His
Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago said yesterday that
opening the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of the Servant ofGod Father Augustus Tolton is “one of the most important - if not the most
important – events” of his seventeen years as the chief shepherd of the Windy
City.
He
made his remarks in the St. James Chapel of The Quigley Center in downtown
Chicago during a ceremony Monday afternoon in which the various documents
pertaining to the research into the life and virtues of the first black priest
in the United States of America were bound and sealed with the official seal of
the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The official sealing of the documents by the
Cardinal Archbishop testifies to the Holy See that the dossier contains, as
Bishop Perry explained, “authentic and exact copies of the original documents.”
The seals on each package will not be broken until done so by officials in the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Today’s
closing ceremony, as it were, brings to completion the Diocesan phase of the
investigation first begun on February 24, 2011. The dossier will soon be sent
to the Apostolic Nuncio who will dispatch it to the Congregation in Rome in diplomatic pouch. Naturally, I offered to take the dossier
myself to the Congregation; my offer was not accepted because the Nuncio is expecting it. Fair enough.
Father
Tolton’s Cause will soon rest with the Postulator in Rome, who will have the task
of compiling a positio on the life
and virtues of Father Tolton to be presented to the Holy Father. Should the
His Holiness be convinced that Father Tolton lived a life of “heroic virtue,”
he will issue a letter declaring Father Tolton “Venerable” by reason of his
heroic virtue. If he so decides, we will then await the recognition of a miracle before he can be beatified by Mother Church.
A
spirit of great joy filled the chapel as clergy, religious, and lay faithful began filling the chapel. When I arrived thirty minutes prior to the beginning of the ceremony, I was pleased to see the chapel already 1/3 filled and surprised that Bishop Perry reserved a seat for me in the first pew, right on the aisle.
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PHOTO: C. Vanessa White |
The ceremony, which took place within the context of Midday Prayer of the Feast of the Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, began with the singing of“Ye
Watchers and Ye Holy Ones,” the final verse of which was sung with deep emotion and
audible gratitude:
O
friends, in gladness, let us sing,
Supernal
anthems echoing,
Alleluia,
alleluia!
To
God the Father, God the Son,
And
God the Spirit, Three in One,
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Following
the reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel, Cardinal George thanked His
Excellency the Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, for
his “thorough, quiet, and very effective” work as Diocesan Postulator of the
Cause.
Bishop
Perry referred to Father Gus as a “shining example of perseverance” who “showed
us how to handle setbacks … with our love intact.” By looking to the example of
this “humble but courageous” priest, the local churches of Chicago,
Springfield, and Jefferson City, he said, “have been brought closer to
holiness.”
The
simple ceremony was, of itself, not much to see, but the symbolism of the what
the act of binding and sealing represented was deeply moving and filled my
heart with joy and gratitude for the gift of such an example of priestly life.
His Eminence and some of the officials of the Cause had a few final documents to sign to finalize the Diocesan investigation.
These last documents were then inserted into the acts of the Cause:
The two packages of documents were then bound in red ribbon and stamped with the seal of the Archdiocese:
After the two packages were stamped with the seal, Bishop Perry held one up for the view of the faithful, who applauded with great happiness and hope for a swift beatification and canonization of Quincy's first citizen.
Once
the final documents were signed and the all of the documents sealed, we prayed
the official prayer for Father Tolton’s Cause:
we
give you thanks for your servant and priest,
Father
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,
Father
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, Father Tolton,
by
granting the favor I now request through his intercession
(pause here to mention your need in
silence)
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.
We
then concluded the ceremony with Father Tolton’s favorite hymn, “Holy God, We
Praise Thy Name.”
After all is said and done, I can honestly say that I am very glad I decided to attend yesterday's ceremony, brief and simple though it was.
Tomorrow I will return to Rome and then return to Assisi to celebrate the Holy Mass and Friday and Saturday morning for a group of American pilgrims. My classes at the Pontifical Gregorian University begin on Monday.