William Norvel, an American Catholic priest, died on March 12, 2026.
Born William Leonard Norvel Jr. on October 1, 1935, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1965 and became the 13th and first Black superior general of the Society of St.
Joseph of the Sacred Heart, or Josephites, in 2011. The society was founded in 1893 to serve African Americans. Norvel also worked during the Black Catholic Movement, helping spread Black Gospel music and other elements of Black spirituality in African-American Catholic parishes.
William Leonard Norvel Jr., SSJ (October 1, 1935– March 8, 2026) was an American Catholic priest who served as the 13th and first Black superior general of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephites. The society was founded to serve African Americans in 1893. Norvel, ordained to the priesthood in 1965, became superior in 2011; the first Black man to head a Catholic religious community in the United States.