A former priest who served in Rockford and Belvidere and died in 1986 has been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of a minor, according to information from the Diocese of Rockford.
Diocese officials on Feb. 18, 2025, updated their list of priests against whom a "substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor" had been reported.
The latest update added Herman Porter to the list, according to Diocese publications.
Porter was ordained in 1947 and served the Rockford Diocese as pastor of St. Therese of Jesus Church of Aurora from 1970 to 1979; administrator of St. Ann Church in Warren, 1967 to 1968; associate pastor at St. Mary Church, Rockford in 1964; assistant at Sacred Heart Church, Sterling in 1963 and as chaplain pro-tem at St. Joseph's Hospital of Belvidere, from June to September 1963.
Porter retired from the active priesthood in July 1979 and died April 3, 1986, according to information from the Diocese.
The "Black Catholic Messenger" reported that Porter, a Black priest, was respected voice of the civil rights movement who had written a 1952 article titled “Color Line in Catholic Churches,” which circulated in the Catholic press, advocating for desegregating the U.S. priesthood and religious life.
The publication also reported that Porter had in in 1968 organized the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus.