Bishop John Thomas Walker worked all his life to overcome prejudice, injustice and hatred. Born in Georgia in 1925, raised in Detroit, Mich., he was the first African-American to attend Virginia Theological Seminary, the first black rector of his home parish in Detroit, the first of his race to teach at St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H., and the first black Bishop of Washington. In 1985, he was one of the five finalists in the election of a Presiding Bishop. He triumphed over the loneliness and pain of his hard road through his deep faith, sense of humor, gentle spirit and his love for all God's children.

Bishop Walker served for five years as a canon of Washington National Cathedral, responsible for ministry to the city of Washington. As part of that ministry, he hosted a weekly TV program which focused on urban, ethnic and ecumenical concerns. His involvement in urban problems increased as he became first a suffragan bishop in 1971, then coadjutor and, in 1977, when he was installed as Bishop of Washington. On the retirement of Dean Francis B. Sayre Jr., Bishop Walker became dean of Washington National Cathedral, assuming that leadership position in addition to his diocesan duties.

One of his daunting tasks was to clear the cathedral of the million-dollar debt which accrued as the construction surged to completion. Before the cathedral's dedication, the debts had been paid.

Two words surface when friends talk about John Walker: "reconciliation" and "inclusivity." His was a spirit that reached out to all races, all creeds, all nationalities. While at St. Paul's School, he was given a sabbatical to teach at the Bishop Tucker Theological College in Uganda. He had already run summer programs in Latin America under the auspices of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Walker made many trips to Africa in the ensuing years. He was a leader in the training conferences held there for new Anglican bishops. His concern for the problems of apartheid in South Africa led to his close friendship with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with whom he shared traits of gentleness, humor and desire for justice. Bishop Walker was also chairman of the board of Africare, a non-profit relief organization dedicated to self-help development projects in Africa.

While Bishop Walker thought globally, the critical problems of our country's cities challenged him. The Urban Bishops Coalition, formed in 1976 by Bishop Walker and other big-city bishops, pushed for reforms in welfare, housing and crime prevention.

At the same time, he worked with the Washington city government and with the Congress to try to ameliorate the problems of the poor and disenfranchised citizens of his home town. He formed the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, an organization of leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths who cooperate to fight hunger and poverty.

Bishop Walker was a strong proponent of the ordination of women as priests. He often said that the arguments used against the ordination of women reminded him of the arguments used against the advancement of black people. In January 1977, he and Bishop William F. Creighton ordained six people, three women and three men, three black and three white, to be priests.

When he died suddenly in 1989, thousands mourned his loss. He was their priest, their shepherd, their advocate and their friend. His influence reached world leaders and he was at ease with farmers in southern Maryland.

A statue of Bishop Walker stands in the Human Rights Bay of his cathedral. He is accompanied by Eleanor Roosevelt and Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyr of El Salvador, three citizens of the world. Fittingly, one must look up to see them all.

Nancy S. Montgomery is the retired communications director of Washington National Cathedral.