Milwaukee event honors six Black American Catholics up for sainthood

Ryan Harris, dressed in a long black cassock or priest vestment, stood before the audience at St. Francis of Assisi Church.

The 15-year-old student from Pius XI Catholic High School told the audience about the man he was portraying — Augustus Tolton. Harris said Tolton escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad. But another arduous journey lay ahead of him.

Tolton wanted to become a priest in an era rife with racism. He even faced prejudice from the Catholic Church. U.S. seminaries rejected his application because of his skin color. He had to travel to Rome to study.

But his journey was a success. In 1886, Tolton was ordained, becoming America’s first Black Catholic priest. He died in 1897 at age 43

Calling Tolton’s story inspiring, Harris said his drive to be a priest, even when he encountered obstacles, qualifies him for sainthood.

“His purpose was to be a priest, and he definitely fulfilled that in his short life,” Harris said. “I feel that his journey should not be forgotten. It should always be remembered because he tried his hardest and he fought for what he wanted.”

Tolton is one of six Black Catholics being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. Any one of them would become the U.S. first Black American saint. The others are:

• Julia Greeley (1840-1918): Recognized as Denver’s “Angel of Charity” for her work with the poor
• Mother Mary Lange (1784-1882): Founder and first superior of the Oblate Sisters of Providence
• Henriette DeLille (1812-1862): Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family order in New Orleans in 1842
• Thea Bowman (1937-1990): The only African American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
• Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853): Credited as the father of Catholic Charities in New York

Harris’s portrayal of Tolton was part of a Nov. 17 event honoring the six Black men and women up for sainthood. The Black Catholic Ministry Commission of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee hosted the event at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1937 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave.

Students from different Catholic parishes portrayed each individual. The program included a meet-and-greet among attendees and the student actors to learn more about each candidate for sainthood.

The event — part of Black Catholic History Month — aimed to celebrate their accomplishments and gain support to have Pope Francis grant them sainthood.

Lileth Gayle, 11, portrayed Bowman, the youngest in line for sainthood, who had a Wisconsin connection, too. She became a nun with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in La Crosse in 1958.

Gayle, a student at Golda Meir Upper Campus, was surprised to learn that the Mississippi-born Bowman created a hymnal based on African American spirituals used in Catholic churches today, called “Lead Me, Guide Me.” Bowman made it her mission to incorporate the soulful traditions of Black spirituality within the church.

Gayle, who attends Francis of Assisi Parish, said it was “cool” Bowman may become this country’s first Black saint. But all the candidates, she said, exemplify how one should live by their faith.

“They inspired me to try a little bit harder in life. Try to better myself a little bit,” Gayle said.

The Catholic Church has saints from Africa and other parts of the African diaspora, but there are no Black American saints. That can change as each of the six are in various stages of canonization, the process to determine eligibility for sainthood, including being martyred for their faith or performing a miracle.

Read more about the canonization proces:Path to Sainthood: What does it take?

The honor is long overdue, said Shanedra Johnson, the director for the office of Urban Ministry for Archdioceses of Milwaukee. Their devotion to Christ in service to others among racism and discrimination shows anyone can be a saint, she said.

“Saints are people like you and I who lived lives dedicated to God and they are being recognized for the lives they lived,” Johnson said. “Some were quite tragic and brutalized, but they still gave selflessly of themselves.”

But to have people “who look like us represented in the sainthood of the Catholic faith,” she said, is significant for not only Black Catholics but all Catholics, Johnson added.

Their resiliency speaks volumes about Black Catholics today, said Mary Words, chair of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission. She said there have been difficulties within the church over the years, especially being inclusive of Black culture and spirituality. But Black Catholics stayed committed to Christ, just as these six did.

“We are living on top of their shoulders,” Words said. “Even though the church was not welcoming, they knew they belonged here. God sent them there. God has a purpose for them and, in spite of all of that, they stayed the course.”

Both Johnson and Words took inspiration from another candidate, Greeley, who was a woman of meager means but gave what she had to Denver’s poor. She was known for pulling a red wagon filled with food, clothing and firewood handing them out to Denver’s poor white community.

Johnson said that community, though in need, thought it an embarrassment to ask for help and then to receive it from a woman who was a former slave.

“So she went at night with her red wagon with food to feed them,” Johnson said.

“All of them lived such a life of holiness,” Words said. “They are all phenomenal people.”