Black Catholics' History Shapes Today's Communion of Saints

 
Building on the deep faith of black Catholics, under the leadership of the African American Pastoral Council (AAPC), local Catholics, young and not so young, are part of the movement to pray for and celebrate Father Augustus Tolton and other black Catholics from the United States who have open causes for canonization.
 
Bringing the Tolton Ambassadors West
 
Joyce Scotlan had been tracking the progress of “Tolton Speaks” since its fundraising stages. Tasked with keeping St. Columba parishioners connected during the pandemic lockdown, she adapted their Lenten tradition of “Soup and a Movie” into a virtual movie night that still happens every Monday. She reached out to the production company before connecting with the Tolton Spirituality Center, eventually bringing the film to the Diocese of Oakland in August along with collaborating sponsors.
 
“It really is an incredible story,” Scotlan said. “His parishioners were Black and white. Whatever words he was sharing drew people in, regardless of race. The fact that despite all he went through, he remained not only a Catholic, not only a priest, but a devout Catholic priest. It’s extraordinary.”
 
That screening was just the beginning. Dr. Chiquita Tuttle is excited for AAPC to collaborate on bringing the Tolton Ambassadors to the Diocese of Oakland to promote his cause for canonization. To date, the work of the Tolton Ambassadors has been primarily concentrated in the Midwest, south and eastern United States.
 
Scotlan and Tuttle are in the early stages of partnering with Tolton Ambassadors. They will attend a training to learn about opportunities for projects and how to share the message. Then they’ll connect with parishes to gauge interest in educational events.
 
Scotlan hopes to connect with everyone in the diocese. “I look forward to educating the people of the diocese about the very specific parameters of what constitutes a miracle and to sharing what Father Tolton needs and his amazing story of faith,” she said.
 
Father Tolton’s canonization would speak volumes to Scotlan, “I would see myself in the communion of saints, and that would be really powerful,” she said. “It would validate centuries of Black Catholics who have
 been devout despite obstacles, then and now.”
 
The Saintly Six

Scotlan hopes that the attention Father Tolton is receiving will be a first step toward people learning about the Black Catholics currently on the path to sainthood. “They lived extraordinary lives and deserve to be canonized,” she said.
 
The group is known as the Saintly Six. In addition to Venerable Father Tolton, it includes Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Pierre Touissant, Venerable Mother Mary Lange, Servant of God Thea Bowman and Servant of God Julia Greeley.
 
The Vatican recently approved the cause for sainthood of Franciscan Conventual Friar Martin Maria de Porres Ward, the first African-American member of the Conventual Franciscans, who served as a missionary in Brazil for more than 40 years.
 
“We really want to emphasize that these would be the first African American saints,” Tuttle said. She has been distributing prayer cards of the Saintly Six at deanery meetings. “Churches that don’t necessarily have a large Black congregation can post about it in their bulletins and so they can learn a little more about what we do at AAPC. Our hope is that people will have a level of interest in the six Black saints. Of course, now there may be seven.”
 
AAPC is collaborating with Virginia Catholics for Racial Justice (VCRJ) to promote the Saintly Six. VCRJ partnered with Tiny Saints, a company that makes charms of saints, to create a Henriette Delille charm to help promote her cause. That led to the creation of charms for all six.
 
Tuttle is hoping to use those Tiny Saints charms to educate school children, starting at St. Leo the Great. “Wouldn’t it be great to go  to St. Leo the Great school, talk about these six saints  and then have these little trinkets available?”
 
She said it would be wonderful to see at least one recognized as a saint. “It would be such an uplifting of our spirit to know that the African American community, the Black Catholic community, is being recognized not only for their dedication to Catholicism but their contributions in leadership roles and in spirituality. We are an integral part of this community. We are rich. We do things a little differently in how we celebrate Mass, but that comes out of a long cultural history. That should not be snubbed or dismissed or even put aside. It is who we are,” she said.
 
Youth Outreach
 
That recognition of using unique cultural attributes is something Tuttle wants to expand, especially to interest young people. “Two things I want to accomplish for this next year. One is to figure out how we can have a hip-hop Mass, which would really draw these young people in,” Tuttle explained.
 
She and Jason Kidd, a graduate of Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda and current head coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, are discussing how to engage young people who are in sports in their faith. “They thank God for this and that, and how we can develop that?” she asks. “By making it different but enticing for them.”
 
On her wish list to preside at a hip-hop Mass are Father Josh Johnson of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, an emcee of the National Eucharistic Congress, and Father Ajani Gibson of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in New Orleans because she sees these young priests as positive role models for young adults. “They have a way of speaking to them in their language that touches them,” she explained
 
Society of the Divine Word Father Ken Hamilton is working with Tuttle on “Rites of Passage,” a program for 7th through 12th graders. In the program, still in development, students would complete steps that involve activities such as reading Scripture or attending an event and reporting to the group. 

 After they complete the “Rites of Passage,” they would be recognized at 
 an awards ceremony.  “We want to be able to say, these are our young adults. This is what they’ve accomplished. They’ve gone through these seven steps, and they have heightened and deepened their spirituality,” Tuttle said.
 
“When they come to church, we want them to walk away with a  message that resonates  with them and that they feel empowered.” 
 
Altar for Sr. Thea BowmanMass for Sister Thea Bowman 
 
St. Louis Bertrand Parish celebrated a Mass for Sister Thea Bowman on Sept. 22. The Vatican opened her cause for canonization in 2018. “As a community, let’s pray that this cause goes well and that one day, we will be able to, God willing, say St. Thea Bowman,” said Father John Paul Rabag, parochial vicar for the parish.
 
Born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Sister Bowman was reared as a Protestant until at age nine when she asked her parents if she could become a Catholic. Gifted with a brilliant mind, beautiful voice and a dynamic personality, Sister Bowman shared the message of God’s love through a teaching career. After 16 years of teaching at the elementary, secondary and university level, the bishop of Jackson, Mississippi, invited her to become the consultant for intercultural awareness. In her role as consultant Sister Bowman, an African American, gave presentations across the country. These lively gatherings combined singing, Gospel preaching, prayer and storytelling. 
 
Her programs were designed to break down racial and cultural barriers. She encouraged people to communicate with one another so that they could understand other cultures and races. In 1984, Sister Bowman was diagnosed with breast cancer. She prayed “to live until I die.” Her prayer was answered, and Sister Bowman continued her gatherings seated in a wheelchair. In 1989, the U.S. bishops invited her to be a key speaker at their conference on Black Catholics. At the end of the meeting, at Sister Bowman’s invitation, the bishops stood and sang “We Shall Overcome” with gusto. 

Sister Bowman lived a full life. She fought evil, especially prejudice, suspicion, hatred and things that drive people apart. She fought for God and God’s people until her death in 1990. 
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration website, www.fspa.org/content/about/sister-thea-bowman