The Celebration of Fr. Augustus Tolton's 125th Ordination Anniversary
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April 24, being the anniversary date (125yrs) since the ordination of Fr. Augustus Tolton at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome - 1886 fell on Easter Sunday this year. So, the Father Tolton Guild decided to celebrate in June connected with a few dates of the First Reception of Eucharist and Confirmation of Tolton at St. Peter Church in Quincy, Illinois.

St. Peter Parish received the Toltons after they were expelled from a nearby parish. A carrara marble statue of Tolton is attached to the parish school building, placed there by Father Roy Bauer, a local expert on Tolton and retired pastor of St. Peters. We partnered with the Diocese of Springfield for the anniversary.

The Diocese of Springfield embraces the former Diocese of Alton where Quincy belonged. We celebrated with Mass, clergy, religious, laity from Chicago, the Quincy, Illinois area and nearby Brush Creek, Missouri where the farm still exists where the Toltons labored as slaves. About 250 people came together for the Mass. Father Arthur Anderson, OFM was homilist.

The Franciscan Fathers were instrumental in getting Tolton into the Urban College of the Propaganda Fide where entered in 1880 and remained till his ordination and return to the United States. Bishop Joseph N. Perry, Diocesan Postulator for the Tolton Cause was principal celebrant.

Following the Mass, we had a reception and luncheon program at Quincy University which was Quincy College at the time Tolton took his college studies there under scholarship by the Franciscans. Fr. David Jones was MC for the program. Bishop Perry gave an update on the progress of the Cause.

 

 

We ended by visiting the grave of Father Tolton at St. Peter Cemetery, offered prayer and mingled at the site for sometime before heading back home.