On 9 July 1897, he died as a priest should worn out in the care of his flock. 0000002939 00000 n There are conflicting accounts of his journey to freedom. 0000059992 00000 n He was born a slave in Missouri and escaped to Quincy, Illinois, through the Underground Railroad. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. This same year, the last ship to bring slaves to the United States, the Clothildre, arrived in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Augustine Tolton 1871: The Chicago Fire burned from Sunday, October 8 to Tuesday, October 10. 0 0000001420 00000 n In his first year, he took over the school he had founded and also created a flourishing parish at St. Josephs, attended by both blacks and whites. McGirr. But a Cardinal, Giovanni Simeoni in Rome said, America Gratitude to a few priests and religious who tutored him and advocated to have him recognized for his goodness; gratitude that moved him to declare the Catholic Church the principle instrument of improvement of the plight of the black race. Toltons earliest schooling was interrupted by the protests of his peers and adults or while having to work as a laborer in bottling and saddle making factories and as a church janitor to help his mother support their family. Gus was not insensitive to what that victory actually meant to many of the freed slaves whom he lived alongside, including his own family: servile work for some, lives of poverty for most. We may not be This same year, Mary Jane Patterson graduates from Oberlin College in Ohio and becomes the first black woman to graduate from an American college. Sign up for 6 Free IssuesTry us out with a free trial subscription. Toltons Canonization Timeline 2019 June 11, 2019 Pope Francis issues the declaration that He was declared venerable in 2019. Augustus Tolton. They were being shot at. He also found time to help start a Catholic school for Blacks. Tolton is a model of virtue for all Catholics. 0000001964 00000 n The Production EWTN host discusses the remarkable life of Father Augustus Tolton during the 125th anniversary year of his death. The cross of Christ is a gift from God and an outward sign that His will is being followed. Here they joined the closest Catholic church, the German parish of St. Boniface. By BLACKCATHOLIC: My Writings Featured On Other Catholic Platforms, BLACKCATHOLIC Fervorinos: Brief Faith Talks to Get Your Faith Going videos Links and Transcripts, To The Questions You Might Have About BLACKCATHOLIC, Holy Brothers: Black Catholic Men Saints and Holy Ones, Saintly Sistas: Black Catholic Women Saints and Holy Ones, Patron Saint of BLACKCATHOLIC: Ven. She endeavors to free us of both. ZeS6N ;'pw! This post originally appeared at Catholic Exchange and is reprinted with permission. Bishop Baltes was willing to have him and the diocese would cover his seminary expenses. He refused to be discouraged or to blame anyone. His time in Quincy, though, was short-lived. It was the priests of the Church who taught me to pray and to forgive my persecutors it was through the direction of a Sister of Notre Dame, Sister Herlinde, that I learned to interpret the Ten Commandments; and then I also beheld for the first time the glimmering light of truth and the majesty of the Church. His temperament allowed him to rejoice in the Lord while under trial. endstream endobj 349 0 obj <. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. We give our all to the Lord yet blacks are the most under evangelized A Better Way Forward, Heres a Bishop Doing Something Good, and More Great Links! He continued to pray, to give classes to his fellow parishioners, to wait, and to hope. Augustine Tolton: Americas First BlackPriest [], [] (. This same year, President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation legally frees all slaves in the Confederacy. ):www.catholicgentleman.com [], Your email address will not be published. WebFather Augustus Tolton was a priest who, for the love of souls, tore down a racial barrier, reluctantly and single-handedly, on direct orders from Rome. St. Monicas, the church for which her son had expended so much energy and time, was abandoned in 1924 and later raised to the ground. The young priest worked tirelessly to minister to them, reminding them of the one thing no human power could remove or tarnish: their Catholic Faith. It shocked Gus because it was on that very subject he had been praying namely, a possible vocation to the priesthood. We shall see whether it deserves that honor. His story is one of suffering service. %PDF-1.4 % He first ministered to black Catholics in Quincy, Illinois and was later transferred to Chicago. One account, in Wikipedia, says Stephen Elliot freed his slaves at the outbreak of the Civil War. 0000001605 00000 n Unlike the citys richer parishes, Fr. We find no evidence of outburst in him in face of what he endured. Forces attempted to derail his priestly service in a creeping milieu of diversity that cried out for social and legal recognition but for which society and church could not respond at that time. But Father McGirr and the sisters who ran the school knew they needed to prepare both parents and students for the schools first black student. Tolton at this time and stayed with him and his mother who by then also had come to be live in Chicago as her sons housekeeper. If I say Ignatius wants to be a priest there are no exciting remarks. His beatification we hope will provide renewed impetus within the African American Catholic community in the United States; as one of our own being raised to mention at the altar will send a spiritual recharge to the hope of African American Catholics that we need at this time and have needed for quite some time. I'm in a perfectly happy mood, you asshole. McGirr had wanted to ask him a question. Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni announcing to the committee deciding where Tolton would be sent in the world after ordination. Father Augustus Tolton | CatholicSaints.Info, Fr. On this grave stone which later replaced the original reads: I must now give praise to that son of the Emerald Isle, Father Peter McGirr, pastor of St. Peters Church in Quincy, who promised me that I would be educated and who kept his word. He is 14 years old. WebTHEY MIGHT BE SAINTS- BISHOP ALPHONSE GALLEGOS He strolled the streets of Sacramento, saving souls by visiting families and mixing with low riders in the Latino community. Sunday in a TweetShell for the Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A) [February 12, 2023] Matthew 5:17-37, Sunday in a TweetShell for the Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A) [February 5, 2023] Matthew 5:13-16, Black (And Catholic) Like Me: Stories and Reflections on the Church's Black Saints, Let 'em Speak On It: Reflections on Notable Quotes From Black Catholics. Learning From Father Toltons Example: Cultivating Racial Reconciliation in the Body of Christ, Merrick Garland Grilled on Anti-Catholic, Pro-Abortion Bias During Senate Hearing, Memento Mori: Remember You Are Going to Die, In the Beginning Are the Words: Logos, Language and Liberty, West Virginia Passes Religious Freedom Restoration Act, The Thorn Brings Christs Passion to the Big Screen in a New Way. 2. [] Source: Fr. Tolton later felt called to the priesthood, but faced much opposition and no American seminary would accepted him. People were unable to see the evangelical side to this novel situation of a black priest and the advantages it afforded church and society. He was from Missouri and died in Chicago, but he was ordained by and for Springfield in IL., where he was buried. Finally, a second appeal to the Urban College through the Franciscans lead to Augustus acceptance. He faced opposition notably from within the Christian community, the one institution he should have been able to rely upon for compassion and support. This victimization is placed on the altar of worship daily through the lives of people all over. Before anything else, however, the nearest Catholic Church, St. Peters, was identified and the family started to worship there. Died July 9, 1897 endstream endobj startxref I was a poor slave boy but the priests of the Church did not disdain me. 0000001549 00000 n Tolton had brought to Quincy was now loosed upon a poor district of Chicagos south side. His kind-heartedness, no doubt, was derived from certain innate virtues of his person and his friendship with God. Despite his open and generous manner, his learning and piety, his hard work and dedication, and above all his priestly heart and its desire for souls, he was to be defamed, insulted and ultimately rejected. Father Augustus Tolton, you whose life demonstrated the fruit of the Holy Spirits gifts of fortitude and perseverance, But I was hoping to hear something about his cause for Sainthood. The authorities in Rome could see no reason why he could not minister to his co-religionists there, not least those of his own race. God pulled him through a sinful situation. WebVenerable Fr. f$d (qAD@B ?CFV3vn`e6yDXSR!rR$49PA>']"\jph%R,)aX2 |l++E}wM~Jhe. He died of complications from heat stroke on July 9, 1897. It is not easy reasoning to the place of suffering in the human journey. Their efforts were remarkable in face of those odds and likely those odds could have proven too high to overcome. He was, however, the first priest whose identity as an African-American was publicly acknolwedged at the time of his ordination. The touching story of Augustus Tolton reminds us of the glaring social deficits of a former time. Tolton, a man of deep feeling, viewed himself a priest for anyone and everyone who approached the Church for the grace and mercy of God. Jesus saved the world precisely as a victim not as a celebrity or military general. He was first and foremost a priest. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. As this article reminds us though, we are a church made up of sinners, and we are all in need of prayer as well. I will pray for your grandson Ignatius in his discernment of his call to the priesthood. He could smile to the world while suffering; his gentle spirit essentially emanating from an inner disposition of goodness. He attended out of-the-way classes taught by friendly priests and nuns who saw in his eyes the bright spark of the love of God, a tender devotion to the Church and a determination to serve people whether black or white. 0000004240 00000 n Toltons life story inserts a dialectic into a begrudging situation of intransigence to social and moral change. Ordained in Rome, Italy, April 24, 1886 The good Lord allowed his witness only a short stay here. 1889: Father Tolton begins his ministry in Chicago on December 19. She is the Church for our people. But Father Tolton received no rewards or citations in life. 1873: Tutoring begins in preparation for the seminary. The young man looked embarrassed. Nevertheless, the visiting priest found a hearty welcome. 1878: Augustus Tolton enrolls in St. Francis College, now Quincy University. 63 0 obj <> endobj xref 63 23 0000000016 00000 n https://www.ncregister.com/blog/father-augustus-tolton-america-s-first-black-priest, The Hope-Filled Legacy of the First Black Priest in the United States, EWTN Spotlight: The Story of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton Comes to TV. fQn_PzAdx%Q~b , 73G':rl4=@ She endeavors to 348 0 obj <> endobj They knew the odds that stood against them and the Church. Catholic Excalibur: The True Story Behind St. Galganos Sword, US Bishops Urge Senators to Oppose Revival of the Equal Rights Amendment, A Lasting Trail of Light: The Witness of Pedro Ballester, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange and the Rich History of Black Catholic Religious Orders. Getting the Order of Treatment Right in the Field Hospital of the Catholic Church, Bishop Paprocki Pens Essay Imagining Heretical Cardinals, Quoting San Diegos McElroy, Heres How Half of US Abortions Could Be Stopped This Week, Catholic Bookstore Sues Jacksonville Over Law it Says is a Trans Pronoun Mandate. Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful Another miracle has been recently attributed to his intercession. He was called some pretty nasty names. The holy family fled at night into Eygpt to spare His life from Heord so our Blessed Lord was born in a cave which no one would expect for the King of kings. or school. We believers try to make sense of our own experiences of being victims along lifes way by gazing back at what happened to the Savior in his own mistreatment. During these relatively carefree years, the only question was where he would be posted. He knew that there was a simmering resentment in his congregation. He is the creator and host of the EWTN television series They Might Be Saints and author of the book They Might Be Saints (EWTN Publishing 2021) about Americans on the path to sainthood and the search for canonization miracles. Augustus Tolton, in full John Augustine Tolton, also called Augustine John Tolton or Father Gus, (born April 1, 1854, Brush Creek, Ralls county, Missouri, For some time previously Fr. Many others thought so: Following the required six years of study, Augustus was ordained a priest with his class Easter Vigil 24 April 1886 at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. " vXp/n*%kPD\CDkAA43J~]*+a$/ :J\]cN$8NOdp4vE. Some were surprised that he had chosen to be buried in the town that had shunned him. 19th century America placed dark skin at the bottom of the color pyramid. WebO God, we give you thanks for your servant and priest, Father Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful and paradoxical. He wrote to every seminary in the country and all gave him the same answer: We arent ready to accept a Negro. 0 1862: Martha Jane escapes withher children to Quincy, Illinois. Augustine Tolton was declared: Servant of God. The Parish Priest was an Irishman, Brian McGirr, and he was having none of it. Will These African Americans Be Canonized? He faced both racial opposition and triumph over the course of his priesthood. Still, he went to Holy Mass as often as he could; he prayed daily. The Saintly Life of Father Augustus Tolton - Catholic Exchange When the Civil War broke out in 1861, his father ran away to fight with the Union. Born in Brush Creek, Ralls County, Missouri He had his moments of self-doubt and stark loneliness that in retrospect took their toll on his emotional and physical well-being. His father, Peter, was an honest and good man well liked by his slave owner for whom he worked hard. endstream endobj startxref Augustine Tolton was now, at last, truly free. He loved his Catholic faith. We cannot know the Christ unless we know him crucified, says St. Paul. That was not an unusual sight; however, that day there was a change. The record of his life is absent any show of retaliation toward anyone or anything. She had colored saints Augustine, Benedict the Moor, Monica. Standing at the altar the priest talks to God in conversation about his only begotten Sons victimization so that sins may be forgiven. Toltons homecoming caused a stir. His parents were Catholics, so he too was baptised into his parents Holy Faith. With all this said and for the fact that this apostolate was started on April 1, 2018, the 132nd anniversary of his birth, it is only right that Fr. The word no was spat in Toltons face more often than not because of his skin color. He thrived. He knew the human heart was weak; he knew too that the Church was unimpeachable in its treatment of all as brothers and sisters in Christ but that she was made up of sinners, and so human frailty was never far away. Religiously inclined in his boyhood, nurtured by promptings of his mother Martha, he was found spending hours in church in prayer in between job schedules. PRAYERS CARDS, NEWLETTERS, AND BROCHURES: For prayer cards, newsletters, and brochures, call 312.534.8376 or write Bishop Joseph N. Perry at the Archdiocese of Chicago: 3525 South Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60653. https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/from-slave-to-priest-1#, http://www.dio.org/tolton/tolton/videos-about-father-tolton.html, https://www.ltp.org/p-2539-father-augustus-tolton-a brief-biography-of-a-faithful-priest-and-former-slave.aspx, Call 312.534.8376 or writeBishop Joseph N Perry, Archdiocese of Chicago, 3525 South Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60653. With one last look at his children, Peter headed out into the night, to the North, and to war. America has been called the most enlightened nation in the world. His canonization we hope will elicit an appreciation by the wider Catholic community for the contributions that Catholics of African descent offer the Church. He maintained above all fortitude of spirit harboring no resentment for any of the insults and offenses receive from others. The Augustus Tolton cause for canonization is announced by Cardinal Francis George. Saints arise from the exigencies of the eras within which they live. Seven years after Augustine, or Gus as he was known, was born, war broke out between the States. Peter talked to his wife, Martha, of his desire to escape and enlist in the Union army. He expects to become a missionary priest in Africa. My father was actually in the Jesuit seminary for a number of years. He built the first Catholic church in a Black neighborhood and wore himself out ministering throughout the city. Not least by a fellow priest, part inspired by jealousy and part by racial prejudice, that, in the end, caused the young priests removal. McGirr knew the frustration and sadness that clung to the outwardly smiling Gus Tolton. For years he persevered; eventually promoted by his employers, it proved a small consolation. Proudly powered by WordPress | The woman and her children were slaves. Fr. Both black and white, Catholic and non-Catholic came to see the young man who had left a much-loved friend and fellow worker and who now returned in a black soutane with a red sash. WebU.S. He was a bright light in a dark time. The touching story of Augustus Tolton reminds us of the glaring social deficits of a former time. Much has improved since that time but much still remains to be done to build on a society that can be an emblem of interracial peace. In the 1880s, a black man becoming a priest was thought to be impossible and, in fact, might never have been set in motion were there not a few priests and religious of courageous, visionary and unselfish choices made by them; Fathers Peter McGirr and Theodore Wegmann, School Sister of Notre Dame Herlinde Sick, Franciscan Fathers Michael Richardt and Francis Ostrop who were some of the best representatives of Catholics in action for their time. Fr. Our Lady teaches us to place our faith and trust Jesus. He was more than a fundraiser though. EIN 27-4581132 In this Church we do not have to fight for our rights because we are black. He also learned to serve Mass. It is a haunting theme that runs through the Christian story, an indelible line in the Christian narrative, an interestingly powerful story that has as its banner, the cross. Students should be able to: 1. N. 2958. 1861: Civil War begins with firing on Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 14. They ran through several nights to the Mississippi River and Hannibal, Missouri, where they were about to be apprehended by Confederate soldiers before two Union soldiers stepped in to defend them. What Tolton experienced in that time of social ambivalence is stuff we read about in history books or view in certain documentaries. 0000003561 00000 n Throughout, Tolton remained steady in his ministry thinking only the best about everyone, with a resolve to labor in a pastoral situation that would offer hope to a people, poor people, any people. When, finally, the Tolton family arrived in the Illinois town of Quincy, they were to live in a segregated neighbourhood. The formality of applying to a seminary proved, however, more complicated for the young recently freed slave, especially as there had never been a man of his race at any seminary in America. In Rome, he was Gus from the U.S., loved by his fellow seminarians and admired for his deep spirituality by his teachers. His employers liked him; he worked hard and was reliable. It worked. Saints are of human stock but have the genius to step forward and bring the gospel message to the contradictions of their time. Toltons Canonization Timeline - Augustus Tolton Fr. But society could not perceive nor accept that he was a priest for both black and white. hb```b``^ @167}beP,`~ F 0000051258 00000 n So its important to pray for Ignatius, as well as for those who may be against him. Our Lady Of Sorrows help us i. 262 0 obj <> endobj %%EOF Why the Devil Hates the Blessed Virgin So Much (And Why You Should Love Her). Augustus Tolton is a pioneer African American Catholic who was not only the first priest of acknowledged African descent to serve anywhere in the United States but one who navigated the choppy waters of racial acceptance endemic to 19th century America and modeled for us how to be Christians amidst the social inconsistencies of that former time with his faith, hope and love found in the end to be intact. Learn how your comment data is processed. As he did so he gazed at the three children sleeping and began to talk of his hopes for their future, one in which they would be free. Exorcist Responds to Sensationalized Russell Crowe Exorcism Film on Father Amorth, Ash Wednesday Breaks All the Rules of Modern ChurchThink, and More Great Links! He was born into slavery and escaped to freedom with his mother and siblings under harrowing circumstances. He died at the age of 43 on July 9, 1897 after collapsing the previous day upon returning from a priests retreat during heat wave that swept the city that year. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. It baffles my mind to see or hear of any Christians discriminating against anyone, especially when Christians show racial bias against a fellow brother or sister in Christ. He suffered genuinely in that these priestly things were administered from a black face, black hands and a black heart. That passage from the letter to the Hebrews must have resonated in Toltons heart: Recall the days gone by when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering. hb```f`` AX,3>71-``^ 9o&fR%'0Htt0pt40 )d]@ LV@ZF20g,p,9L3]fp$yW Among the best known of these six is Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897), the first recognized American Black priest. It was through the influence of one of them that I became what I am tonight. In that social inequities remain apparent in our times Tolton offers strident Christians a model of deportment that is useful in what it can mean for the reconciliation of the races. Father Tolton is a saint for doing things priests do, namely, care for people, ministering to their desperate needs, anointing them with the saving graces of the sacraments, forgiving their sins, preaching a word that works to transform the Church to its more authentic face before the world and describe for people how they can give an authentic response to God in genuine discipleship. Interviewed by the St. Thomas More Cougar Cast Student Show for Black History Month! She is the Church for our people. God bless your grandson, Mrs. Henderson! Father Augustus Tolton is considered, along with the Healy Brothers, among the very first African American priests in the United States. He receives special instruction because he was far advanced than other students. At night the river looked deeper than ever as the woman rowed across it with her three small children. Fr. As an ambulance was called, a crowd gathered around the unusual sight of a black man dressed in a faded cassock. In July 1886, Fr. hbbd```b``f3@$R"5A$K>V&$DX&pEMAd2L`IF/]L@iLS5@ vh Discuss human rights as related to problems of Just outside the train station he had been seen to stumble and then collapse on the city street. Only one person Virginia,who volunteers for the Jesuits she is praying for his priesthood daily with me. A nation experimenting with democracy and certain notions of freedom was unable to process the dignity of black skin amidst the kaleidoscope of ethnic diversity emerging therein. But, there are no clear answers at this time. The Church is broad and liberal. %%EOF Nevertheless, Mrs Tolton soon found work and, thereafter, supported her children as best she could. The title venerable recognizes that he lived a life of heroic virtue. Father Augustine Tolton Patron of Black Priests and Seminarians, Pray for us! That day he did. Venerable Augustus Tolton. He abuses me in many ways His ministry helped lay the foundation for a truly Catholic gathering in faith in our time. The cross of Christ is the Fathers will and was present even at His miraculous birth.No one can earn or has a right to the priesthood because it is not career but rather a vocation,consequently a calling from God Himself. This same year, the Census of 1880 showed the U.S. population at 50 million with a Black population of 6.5 million (13%). After his ordination in 1886, he was sent back to the diocese of Alton, Illinois. We presented to the Church Tolton as a model Christian and priest during a time of paradox, an era of social deficits that attempted to derail his priestly ministry. In Chicago this year, the Haymarket Riot occurred on May 4 on Des Plaines Street north of Randolph Street. The First Colored Priest in the United States Religious orders were also tried, but to no avail. He was 43. His congregation was largely poor, ill-educated ex-slaves, with all the resultant ills of depression and violence attending those who, for varying reasons, had given up on life. Ted Turner Dedication Whether side by side or miles apart we are sisters. Tolton felt unwell. Augustus was born of the marriage union of two slaves, Peter Paul Tolton and his wife Martha Jane, in Ralls County, Missouri, April 1, 1854. I am praying for the smooth cause of his sainthood. It was said that I would be the only priest of my race in America and would not likely succeed, Tolton once wrote. A Marked Man: Should Catholics Get Tattoos? 1886: Augustus Tolton was ordained at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome on April 24 and was told he would return as a missionary to his home country of the United States in Quincy, Illinois. 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Their time the care of his death freedom with his mother and siblings under harrowing circumstances upon a district! Than other students the citys richer parishes, Fr kind-heartedness, no doubt, was augustus tolton quotes and diocese...: Tutoring begins in preparation for the seminary, loved by his slave owner for whom he worked hard was. Priest for both augustus tolton quotes and white ): www.catholicgentleman.com [ ], [ ], ].