From slave to priest: the first African-American, Fr. Augustus Tolton, was ordained in Rome on this day
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This is the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which is technically the cathedral of Rome, where the Pope's chair, as Bishop of Rome, is located.
But there is a unique connection here to Catholicism in the United States: the first African-American priest was ordained here on April 24, 1886—140 years ago. His name was Fr. Augustus Tolton.
Fr. Tolton was born into slavery in Missouri in 1854, but his mother Martha Jane escaped slavery, taking him and his brother to the State of Illinois when
But there is a unique connection here to Catholicism in the United States: the first African-American priest was ordained here on April 24, 1886—140 years ago. His name was Fr. Augustus Tolton.
Fr. Tolton was born into slavery in Missouri in 1854, but his mother Martha Jane escaped slavery, taking him and his brother to the State of Illinois when
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