From devotion to his church to countless hours of volunteerism to a vibrant heart for activism and civil rights…Father Malcom O’Leary covered it all.
And his dedication to the people and community he served are still evident within Yazoo City, where he served as the first black priest at St. Francis Church on Powell Street.
Father O’Leary, 92, passed away last week, but the impact he left among many Yazoo citizens will live on for future generations.
Although O’Leary experienced many challenges along the lines of race in his lifetime, he always said that race didn’t matter when it came to his job.
“The congregation wants somebody who’s going to give an intelligent sermon and go through Mass like it should be celebrated,” Father O’Leary said, in a previous news article. “A priest is a priest.”
Father O’Leary, a Camden native, was admitted to the first Roman Catholic seminary in America that allowed black men to study to join the priesthood. Originating in Greenville, the Society of the Divine Word’s seminary would later relocate to Bay St. Louis. It was there at St. Augustine’s that Father O’Leary was ordained in 1961.
Father O’Leary arrived in Yazoo City at St. Francis Church in 1968, and he would remain there until 1972.
Virginia Brown said Father O’Leary was her childhood priest at St. Francis, and he would later serve as her priest in her adult life at St. Mary’s in Vicksburg.
“As a child, he often assisted me through life challenges,” Brown said. “And we remained connected throughout the remaining years of his life.”
“My memory of Father O’Leary is one of great respect and honor,” added Elder Pastor Webster. “He was a man of principles and integrity.”
Cassandra Leach-Woods had a special connection with Father O’Leary, who was very close with her father Herman Leach. During a special visit to Yazoo City in later years to speak at an engagement, Father O’Leary made it a point to visit Leach at his home before leaving.
“Father O’Leary was one of the most iconic people among many from our beautiful and enriching days at St. Francis Catholic School,” Leach-Woods said.
Although remembered for his kind and loving spirit, Robert Pig Fisher said Father O’Leary was serious about discipline.
“Father O’Leary was a man who was as strict as it comes,” Fisher said. “When he thought I was trying to do more than be a friend to the girls at St. Francis, and Coach Herman Leach believed every word of it…punished me dearly.”
Gloria Owens said Father O’Leary was “a valiant warrior.” And Mary Briley recalls him as “the epitome of an honorable and good man.”
Father O’Leary had the strong belief that children should be kept busy, leaving little room for mischievous behavior. From attending daily mass to school academics to pulling grass to sporting events…he certainly kept local children busy.
Cynthia Walker said it was Father O’Leary who taught many children how to play pinochle cards, and he thought every child should know how to play croquet.
“Father O’Leary took many of us on college visit trips, music concerts and other road trips to learn that there was another world outside of Yazoo,” she said. “For that we are forever grateful. Rest in Heaven Father Malcolm O’Leary; the changer of our way in life in Yazoo.”
Over the years, Father O’Leary was also very active in the local civil rights movement. He invited Dr. Martin Luther King to add Yazoo City as one of his stopping points during the March Against Fear. In return, King urged Father O’Leary to invite Rudy Shields, a civil rights activist, to Yazoo City.
“He was truly a trailblazer, a man ahead of his time,” said Joseph Thomas Sr. “He helped Yazoo tremendously during the civil rights era. He was instrumental in helping blacks get jobs and integrate them into stores and other businesses.”
“They realized we weren’t trying to destroy the town,” Father O’Leary said, in a previous news article. “We just wanted justice.”
Thomas said Father O’Leary was a key figure behind the local economic boycotts. After about two years of the boycotts, blacks were provided the opportunities to pursue employment and other local civic positions.
“Father O’Leary was one of the first to run for an elected office in Yazoo,” Thomas said. “It was during that time that he pushed to get blacks to run for offices. He also allowed the NAACP to use the St. Francis gym for rallies and meetings. He opened the doors.”
Thomas said he remembers his time with Father O’Leary not just in Yazoo City but also at Tougaloo College, where he once served as chaplain.
“He was a role model for me,” Thomas said. “He gave me sound advice and guided me all throughout college.”
Father O’Leary was also very active in his civic duties, organizing a variety of events such as the annual Bizarre Fall Festival. The festival was community-wide and attracted many visitors.
In May of 1970, Father O’Leary also brought more than 50 black pilots to a local air show at Barrier Field to raise funds for his church. The show welcomed the Chicago American Pilots Association and the Bronze Eagles of Houston, Texas and included precision flying and a parachute jump by Throne Stricklin of Yazoo City, a former paratrooper.
“It will be the first time that an all-black fly has been staged or held in the South,” Father O’Leary said. “It was a great show and most successful.”
Father O’Leary remained connected to many Yazooans after his departure from the local community. From the church to the schools to the community to a movement…everyone will remember Father O’Leary.
Funeral services for Father O’Leary will be held Wednesday, June 1, at St. Augustine Chapel in Bay St. Louis.
