Former slave takes first steps to sainthood

A FORMER slave who became the first African-american Catholic priest has been put on the path to sainthood.

The Vatican said Pope Francis had approved a decree which recognised the “heroic virtues” of Father Augustine Tolton.

The decree, an early step in the sainthood process, came after a five-year investigation in Chicago.

Tolton was born in Missouri on April 1, 1854, into a family of slaves owned by a white Roman Catholic family.

He gained his freedom in 1862 by crossing into Illinois, a free state.

He had to study for the priesthood at a papal university in Rome because no seminary in the United States would take him, and he was ordained in 1886. He returned to Illinois to serve in black parishes until his death in 1897.

Tolton now carries the title “Venerable,” meaning that Catholics can pray to him for intercession with God.

One miracle will have to be attributed to Tolton for him to be beatified, and a second miracle would be needed in order for him to be declared a saint.