Tales from the Gem City #7 - Father Augustus Tolton - a podcast by Rob Mellon

Chuck Scholz discusses the background and connection of Father Augustus Tolton to the Gem City.  He was the first African American priest in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.  After his mother escaped from slavery in Missouri she made her way with her children across the Mississippi River to Illinois under gunfire.  Chuck details the early years of young Gus and his working in tobacco factory and attending school first at St. Boniface and later St. Peter's.  He explains the importance of Father McGirr in taking the Tolton family into his congregation and his effort to develop Augustus Tolton's religious training and education.  Chuck moves on to Tolton's education at St. Francis (Quincy University) and at a seminary in Rome, Italy where he became the first Catholic priest in history.  Scholz talks about Ft. Tolton's charismatic sermons and how he started to gain a large bi-racial congregation, which drew the jealousy of other Quincy priests.  The Diocese moved Tolton to Chicago where he continued his ministry where he died in 1897.  At his request, he was brought back to Quincy to be buried.  Chuck then goes into detail about the Cause for Sainthood of Father Augustus Tolton.  He finishes with where Father Tolton is in the process and even discusses one of the miracles that has been included as part of the Positio and his Cause of Sainthood.

HOST:  Rob Mellon

GUEST:  Chuck Scholz

MUSIC:  Bones Fork

HYMN:  Holy God We Praise Thy Name, Faith of Our Fathers

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