Absalom Jones : America's First Black Priest

The story of a former slave and America’s first Black Episcopal priest is an inspiring model for living a full life of service and love.

This book, appropriate for children but engaging enough for adults, begins by describing the reality of slavery during Jones’s life. Absalom Jones purchased his wife’s freedom before his own and dedicated himself to living the Christian faith. Through the difficulties and challenges of his time, he answered the call to serve the church and was ordained a priest and deacon to serve the first Black Episcopal Church in the United States.

The first Black priest in the Anglican Communion continues to be one of the most important historical figures in the Episcopal Church. As the church pays attention to its own sins of racism, this book offers encouragement, guidance, hope, and inspiration. Jones’s life is an example of what it means to follow Jesus through faithful, courageous, and selfless living of the way of love.

MARK FRANCISCO BOZZUTI-JONES is the Priest and Director of Spiritual Formation of Trinity Church Wall Street’s Retreat Center in West Cornwall, Connecticut . He is an avid reader, award-winning author, speaker, and has taught at elementary and university levels. He is also an NAACP Image Award nominee for Outstanding Literary Work - Children. He lives in West Cornwall, Connecticut.

CHRISTOPHER M. TAYLOR A.K.A. ALPHACMT is an illustrator currently based in Virginia. With a background in comics, character, and graphic design, he’s pivoted toward commercial, contemporary, and pop-art paintings. His primary themes of inspiration are Afrofuturism, Afrocentric and multicultural iconography, and social activism.