Venerable Augustus Tolton
Black Catholic History month is celebrated each November, and it is notable that the Catholic Church has yet to canonize an African American Saint. One of the “Saintly Six” whose causes are actively being pursued, is Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton (1854–1897), a former slave who became the first known African American Catholic priest and who pastored a Chicago parish. Bishop Joseph N. Perry of the Chicago Diocese is the postulator for the sainthood cause of Fr. Tolton. Learn more about Fr. Tolton and his life at tolton.archchicago.org/about/biography
Pray for the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Augustine Tolton
O God, we give you thanks for your servant and priest, Fr. Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful and paradoxical. His ministry helped lay the foundation for a truly Catholic gathering in faith in our time. We stand in the shadow of his ministry. May his life continue to inspire us and imbue us with that confidence and hope that will forge a new evangelization for the Church we love.
Father in Heaven, Fr. Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows; we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death. If it be your Will, O God, glorify your servant, Fr. Tolton, by granting the favor I now request through his intercession (mention your request) so that all may know the goodness of this priest whose memory looms large in the Church he loved.
Complete what you have begun in us that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom. Not to us the glory, but glory to you O God, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever.
Amen
