The story follows, with my comments:
The Rev. Augustine Tolton, the first American diocesan priest of African descent who has strong ties to Quincy and is buried in St. Peter Cemetery on Broadway, is now being considered for canonization.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is helping champion Tolton's bid for sainthood [this is a crude way to refer to the process of canonziation; canonization, after all, is not an award or a prize]. George introduced Tolton's cause in the Archdiocese of Chicago earlier this year. Tolton died in Chicago in 1897 at the age of 43.
The Rev. Roy Bauer of Quincy, who retired as pastor of St. Peter Parish in 2004, has always held a strong interest in the life and works of Tolton [Fr. Tolton's life is very much connected with the parish].
"When I was a child I used to ride my bike in (St. Peter Cemetery) and I would see his grave," said Bauer.
Bauer said the notation on Tolton's gravestone saying he was "the first Negro priest" always intrigued him.
"It's not a surprise to me that Father Tolton is being considered for sainthood, but this is a process that could take awhile ... maybe 10 years," said Bauer, who helped coordinate the 100th anniversary of Tolton's death in 1997.
Bauer has done considerable research on the Tolton [sic], who was born into slavery near Monroe City, Mo., but as a young child during the Civil War made it to Quincy with his mother and two siblings. Bauer's extensive work on the history [of] Tolton was turned over to Quincy University when he retired as St. Peter pastor [much of which is available here].
Tolton eventually graduated in 1872 from St. Francis College, now known as Quincy University and wanted to enter the priesthood. But no seminary in America would accept Tolton because of his race. He eventually began his seminary studies in Rome and was ordained there in April 1886.
Tolton had hoped to become an African missionary, but was assigned back to Quincy, where he celebrated his first Mass in July 1886. He was eventually transferred to Chicago in December 1889.
In Chicago, Tolton started a parish for black Catholics. The church was named for St. Monica and opened in 1893 [and has since been closed].
Tolton died in 1897, collapsing during a hot Chicago day. The cause of death was ruled sunstroke. Cardinal George said most priests in the 19th century died before their 50th birthdays.
"Visiting the sick on a daily basis was risky in an age before antibiotics," George told the www.catholicnewsagency.org Web site.
The first step toward possible sainthood is to be introduced in the diocese where death occurred. In Tolton's case, that is Chicago, even though he is not buried there.
By Tolton's request, his remains were buried in Quincy.
"This is where he wanted to be buried," Bauer said.
Bauer explained the process toward sainthood is lengthy because of the detail it involves. Researchers will look through extensive archives, preparing a report on Tolton's life. Once that is finished, the report is forwarded to the Congregation for Saints' Causes at the Vatican.
The stages of canonization that precede sainthood are titled Servant of God, Venerable and Blessed. At least two miracles must be attributed to Tolton and accepted by church leaders for sainthood to occur, with a final decision made by the pope.
The most recent sainthood announcement came in October 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI awarded the title to five people. [Again, canonization is not an award. It is, rather, a recognition of, and a solemn proclamation of, the "practiced heroic virtue and lived fidelity to God's grace" of some of the faithful. "The Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her (the Church) and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 828).]
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