In Chicago this year, the Haymarket Riot occurred on May 4 on Des Plaines Street north of Randolph Street. Father Augustus Tolton, you whose life demonstrated the fruit of the Holy Spirits gifts of fortitude and perseverance, His family escaped when he was a child and ran away to Illinois, a free state. Augustus Tolton, Black Catholic Organizations and Religious Orders, Black Catholic Blogs and Journals/Magazines, Sunday in a TweetShell for the Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent (Year A) [February 26, 2023] Matthew 4:1-11, Sunday in a TweetShell for the Gospel for the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A) [February 19, 2023] Matthew 5:38-48. God pulled him through a sinful situation. 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. ):www.catholicgentleman.com [], Your email address will not be published. Father Augustus Tolton was the first identified black American ordained to the priesthood in the United States. Now his canonization cause needs one miraculous healing worked through his intercession to be approved by Rome in order that he might be beatified. We find no evidence of outburst in him in face of what he endured. The musical Passion play comes to the big screen as a Fathom event on March 6 and 7. Father Augustus Tolton | CatholicSaints.Info, Fr. Ordained in Rome, Italy, April 24, 1886 398 0 obj <>stream Racial prejudice was not confined to the South. I would gladly leave here just to be away from this priest. What Tolton experienced in that time of social ambivalence is stuff we read about in history books or view in certain documentaries. Yet, essentially, the results of this struggled reasoning are pretty much the same for us as they are for anyone else regardless of faith perspective or lack thereof. Web835 North Rush Street Chicago, IL 60611-2030 . Not till Judgment Day will we have an answer to the why of black suffering and black ignominy, or dare we say, Black Holocaust? His parents were slaves, so he too became one. endstream endobj 263 0 obj <. The future for the Tolton family began to become clearer when the Civil War finally ended with victory for the North and an end to slavery throughout the United States. In Rome, he was Gus from the U.S., loved by his fellow seminarians and admired for his deep spirituality by his teachers. And, with that, one of her children, Augustine Tolton, later to become the first African-American to be ordained priest, was freed. It is not easy reasoning to the place of suffering in the human journey. He expects to become a missionary priest in Africa. My father was actually in the Jesuit seminary for a number of years. Tolton is a model of virtue for all Catholics. His story is one of suffering service. 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. 0000051258 00000 n endstream endobj startxref He abuses me in many ways 0000005833 00000 n I will end with three quotes: America has been called the most enlightened nation in the world. Students should be able to: 1. His modeling shows us how to witness to the Gospel in midst of racial tension and instances of racial hatred that erupt still from time to time. Mass is celebrated there until 1889. The woman and her children were slaves. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The building was later razed to the ground, unless it was in a pit! The Catholic Church deplores a double slavery that of the mind and that of the body. Rev. 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. Catch a new episode of They Might Be Saints.. 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. Seven years after Augustine, or Gus as he was known, was born, war broke out between the States. One day the Parish Priest saw Gus praying alone in church. He refused to be discouraged or to blame anyone. This same year, the Census of 1880 showed the U.S. population at 50 million with a Black population of 6.5 million (13%). %PDF-1.5 % McGirr. Mass is celebrated there until 1889. 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. On 35th Street near South Lake Park Avenue, across from the Archdioceses, At 9th and Wabash Streets, the site of Toltons first Chicago assignment in the lower level of St. Mary Parish, On South Michigan Avenue, across from Mercy Hospital, where Father Tolton died on July 9, 1897, On South Cornell Avenue, across from Catholic Theological Union, home of the Augustus Tolton Ministry Program. Augustus Tolton, in full John Augustine Tolton, also called Augustine John Tolton or Father Gus, (born April 1, 1854, Brush Creek, Ralls county, Missouri, 0000004840 00000 n As long as I was at the school, I was safe. Funds were raised and the basis of a great and beautiful church, St. Monicas, dedicated to the service of the citys black population was started. Your email address will not be published. We are inspired by Toltons courage and innocent determination in face of incredible race prejudice typical of that bygone era but for which we now take as a source of inspiration for the work that remains in the 21st century. EIN 27-4581132 Father Augustus Tolton is considered, along with the Healy Brothers, among the very first African American priests in the United States. He showed himself a priest-servant to both black and white at a time when it was not socially appropriate or lawful to do so. Augustus, his mother, and three brothers and sisters escaped to the North where they could live as free Mrs Henderson, please know that your grandson will be in my prayers. The truth is He is not only a priest in the order of Melchizedek order but a victim and this is united as one reality of His identity. He maintained above all fortitude of spirit harboring no resentment for any of the insults and offenses receive from others. He waited. Catholic Church. hb```w@(cy]F `y5m\,?pc, @410i1 ap$SS?A70Ma*|lq?3f 020EiF r0 ,. Webdetermined that Augustus was a non-Christian name and, therefore, as so frequently happened at baptisms, the priest at the baptismal font Christianized the name by 1889: Father Tolton begins his ministry in Chicago on December 19. Worship at the altar is always a commemoration of Jesus Christ as victim. He faced both racial opposition and triumph over the course of his priesthood. He had his moments of self-doubt and stark loneliness that in retrospect took their toll on his emotional and physical well-being. 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. 1886: Augustus Tolton was ordained at St. John 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. We cannot know the Christ unless we know him crucified, says St. Paul. Among the best known of these six is Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897), the first recognized American Black priest. Big family! 1871: The Chicago Fire burned from Sunday, October 8 to Tuesday, October 10. No one understood how impossible that was. Their efforts were remarkable in face of those odds and likely those odds could have proven too high to overcome. 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. 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. At night the river looked deeper than ever as the woman rowed across it with her three small children. 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. McGirr knew the frustration and sadness that clung to the outwardly smiling Gus Tolton. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or 1880: Augustus Tolton departs for Rome on February 15 to enter the seminary at the Collegium Urbanum de Propaganda Fide. They were fleeing for their lives. He wanted nothing less than for Father Gus to leave. The slaveholders, the Elliots, had all their slaves 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. EWTN host discusses the remarkable life of Father Augustus Tolton during the 125th anniversary year of his death. His parents were Catholics, so he too was baptised into his parents Holy Faith. Saints arise from the exigencies of the eras within which they live. Father Tolton was not the first black (priest) in America. Another miracle has been recently attributed to his intercession. We desperately need more priests from the US. 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. Fr. Our Lady teaches us to place our faith and trust Jesus. April 1, 1854 Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful He is 14 years old. He was 43. Although the Venerable Augustus Tolton lived over a hundred years ago his spirituality still speaks to us with incredible clarity and inspirational vitality for our times. The funeral was at St. Monica Church, 36th and Dearborn Street on July 12. So its important to pray for Ignatius, as well as for those who may be against him. Finally, a second appeal to the Urban College through the Franciscans lead to Augustus acceptance. Ted Turner Dedication Whether side by side or miles apart we are sisters. Here and there we are stunned by incidents of intolerance and racial hatred in places. The Catholic Church deplores a double slavery that of the mind and that of the body. Hopefully that includes Ignatius. They embraced. We need good priests. He tackled it head on with sermons reminding all listening that as children of God there was but one Father and whatever you do to the least you do to Him. Before anything else, however, the nearest Catholic Church, St. Peters, was identified and the family started to worship there. 0000001420 00000 n Tolton always showed himself refined maintained undoubtedly by a great fortitude of spirit within. Just outside the train station he had been seen to stumble and then collapse on the city street. If the United States has never before seen a black priest, it must see one now. Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni announcing to the committee deciding where Tolton would be sent in the world after Take a second to support us on Patreon! Augustus was seven years old when the Civil War began. He suffered genuinely in that these priestly things were administered from a black face, black hands and a black heart. WebAugustus Tolton: the Church is the True Liberator, by Joyce Duriga, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 2018; Audio Book (From Slave to Priest) by Lighthouse Catholic Media: With his bishops approval, the young priest set about raising funds for a church. His body was returned there and interred in a simple grave by St. Peters Church. 0000059992 00000 n He knew that there was a simmering resentment in his congregation. I'm in a perfectly happy mood, you asshole. 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. Fr. hb```f`` AX,3>71-``^ 9o&fR%'0Htt0pt40 )d]@ LV@ZF20g,p,9L3]fp$yW In this Church we do not have to fight for our rights because we are black. A Marked Man: Should Catholics Get Tattoos? Blacks were considered inferior and were begrudgingly accepted, if at all, in the social groupings and institutions that made up America. In July 1886, Fr. I am so glad that I now belong to the diocese where Father Tolton was ordained and where he is buried. He was first and foremost a priest. He was declared venerable in 2019. Perhaps they had forgotten that it was there, decades earlier, that a frightened black woman had come with her three small children having fled slavery to find freedom, and where a hope for a better future was born for her and her children. 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. Kurt Cobain It was through the influence of one of them that I became what I am tonight. McGirr was keen to progress this proposition. Venerable Augustus Tolton. O God, we give you thanks for your servant and priest, Fr. Martha readily agreed that her husband must go and that some day they would all be together again, and free. The record of his life is absent any show of retaliation toward anyone or anything. Instead, gratitude moved him through to victory. He abuses me in many ways and has told the bishop to send me out of this place. Web1878 Augustus Tolton enrolls in St. Francis College, now Quincy University. Refused seminary training in this country because of his race, these same sympathetic priests and nuns helped him to receive a proper education and eventually seminary formation in Rome. On the other hand, Christians worship a suffering Messiah and so have theologized about this conundrum over the course of two thousand years and counting. In todays Catholic Church the same problems exist. His kind-heartedness, no doubt, was derived from certain innate virtues of his person and his friendship with God. Unlike the citys richer parishes, Fr. 0000001964 00000 n Augustine Tolton: Americas First Black Priest March 7, 2016 At night the river looked deeper than ever as the woman rowed across it with her three small children. The word no was spat in Toltons face more often than not because of his skin color. Next, the Irish priest wrote to the bishop of the diocese in Alton about Augustus becoming a diocesan priest. This post originally appeared at Catholic Exchange and is reprinted with permission. He was buried in Quincy at his request. Toltons sanctity emerges from an experience of the cross. His parents were both slaves of Catholic families and had been married in the Catholic Church the same St. Peters where Augustus and his two siblings were baptized. Standing at the altar the priest talks to God in conversation about his only begotten Sons victimization so that sins may be forgiven. This same year, the last ship to bring slaves to the United States, the Clothildre, arrived in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Of the body, he was known, was identified and the family started worship! You asshole not easy reasoning to the diocese in Alton about Augustus becoming a diocesan priest, doubt! Would all be together again, and free Catholics, so he too was baptised into parents... 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