Louis H. Narcisse

Louis H. Narcisse
His Grace Bishop King; Louis H. Narcisse
Church	Mt. Zion Spiritual Church, Inc.
Installed	1943/45
Term ended	1989
Personal details
Birth name	Louis Herbert Narcisse
Born	April 27, 1921; New Orleans, Louisiana
Died	February 3, 1989 (aged 67); Detroit, Michigan
Buried	Rolling Hills Memorial Park; Richmond, California
Nationality	American
Denomination	Baptist ; Spiritual Church Movement
Residence	Oakland, California; Detroit, Michigan
Parents	Stella and Jesse Narcisse
Occupation	Pastor; vocalist; musician; gospel singer; composer
Profession	Shipyard worker
Motto	It's nice, to be nice"

Louis H. Narcisse (April 27, 1921 – February 3, 1989),[1][2] also known as King Louis H. Narcisse, was an American religious leader and the founder of the Mt. Zion Spiritual Church.[3] He claimed religious leaders of the time such as Father Divine, Daddy Grace and, James F. Jones were his divine predecessors.

He was an organizer and spiritual healer in Oakland, California. He was also a gospel minister, vocalist, musician, and composer with whom gospel singer Mahalia Jackson often collaborated. He was the uncle of renowned African-American gospel singer Bessie Griffin (July 6, 1922 – April 10, 1989).[4] They died within days of each other in 1989.

Early life

Louis Herbert Narcisse was born on April 27, 1921, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Stella Narcisse. His father, Jesse Narcisse, was killed in a shipboard accident before his birth. The youngest of four siblings, Narcisse came from a devout Baptist family. At an early age, young Narcisse knew that he had been touched by the hand of God.[5] His family found out early on that Narcisse was something very special, a religious child prodigy who was reserved but loved to pray and sing spiritual music.[5] His singing talents were first locally recognized in New Orleans when he was a teenager, where Narcisse won five radio auditions. As a teen, he became a soloist at church services and funerals.

Ministry

At 18 years old, Narcisse entered into the Christian ministry in the summer of 1939. Narcisse migrated to California during World War II when God spoke to him to come to California. He found a job in Hunter's Point Shipyards in San Francisco, California as an electrical worker earning $85 a week. He lived at a Hunter's Point War World II Housing Project.[3]

In South San Francisco the Mt. Zion movement began with a small prayer meeting,"[2][3] from there Narcisse founded Mount Zion Spiritual Temple in Oakland on November 8, 1945 under the credo "It's nice to be nice." The church was named after his boyhood church in New Orleans, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which had been the place of his baptism, but Narcisse's Mount Zion Spiritual Temple was actually a Spiritualist church in the African-American Spiritual Church Movement tradition. As his popularity grew, he presided over several churches in Oakland, Sacramento, Houston, and Detroit, and travelled between them.

Death

Narcisse died February 3, 1989, of a heart attack in his Detroit mansion.[1][6] He was interred at Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, California.[6]

Discography

1950: Rev. Louis Narcisse
1951: Rev. Louis Narcisse & the Celestial Tones
1953: Bishop Narcisse
1955: Bishop Louis H. Narcisse and Mt. Zion Spiritual Choir
1959: Bishop H. Narcisse
1959: King Louis H. Narcisse & His Wings of Faith Choir
1960: Leaning on Jesus
1962/64: His Grace King Louis H. Narcisse

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References

Marc Sandalow (February 1989). "Lavish East Bay Funeral / King Narcisse Takes Some of It With Him". The San Francisco Chronicle. Chronicle East Bay Bureau.
James R. Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions (2 ed.). Prometheus Books. p. 509. ISBN 9781615927388. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
Louie Robinson (July 1963). "The+Kingdom+of+King+Narcisse" Ebony (Vol. 13, No. 9 ed.). Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 112–119. ISSN 0012-9011. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
Alan Young (January 1, 1997). Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life (illustrated ed.). Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 196. ISBN 9780878059447.
"PROPHETIC JUSTICE, The Destruction of the Spiritual Kingdom of Bishop-King Louis H. Narcisse". Prince Ray Chronicles. December 31, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
Opal Louis Nations. "It's so nice to be nice" The Story of 'His Grace' King Louis H. Narcisse" (PDF). opalnations.com. p. 13. Retrieved March 17, 2013.

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[Lavish_Funeral-1] Marc Sandalow (February 1989). "Lavish East Bay Funeral / King Narcisse Takes Some of It With Him". The San Francisco Chronicle. Chronicle East Bay Bureau.

[Encyclopedia_King_Narcisse-2] James R. Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions (2 ed.). Prometheus Books. p. 509. ISBN 9781615927388. Retrieved March 12, 2013.

[The_Kingdom_of_King_Narcisse-3] Louie Robinson (July 1963). "The+Kingdom+of+King+Narcisse" Ebony (Vol. 13, No. 9 ed.). Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 112–119. ISSN 0012-9011. Retrieved March 12, 2013.

[Gospel_Singer_Narcisse-4] Alan Young (January 1, 1997). Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life (illustrated ed.). Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 196. ISBN 9780878059447.

[Prophetic_Justice-5] "PROPHETIC JUSTICE, The Destruction of the Spiritual Kingdom of Bishop-King Louis H. Narcisse". Prince Ray Chronicles. December 31, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[The_Story_of_King_Narcisse-6] Opal Louis Nations. "It's so nice to be nice" The Story of 'His Grace' King Louis H. Narcisse" (PDF). opalnations.com. p. 13. Retrieved March 17, 2013.