The pioneering path of Augustus Tolton, the first Black Catholic priest in the US – born into slavery, he's now a candidate for sainthood

The first publicly recognized Black priest in the United States, Augustus Tolton, may not be a household name. Yet I believe his story – from being born enslaved to becoming a college valedictorian – ...
National Catholic Reporter

Tolton ambassadors renew goal to promote, pray for famed Black priest's canonization

Venerable Augustus Tolton is pictured in an undated photo. Born under slavery in Missouri, he was ordained a priest April 24, 1886, in Rome and offered his first Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. Tolton ...
KSTP-TV

So Minnesota: Breaking barriers, Minnesota’s first Black priest Father Steven Theobald

More than a century ago, one man broke barriers and made history in the Catholic Church. In 1910, Father Steven Theobald became the first Black priest in Minnesota. “To learn some of this history, ...
National Catholic Register

Juneteenth and the Life of the First Black American Catholic Priest

On June 19, the United States commemorates the anniversary of the 1865 order that gave freedom to enslaved African Americans in Texas, issued two months after the Civil War ended. More commonly known ...
National Catholic Reporter

Sought in pilgrimage, Venerable Augustus Tolton is still inspiring faith and justice

In mid-September, 13 pilgrims from St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri, and Nativity of Mary Church in Independence traveled on a pilgrimage to honor Venerable Augustus Tolton and ...
WBEZ

What’s That Building? Site of the former St. Monica Roman Catholic Church

From being born enslaved to building the first Catholic Church for African Americans west of Baltimore, the trajectory of Father Augustus Tolton’s life is remarkable. Almost as stunning is the fact ...