Today being the 126th anniversary of the death of the Venerable Servant of God Augustine Tolton we held our annual procession from his statue outside St. Peter School in Quincy to his grave in St. Peter Cemetery, about one mile away. It was the seventh year we have had such a procession on or near the anniversary of his death.
Given that Father Tolton died of heat stroke in 1897 at the age of 43, the weather this afternoon could not have better (for the second year in a row): a high of 82 and beautiful blue skies with white clouds and a gentle breeze. The beauty of the weather only added to the beauty of the day.
More than two hundred people turned out this year for the procession. Our numbers seem to grow each year. It is always a great joy to see the number of young families in attendance with small children.
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| Photo: Karen Weiman |
As we processed along the streets of the Gem City, we sang the Litany of Saints, requesting their intercession for us as we implored the Lord to "strengthen us in your service" and to "bring all peoples together in trust and peace."
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| Photo: Gretchen Mason |
When we arrived at the grave, I kissed the stone marking the place of his burial and gave Father Gus a kukui nut lei as a token of my affection for him.
Photo: Wayne Wienke
Once everyone else arrived at the grave and grabbed a bottle of cold water, we prayed Evening Prayer together.
Each year I invite a different Priest or Deacon to preach at Father Gus' grave. This year I asked Father Tom Meyer, a native of Quincy and Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy to preach.
Photo: Wayne Wienke
He spoke of Father Tolton's efforts to build up St. Monica's parish in Chicago and noted that "the
true cost to build up the Body of Christ that is St. Monica’s would be the life
of its Shepherd, Fr. Tolton." Connecting this with our own efforts to build up our parishes, Father Meyer spoke of the same difficulties we encounter today that Father Tolton encountered in his own day: "Counting the cost, we recognize the re-evangelization
of our parishes and culture will never be anywhere near completion in our
lifetimes. For some, like Fr. Tolton,
this “construction” may even cost us our lives."
Photo: Reg Ankrom
Within the liturgy we often speak of the saints of those who "spent themselves" in the service of God. Father Tolton's example shows us how to do the same in humility and love.
At the end of our gathering I had the pleasure of announcing that the Eucharistic Procession crossing the country from California as part of the Eucharistic Revival will join us for our procession to Father Gus' grave next year. The word of his life continues spread, even if more slowly than I would like. Make plans to join us next year on July 9th!
The text of Father Meyer's homily follows (the formatting is as he provided it to me):
I. Luke 14:28-30 (RSV):
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”
II. Today is the 126th Anniversary of the Death of Fr. Augustus Tolton. This quote from St. Luke refers to the “cost of discipleship” that every follower will be required of them if they wish to follow Jesus. Yet it ironically describes the condition of Fr. Augustus Tolton’s very own St. Monica’s Church in Chicago.
III. On December 19, 1889, Fr. Tolton left Quincy for the Archdiocese of Chicago to be the pastor of St. Augustine’s Church with full jurisdiction over all African-American Catholics in Chicago. For just over a year his parish inhabited the basement of St. Mary’s Parish. In 1891 he was able to move his congregation to a temporary store-front church called St. Monica’s Chapel in the heart of the African American district. Yet Fr. Tolton wanted his parish members to have a magnificent church of their own. Late that same year (1891), Chicago Archbishop Feehan granted permission to begin the actual construction of a new St. Monica’s Church.
IV. Archbishop Feehan laid the cornerstone for the church and dedicated it to Saint Monica. “It was a big day for the parish and for the whole neighborhood. Archbishop Feehan and many priests were present.”
V. Two years later, in 1893, when St. Monica’s Church was only about half completed, construction was halted for lack of funds. A temporary roof was put on, and services were begun.
“The structure was planned with the idea of expansion… and therefore, because they did not have money, services were held when the church had only plain frosted windows, no baptistry, no confessionals (confessions were held in the sacristy), and a flat roof instead of the contemplated gables and spires.”
VI. Fr. Tolton’s concern, however, was not exclusively about the building and financing of the church. He was far more anxious about the spiritual welfare of his people, many of whom were still leading irregular and dissolute lives. Father Tolton organized adult instruction classes, and he himself taught Christian doctrine after both Masses on Sunday and before the afternoon Vespers.
Yet Fr. Tolton saw the futility of trying to give spiritual help to people who were desperately in need of material assistance. Funds collected for the completion of St. Monica’s Church had to be used for food, medicine, clothes, and adequate shelter. The great dream of the completion of St. Monica’s Church never came to fruition. And Fr. Tolton died four (4) years after services began at St. Monica’s.
VII. “This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” The words of Christ are fulfilled in the person of Fr. Augustus Tolton. Many, including Chicago Archbishop Feehan and Fr. Tolton, underestimated the financial cost to minister to the hundreds in need of spiritual and material support throughout this neighborhood of Chicago. The cost to build up a magnificent “St. Monica’s Church” and the “Mystical Body of Christ of St. Monica’s Parish” could not together be sustained. The true cost to build up the Body of Christ that is St. Monica’s would be the life of its Shepherd, Fr. Tolton. Before his death to heat stroke, Tolton’s parish members had been noticing signs of his declining health due to overwork.
VIII. One hundred twenty-six (126) years later, the Catholic Church in the United States has many magnificent church buildings but dwindling and spiritually disconnected memberships. As it was in the time of Fr. Tolton, we continue to underestimate the cost to minister to the hundreds in need of spiritual support. Yet, there is an urgent need to get started! We need to get the building of our own “St. Monica’s” off the ground. Counting the cost, we recognize the re-evangelization of our parishes and culture will never be anywhere near completion in our lifetimes. For some, like Fr. Tolton, this “construction” may even cost us our lives. Yet, as we see exemplified in the holiness of Fr. August Tolton, a half-built new “St. Monica’s Church” is infinitely more beautiful than any dead construction of grandeur.
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