Though Father Tolton is a century removed from the Chicago landscape, his work, spirit and legacy resonates throughout the archdiocese, particularly among black Catholics. “Though he was only a priest for 11 years, he left a legacy for black Catholics to know that faith sustains all things,” said Mary Norfleet-Johnson, director of the archdiocese’s Office for Black Catholics. “He was the forerunner to show us that this was our church also and that we have something to share.” Upon Father Tolton’s arrival in Chicago, the city’s small collection of black Catholics worshipped in the basement of Old St. Mary’s Church. In an era of racial tumult and resistance, Tolton galvanized the city’s Catholic community and raised funds to build St. Monica’s as the city’s first church for black Chicago and a place of prayer that spoke to the dignity of those Tolton served. “He was a man truly committed to caring for God’s people,” said Father Richard Andrus, pastor at St. Elizabeth, 50 E. 41st St., “A lot of black Catholics at that time were feeling disenfranchised, but he had the goal of reconciling people with the church and building a structure specifically for them.” Today’s sizable black Catholic community in Chicago, Andrus said, can be directly traced to Tolton’s ambitious work. “He’s the one who began pulling this together,” Andrus said. “He’s the one who had the spirit to evangelize and lift up the goodness of God in spite of the injustices.” To be certain, Tolton exemplified faith in action. Despite a church that at times did not love or embrace him, Tolton dedicatter ed his life to God and service. “He was a man who was holy in the fullest sense of the word,” said Sister Anita Baird, director of the archdiocese’s Office for Racial Justice. “He laid down his life for his faith and his people in spite of the rejection he faced.” As the first black priest in the United States, Tolton stood as the sole example of black Catholics serving in church leadership. Calling upon an intrinsic strength and spirit to see God’s light, Tolton not only served his faith and community but opened pathways for future black leaders in Chicago’s Catholic community. “Not only did he survive, but he planted seeds that we’re still seeing today,” said Vanessa White, director of the Augustus Tolton Pastoral Ministry Program at the Catholic Theological Union. The Tolton Pastoral Ministry Program is one of his enduring seeds. A program providing scholarships and pastoral formation for black Catholics, the Tolton Pastoral Ministry Program spreads directly from his legacy. “Holy hope is the hallmark of black spirituality — the idea that there will be better days — and Tolton embodied that message for generations to come,” White said. “He showed black Catholics that they could play active, vibrant, leading roles in the church.” Tolton, a vocal proponent for education, also proved instrumental in prompting the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to create schools in Chicago’s black communities. In various letters to St. Katharine Drexel, the sisterhood’s founder, Tolton made impassioned pleas for educational resources and financial support, once describing Chicago’s black Catholics as “dead limbs on a tree because no one has taken care of them.” Successful in bringing the sisters to Chicago, Tolton set the stage for Catholic education’s influence on the city’s black community. Throughout the last century, Chicago’s Catholic schools have played a vital role in educating and empowering scores of black students, including Catholics and non-Catholics alike. “The threads of Tolton’s work in education and leadership and connecting Chicago’s Catholics run together today precisely because he had a mission, a purpose and remained committed to the spirit of God,” Andrus said.