Deacon Hosea Alexander, pioneer of black Catholic ministry in Los Angeles, dies at 95

Deacon Hosea Alexander, who became the first permanent deacon ordained in the history of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and spent the next 51 years shaping the archdiocese's ministry to black Catholics, died July 9 at age 95.

Deacon Alexander was part of the first class of permanent deacons ordained by Cardinal Timothy Manning in 1975, a few years after Pope St. Paul VI formally restored the ministry, according to an Aug. 25 article by archdiocesan publication Angelus News. Because the class was ordained in alphabetical order by surname, Deacon Alexander liked to point out that he was technically the archdiocese's first permanent deacon. He came to the diaconate after being a standout athlete, an Army veteran, and an engineer who worked on early NASA, Rocketdyne, and Hughes Aircraft projects. He was among the University of Notre Dame's pioneering black graduates in engineering, finishing his degree there in 1962.

From the start of his service as a deacon, Cardinal Manning asked Deacon Alexander help especially with ministry and outreach for black Catholics. In the years that followed, Cardinal Manning and his successor, Cardinal Roger Mahony, both turned to Deacon Alexander repeatedly for guidance on outreach to black Catholics in the archdiocese.

“He was truly a prophetic pioneer for the entire archdiocese, and he set a new standard for all permanent deacons who followed him,” Cardinal Mahony said, according to the outlet. 

Deacon Alexander came into the diaconate at a moment when almost nothing about the newly restored permanent diaconate ministry had been settled. Deacon Peat Wilson, ordained in 1982 and a longtime friend, said clergy and deacons alike were still figuring out what the role should even look like, and that Alexander was among those who pushed to define it. Wilson said Deacon Alexander saw his mission less as administering sacraments than as evangelizing out in the community, meeting black Catholics wherever they were.

Deacon Alexander brought a distinct personal style to that ministry over the decades, according to Angelus News. Inspired by the biblical account of King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, he would dance while carrying the Book of the Gospels during the entrance procession at Mass, the outlet reported. He was known for bilingual duets, a rhythmic, memorized recitation of the Rosary that became a fixture at parish vigils for the dead, and his favorite refrain – “God is good, all the time.”

Archbishop José Gomez, who celebrated Deacon Alexander's Aug. 14 funeral Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Church, pointed to the more than 300 permanent deacons who gathered in Los Angeles earlier that month as evidence of what Deacon Alexander's ministry had grown into. The National Black Catholic Congress highlighted Alexander's legacy this week as well, republishing an account of his life and ministry.

Deacon Alexander was preceded in death by his wife, Genevieve, in 2022. He continued an active ministry until the end, including leading nightly Zoom rosary sessions with Scripture readings and prayers for the sick. More than 300 people attended his funeral, including the Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of St. Peter Claver and a choir led by his son Vincent.