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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Father Agustus Tolton: Fighting racism to become a priest

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One of the positions that I hold is that of president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC). This year, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of this organization. NBCCC got its start when a group of African-American Catholic Clergy met in Detroit in 1968 shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At this meeting they sought to make a statement about the racism in our society and in the Catholic Church.

Of course, racism was not new in our society or in our church in 1968. It is something that our country and our church have had to fight since the beginning of our country. It is true that before the Civil War, three African-American brothers, the Healy brothers, were ordained priests. One went on to become bishop of Portland, Maine, and one went on to become president of Georgetown University. However, the complexion of these brothers was so light that people were not aware of their African heritage. And throughout their ministry they did not address their own African heritage.

In 1854, a young boy named Augustus Tolton was born into slavery in Missouri. It is believed that his father went off to fight in the Civil War and it was during that time that his mother took him and his sister and escaped into freedom. They ended up in Quincy, Illinois. Through the kindness of some Franciscans there in Quincy, Augustus became Catholic and over time felt the call to become a priest.

Because he was African-American, seminary in the United States would not accept him as a student. He eventually had to travel to Rome in order to pursue his seminary studies. Because of the prevailing attitude of the time Augustus felt that after he became a priest he would have to serve as a missionary in Africa or in the Caribbean. He persevered in his studies and was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church in 1886. Much to his surprise he was told that he would be returning to the United States being told: ā€œAmerica has been called the most enlightened nation; we will see if it deserves that honor. If America has never seen a Black priest, it has to see one now.ā€

Father Augustus Tolton returned to Quincy to begin his ministry. He became quite successful drawing large crowds of Blacks and whites. This made the white clergy of Quincy jealous and made life for Father Tolton so difficult that he was eventually transferred to Chicago. In Chicago, he continued to be successful in his ministry and became quite active in addressing the racial attitudes of the day.

Father Tolton was a tireless worker. However, during the first week of July in 1897, Chicago was hit by a heat wave where a number of people lost their lives overcome by the sustained heat of days. Returning form a priestsā€™ retreat, Father Tolton got off the train to 105 degree heat and, according to the Chicago Daily News, ā€œdied at Mercy Hospital at 8:30 p.m., a victim of heatstroke.ā€

Today, efforts are underway to have Father Augustus Tolton declared a saint in the Catholic Church. We are faced with renewed fights against racism because of events that have taken place recently.Ā  The heroic efforts of Father Tolton living out his faith in the face of racism can be seen as inspiration for what we are facing in our world today.Ā  We look up to our saints as models and guides to follow. We certainly believe that Father Augustus Tolton ranks up there with all the other saints of the Church.

Ā 

Father Kenneth Taylor is pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church and St. Rita Catholic Church. He can be reached at fatherkt@mailhaven.com.

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