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Sneak preview of
Cathedral Restoration
—see pages 6-7
$.50 PER ISSUE
Deacon Frank Mathis dies; was director of African American Ministry
Deacon Frank Mathis smiles in a 1993 file
photo by Jonas N. Jordan.
Savannah
D eacon Frank Mathis, 63, director of the
Office of African American Ministry for
the Diocese of Savannah, died of lung cancer
September 21 at home in Savannah.
“He was the essence of a gentleman,” said
Bishop J. Kevin Boland. “He was a person of
kindness and gentility. He lived his life in an era
of great racial tensions but was a man who was
blessed with a special charism of not acknowl
edging the divide but rather he used his gra
ciousness to draw people together.”
The bishop added, “As a permanent deacon,
he provided outstanding service, showing the
face of Christ to others whether they were black
or white. I am confident that our saving Lord
will give him a big hug and embrace as he
enters into the new life promised by our risen
Savior.”
To his sister, the Rev. Nettie Miller, who was
at his side when he died, Deacon Mathis “was
an angel. He was always reaching out to help
people and he never turned anyone down.”
A native of Fort Valley, Deacon Mathis was
the son of the late Otis Mathis Sr. and Mrs.
Laura B. Mathis Gibson, who lives in Fontana,
California.
He was a former member of Central Union
Baptist Church in Fort Valley and attended H.A.
Hunt High School. He was a graduate of Fort
Valley State College. He served as a basketball,
football, track and softball coach with various
schools and organizations in Savannah and Fort
Valley.
He served as District Scout Executive for the
Boy Scouts of America from 1959 to 1972, as
Executive Director of the Coastal Area Minority
Business Development Association from 1972-
1988, and as president of Mathis and Associates
Business Consultants, beginning in 1975.
He joined the Catholic Church in Savannah,
where he was a communicant of Most Pure
Heart of Mary Church, now merged into Resur
rection of Our Lord Parish. He was ordained to
the permanent diaconate by Bishop Raymond
W. Lessard in 1985. Since 1986 he served as
director of the Office of African American
Ministry of the Catholic Diocese.
Through his work with the diocese and with
his parish, Deacon Mathis served as a role model
to many youth in the area. Several years ago he
formed the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. (Blacks Reaching
Out To Help Each Reach Success), a program to
mentor African-American young males.
He was a member of the board of the Citizens
Crime Commission and of the advisory board of
the Regional Youth Detention Center.
In 1995 Mayor Susan Weiner declared August
12 Frank Mathis Day in Savannah. Most Pure
Heart of Mary Parish held an appreciation din
ner for him at the Pirates House.
Surviving besides his mother are two sisters,
Mrs. Mary B. Buckley of Fontana, California,
and the Reverend Nettie Miller of Monrovia,
California; his sister-in-law, Mrs. Sadie Mathis
of Fort Valley; three nephews, Archie Miller of
San Dimas, California; Charles Miller of
Pomona, California and Donald Miller of
Duarte, California; six nieces, Annie L. Sanders
(Continued on page 4)
Vol. 80, No. 33 Thursday, September 28, 2000
F ather James B. Walker, former
pastor of Saint Peter Claver
Parish, Macon, died in West Palm
Beach, Florida, on September 23.
Father Walker was undergoing reha
bilitation therapy because of difficul
ty with walking, brought on by dia
betes, at the time of his death. He
died of prostate cancer, which he had
been battling the last few years.
James Walker was bom in Macon
and attended Virgil Powers School.
He graduated from Lanier High for
Boys in June, 1946 and entered the
U. S. Navy. He was selected to attend
the U. S. Naval Academy Prepara
tory School in Bainbridge, Maryland.
He entered the Naval Academy in
July, 1949 and graduated in June,
1953. He married Virginia Daly of
Father James B. Walker dies
New Haven, Connecticut, a Navy
nurse, and they both left the Navy in
the late 50s. A career in marketing
followed. His wife died in 1979. He
entered the Saint Mary’s Seminary in
Baltimore, Maryland, in 1986 and
graduated with a Masters Degree in
Divinity in 1990. He was ordained to
the priesthood for the Diocese of
Savannah by Bishop Raymond W.
Lessard in May, 1990.
Father Walker served as parochial
vicar at Saint James, Savannah, Saint
Mary’s on the Hill, Augusta, and as
pastor of Our Divine Saviour in
Tifton and its mission, Saint Ann’s,
in Alapaha, before becoming pastor
of Saint Peter Claver in 1995.
He resigned as pastor in May 1999
and his priestly faculties were with
drawn a few months later. In Novem
ber 1999, he was sentenced to proba
tion for misappropriation of funds
from Saint Peter Claver Parish.
“The final year of Father Walker’s
life was saddened by the fact that he
was dealing with declining health but
more significantly by his probated
sentence for misuse of funds,’’said
Bishop J. Kevin Boland.
He added, “In the final analysis,
the purpose of the Church to which
we belong is to seek reconciliation
and extend forgiveness because
God’s grace and love remain uncon
ditional. This unconditional love is
given in a unique and special way to
his ministers from whom so much is
expected. We’re all deeply conscious
(Continued on page 4)
Father James B. Walker
n The
Sou
Diocese of
Savannah
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