sociology/Urban Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in folklore at the University of North Carolina. She serves as an adjunct professor at the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies, teaching classes about Durham History & Activism and LGBTQ oral history.
Angela Mason
Angela Mason is the Executive Director of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in African American Studies from the University of Florida, and a Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Museum Studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Most recently, Mason served as the director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.
Rosita Stevens-Holsey
Rosita Stevens-Holsey is one of Pauli Murray’s nieces and an ardent advocate for preserving her aunt’s legacy. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland, (where she recently received a 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award), and earned a Masters in Counseling and Human Services from Boston University. She is the co-author (with Terry Catasús Jennings) of Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist & Civil Rights Activist.
Who is Pauli Murray?
Anna Pauline Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 20, 1910, the fourth of six children born to nurse Agnes Fitzgerald and educator William Murray. Agnes Fitzgerald Murray died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1914, and Murray was sent to live with their* aunt and grandparents in Durham, North Carolina. The family worshipped at St. Titus’ Episcopal Church.
After graduating from Hillside High School in 1926 with a certificate of distinction, Murray moved to New York City. S/he attended Hunter College in 1933 with a degree in English Literature. S/he changed their birth name to “Pauli.” Throughout the 1930s, Murray actively questioned his gender and sex.
After graduation, Murray worked for the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and as a teacher at the New York City Remedial Reading Project. S/he wrote and published frequently in such publications as Common Sense and The Crisis.
Murray quickly became involved in the civil rights movement. In 1938, s/he began a campaign to enter graduate school at the all-white University of North Carolina. Despite a lack of support from the NAACP, Murray’s campaign received national publicity. During this campaign, Murray developed a life-long friendship and correspondence with the first lady at the time, Eleanor Roosevelt.
A member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Murray worked to end segregation on public transport. In March 1940, s/he was arrested and imprisoned for refusing to sit at the back of a bus in Virginia. In 1941, Murray enrolled at the law school at Howard University with the intention of becoming a civil rights lawyer. The following year s/he joined George Houser, James Farmer, and Bayard Rustin to form the nonviolence-focused Congress of Racial Equality.
Pauli Murray’s writing continued to influence and shift the movement for justice. In 1943, Murray published two important essays on civil rights: “Negroes Are Fed Up” in Common Sense, and an article about the Harlem race riot in the socialist newspaper, New York Call. Their most famous poem, Dark Testament, was also written in that year.
In 1944, Pauli Murray graduated at the top of their law school class from Howard University. It was at Howard that s/he also became acutely aware of the oppression s/he faced as a Black person perceived as a woman, coining the term “Jane Crow,” to describe their experience. Rejected from Harvard Law School due to sexism, Murray went to the University of California Boalt School of Law where s/he received a LLM (Master of Laws) degree.
After graduation, Murray returned to New York City and provided support to the growing civil rights movement. Their book,States’ Laws on Race and Color, was published in 1951. In 1956, Murray published Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, a biography of how white supremacy and anti-Blackness oppressed their grandparents and their efforts of racial uplift.
Shortly after the book came out, Murray was offered a job in the litigation department at a new law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton, and Garrison. S/he enrolled at Yale Law School where s/he studied for the JSD degree and mentored several young women activists, including Marian Wright Edelman, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Patricia Roberts Harris who all became leaders in their own right.
President John F. Kennedy appointed Pauli Murray to the Committee on Civil and Political Rights as a part of his Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. In the early 1960s, Murray worked closely with A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King but was critical of the way that men dominated the leadership of these civil rights organizations. Pauli Murray joined Betty Friedan and others to found the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966,
From 1968 to 1973, Dr. Murray served as a faculty member at Brandeis University, teaching an early American Studies program. In 1973, following the death of their longtime partner Irene Barlow, Murray left Brandeis to become a candidate for ordination at General Theological Seminary. In 1977, Pauli Murray became the first Black person perceived as a woman in the U.S. to become an Episcopal priest.
Pauli Murray died of cancer in Pittsburgh on July 1, 1985. Their autobiography, Song in a Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage, was published posthumously in 1987. The book was re-released as Pauli Murray: The Autobiography of a Black Activist, Feminist, Lawyer, Priest and Poet in 1987, and was republished under its original title with a new introduction by Patricia Bell-Scott in 2018. The Rev. Dr. Muray was elevated to the status of sainthood in 2012 by their inclusion in the Book of Holy Women, Holy Men by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
Excerpt from the Pauli Murray Center for History and
Social Justice’s website, www.paulimurraycenter.com
_____
* Currently, the Pauli Murray Center chooses to use he/him and they/them pronouns when discussing Pauli Murray’s early life and she/her/hers when discussing Dr. Murray’s later years. When discussing Pauli Murray in general, the Center interchangeably uses she/her/hers, he/him/his, and they/them/theirs pronouns, or refers to Pauli Murray by their name and title(s). The Center hopes this strategy will encourage readers to embrace the individual and fluid nature of gender.
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
The Pauli Murray Center is a nationally significant history site, anchored by Pauli Murray’s childhood home built by her grandparents in 1898 at 906 Carroll Street in Durham, North Carolina. By connecting history to contemporary human rights issues, the Pauli Murray Center will activate visitors of all ages to stand up for peace, equity and justice.
We are open and welcoming to everyone: students, families, visitors to Durham, people of faith, aspiring young LGBTQ activists, civil rights lawyers, divinity school students, artists and poets, history-minded West End neighbors, scholars, and community leaders. Our programming encompasses public history, education, arts and activism. Together we will create the Center as an historic site, incubator, oasis, and sacred space.
Inspiring activism will lead the way to Pauli Murray’s dream for a just world. It is our hope that the Center will launch the next generation of Pauli Murray firebrand leaders – smart, motivated and determined activists who will demand a world that enables all ideas, amplifies many voices and honors everyone’s contributions.
The Grand Re-Opening of Pauli Murray’s childhood home will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2024. We are still in the process of becoming a fully operational, visitor-ready site. Over the next few years that will mean: completely rehabilitating and making an accessible historic home and education center and building a robust calendar of workshops, on the ground and via virtual education; community dialogues and invitations to action that address enduring inequities; and creative arts programming.
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is located at 906 Carroll St., Durham, NC 27701. All of our events are currently virtual, but we invite you to visit the site to celebrate the Pauli Murray home re-opening on September 7th and to see our outdoor educational installation about the life of Pauli Murray and the history of the house.
For more information: www.paulimurraycenter.org
St. Titus’ Episcopal Church
Like so many historically Black congregations, St. Titus’ got its start when a member of an historically white congregation determined to bring the Episcopal tradition to the Black descendants of slaves who lived nearby. In the early 1880s, a Ms. A.L. Ledger, an African American member of St. Philip’s in Durham, taught the catechism to children and adults in the Hayti section of Durham.
In 1885, that Sunday School appeared in the Journal of Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina for the first time. Referred to in the journal as “the Colored Mission in Durham,” it was listed as an outreach ministry of St. Philip’s. That changed in 1909 when the Rev. Henry Beard Delany was named Archdeacon for Colored Work. He sent the congregation a priest in charge, and he gave us our name, St. Titus’. Later a parochial school was established as part of the mission, and in 1922, St. Titus’ moved into its first building.
That building was destroyed by fire in 1927. The congregation moved into a new building in 1929, and in 1933, St. Titus’ endeared itself to the community with the erection of a parish house that provided recreation for the young people of the city.
St. Titus’ achieved parish status in 1972, the same year it moved into its current building, after the second building was destroyed by fire. By the 1990s, the size of the congregation had begun to decline, and the congregation returned to mission status in 2012. But in recent years good things have been happening at St. Titus’. Attendance is increasing, both in numbers and in diversity. We hold a service in Commemoration of Saint Pauli Murray each year. We are proud of our outreach to our community, particularly the work we do with our neighbors at North Carolina Central University and C. C. Spaulding Elementary School. Our budget has increased, allowing for a full-time priest. At the 2019 Annual Diocesan Convention, we were pleased to return to parish status. We, at St. Titus’, are grateful for all of the saints who have contributed to our ministry over the years. We remain committed to doing the work that God has called us to do, in the Hayti District of Durham and beyond. We invite you to join us and we continue to bear witness and to live into the legacy of our ancestors, as a Jesus-centered community of faith.
St. Titus' Episcopal Church 