First Black Chicago, U.S. Priest Named Saint Candidate

By Prescott Carlson in News on Mar 18, 2010 7:20PM

The Sun-Times is reporting that Father Augustus Tolton, a Chicago Catholic priest ordained in 1886, is a candidate for sainthood. Tolton has the distinction of being the first black priest in the United States. Regarding Tolton's cause for sainthood Francis Cardinal George said:

Many Catholics might not ever have heard of Fr. Augustus Tolton; but black Catholics most probably have... After studying in Rome, because no American seminary would accept him, he was ordained for the Diocese of Quincy, in southern Illinois, and later came to Chicago to start a parish for black Catholics.

The diocese announcement is just the first step in the lengthy process of canonization of Tolton, however. Tolton's life will be subjected to an investigation of his virtues, and even his body will be exhumed for a "declaration 'non cultus'". At least two miracles will also need to be attributed to Tolton. According to the Catholic Church, the miracles need to have taken place after Tolton's death, and be shown that his spirit interceded to bring the miracle about as "proof" that he's made it to heaven.