SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Pope Francis on Wednesday deemed the first known black Roman Catholic priest in the United States to be “venerable,” positioning the former slave for possible sainthood. “Father Tolton’s story, from slave to priest, is an incredible journey that shows how God has a plan for all of us,” Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Springfield Diocese said in a statement. If a miracle can be attributed to his ministry, the pope may declare him “blessed.” A second miracle would make him eligible for sainthood. “If America has not yet seen a black priest,” Tolton said, “it must see one now.” He endured three years of racism in Quincy before “Good Father Gus” moved to Chicago. “From slave to priest.

Source: thestar June 12, 2019 20:29 UTC