November 21, 2021 - "More on National Black Catholic History Month"

November is National Black Catholic History Month.  As part of our observance of this important annual event I want to continue our survey of American Leaders of African Descent on the road to sainthood.  This week we will look at three saintly individuals:  Venerable Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA.
 
Venerable Augustus Tolton (1854-1897)
Venerable Augustus Tolton was the first U.S. Roman Catholic priest publicly known to be black when he was ordained in 1886. A former slave who was baptized and reared Catholic, Tolton formally studied in Rome. He was ordained in Rome on Easter Sunday at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Fr. Tolton led the development and construction of St. Monica’s Catholic Church as a black "National Parish Church”, which was completed in 1893. Tolton’s success at ministering to black Catholics quickly earned him national attention within the Catholic hierarchy. “Good Father Gus,” as many called him, was known for his eloquent sermons, his beautiful singing voice, and his talent for playing the accordion. He is the subject of the 1973 biography from Slave to Priest by Sister Caroline Hemesath.
 
Servant of God Julia Greeley (Sometime between 1833 and 1848-1918)
Servant of God Julia Greeley was born into slavery in Hannibal, Missouri sometime between 1833 and 1848. Freed by Missouri's Emancipation Act in 1865, Julia subsequently earned her keep by serving white families in Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico—though mostly in the Denver area. Julia entered the Catholic Church at Sacred Heart Parish in Denver in 1880 and was an outstanding supporter of all the parish. The Jesuits who ran the parish considered her the most enthusiastic promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus they had ever seen. Every month she visited on foot every fire station in Denver and delivered literature of the Sacred Heart League to the firemen, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. A daily communicant, Julia had a rich devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin and continued her prayers while working. She joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1901 and was active in it till her death in 1918. As part of the Cause for Canonization, Julia's mortal remains were transferred to Denver's Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on June 7, 2017.
 
Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA
Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA was a self-proclaimed, “old folks’ child.” Bowman was the only child born to middle-aged parents, Dr. Theon Bowman, a physician, and Mary Esther Bowman, a teacher. At birth, she was given the name Bertha Elizabeth Bowman. She was born in 1937 and reared in Canton, Mississippi. As a child, she converted to Catholicism through the inspiration of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity who were her teachers and pastors at Holy Child Jesus Church and School in Canton.

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA (continued)
During her short lifetime, many people considered her a religious sister undeniably close to God and who lovingly invited others to encounter the presence of God in their lives. She is acclaimed as a “holy woman” in the hearts of those who knew and loved her and continue to seek her intercession for guidance and healing. Information on these three saintly individuals is based on the following article available on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: On the Road to Sainthood: Leaders of African Descent/USCCB.
 
As we remember these saintly individuals during National Black Catholic History Month, we would do well to join with the Bishops of the United States in striving for the end of racism in all its forms that we might walk humbly with our God and with all our brothers and sisters in a renewed unity.  At the end of their pastoral letter Open Wide Our Hearts:  The Enduring Call to Love-A Pastoral Letter Against Racism (2018), the Catholic Bishops asked Mary to intercede on our behalf.  Let us follow their lead and do the same:
 
Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.
 
We ask for your help in calling on your Son, seeking forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another.
 
We ask for your help in obtaining from your Son the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society.
 
We ask for your help in following your Son, so that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts but will be replace with a love that respects the dignity of each person.
 
Mother of the Church, the Spirit of your Son Jesus warms our hearts:  pray for us.  Amen.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John