Pope Francis issued a decree this week “declaring the heroic virtues” of Augustine Tolton, an African American priest who was born in 1854. As a child, Tolton escaped slavery in Missouri with his family, fleeing to Illinois. Tolton became the first publicly known, black, Roman Catholic priest in the United States. Should he be found deserving of the designation, he would be the church’s first African American saint.
Because the Catholic Church would not train a black man to be a priest at the time, Tolton was ordained in Rome and gave his first public Mass at age 31 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Returning to the United States shortly thereafter, he served in the Chicago area until his death in 1897 at age 43.
Of Pope Francis’ decree, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois issued a statement this week that stated, in part, “Today’s news is not only exciting for Catholics across the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, but also for the entire Christian world. Father Tolton’s story, from slave to priest, is an incredible journey that shows how God has a plan for all of us. Father Tolton overcame the odds of slavery, prejudice, and racism, to become a humble priest and someone we should model our lives after. He carried his crosses in life quietly and heroically.”
Of Tolton’s work as a priest, Bishop Joseph Perry of the Archdiocese of Chicago said, “Father Tolton leaves us a shining example of what Christian action is all about, what patient suffering is all about in face of life’s incongruities. He was a bright light in a difficult period of this nation’s history. His life and ministry still speak to the problems of our day where communities, neighborhoods, and churches continue to evidence separations among race and class and the disturbances that erupt periodically from these social contradictions.”
While Tolton has met most of the criteria to be considered for sainthood, in order to be canonized as such in the Catholic Church, it is required that two miracles be attributed to the candidate. Miracles must be verified by the church. Officials of the church are investigating “at least one potential miracle” that could be attributed to Tolton, according to the New York Times.
