Mayor Mike Purzycki yesterday proclaimed April 24 as “Bishop Aretha Morton Day” in Wilmington. April 24 is the day in 1959 when Bishop Morton—then known by her maiden name of Aretha Adams— received her church-issued Ministry License. A copy of this historic document can be seen below. Many official forms at that time did not account for females in the clergy. Bishop Morton’s form was modified to note “her” and “she.” On April 24, 1959, Bishop Morton delivered her historic first sermon as Pastor at Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church at 5^th and Washington streets in Wilmington.

“Each year from this moment forward, April 24 will be set aside to remember the beginning of Bishop Morton’s lengthy faith-based journey to becoming a church leader, a leader in our community, and someone who was admired and respected and served as a mentor and counselor to generations of Wilmington families,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We will continue each year to celebrate all that Bishop Morton achieved and remember the many reasons why our City and its people benefitted from her presence.”

At Monday’s funeral service for Bishop Morton, the Mayor announced his decision to proclaim April 24 as “Bishop Aretha Morton Day” and also issued the tribute below honoring Bishop Morton, who passed away on February 4. In the tribute, the Mayor praised Morton’s lifelong service to the people of Wilmington in a career that included some remarkable firsts – first woman pastor of a Baptist Church in Delaware, first African American, and first woman named chaplain of the Wilmington Fire Department, first female Baptist Bishop in the State, and first woman appointed State Bishop of Delaware.

*******OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TRIBUTE*******

The City of Wilmington extends condolences to the family and friends of longtime Wilmington church pastor, community leader and counselor, Bishop Aretha Morton, who departed this life on February 4, 2023, at the age of 85.

Born January 19, 1938, in Wilmington, Bishop Morton had a remarkable life and trailblazing career that began four decades ago when, in 1983, she became a pastor at Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church at 5^th and Washington streets – the first woman in Delaware’s history to pastor a Baptist church. She served in that capacity for more than three decades, making her the church’s longest-serving pastor. So influential and impactful was her tenure at Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist and her service to the people of Wilmington that the City renamed a portion of Washington Street in her honor in 2016.

In 1993, Bishop Morton again made history by being the first African American and first woman named chaplain of the Wilmington Fire Department, eventually rising to the rank of Deputy Chief and becoming the highest-ranking female within the department. A trusted counselor and dedicated public servant, she described her work as WFD Chaplain as her proudest experience with helping the community.

Appointed State Bishop of Delaware in 2006, Bishop Morton served until her death on the College of Bishops as Delaware’s State Bishop for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International. She was also a founding member of the Interdenominational Minsters Action Council and the HOPE Commission. Highly respected in and around Wilmington – indeed throughout the state – Bishop Morton received many honors and awards, including being Delaware Tech’s Black History Month honoree in 2017, and a recipient of the Peter Spencer Legacy Award and the Churches Take A Corner (CTAC) Community Award, both in 2022.

On behalf of the people of Wilmington, the home that she loved so deeply, we pay tribute to Bishop Aretha Morton for a lifetime of service. Generations in our City and beyond have been graced with her wisdom and guidance, and Bishop Morton’s “humbling and nurturing spirit” and inspirational leadership will be greatly missed. While we have lost a staunch advocate for peace in our City, the benefits of her efforts to improve and transform the lives of our citizenry will live on forever.