AAMEN ESSAY WINNER #1: Coco Rahm
On July 24, 1990, the National Back Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics. It also marks a time to share in remembrance, the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora. This month we celebrate and honor Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, the first Black priest in the United States.
Our St. Michael Catholic School middle grade students studied his life and wrote essays to share what they learned about his life and his fidelity to the Catholic faith. The AAMEN committee has selected, from each grade level (sixth, seventh, and eighth) the winning essays. Throughout the month of November, excerpts of the essays will be posted in the bulletin, and you can find the full essay at stmichaelcary.org/blog. We thank all the students who participated in this project and pray that they will answer the call of God in their own lives.
Sixth Grade – Coco Rahm
“Racism has existed for centuries and still exists today. We often lie to ourselves and say that things have changed. We say that everyone is treated as equals, but that’s not always true. The only way for us to truly achieve equality is for everyone in our Catholic community to come together and love and appreciate each other’s differences. No one understood this better than Father Tolton.
Father Tolton was born on April 1, 1854. Despite his experiences with racism and slavery as a child, Father Tolton never abandoned what he believed in. He hoped for a world where people of all ethnicities could worship God together, so he served both Black and White Catholics in Chicago. Many protested this and believed that Father Tolton should leave and only preach to Africans, but others admired his ministry. For that, the Catholic population grew in his church. Soon, there would be many articles written about Father Tolton and his growing influence on the people of Chicago.
Later in life, Father Tolton was invited to minister at the High Mass on January 29, 1893. People came to this mass from all over the country. It was one of the most diverse crowds ever seen at that time. Father Tolton even raised over $500 in petition to Saint Monica Church for which the mass was dedicated. This was a huge step for the worldwide Black community because it was extremely rare at that time for an African American to have such a positive impact on not only Black people, but people of all races.
For the rest of his life, Father Tolton continued to inspire Catholics around the world. Some may think that he had every right to be angry with Caucasians given his experiences as a child, but Father Tolton showed immense forgiveness and treated people of all races equally, as they should be treated. He didn’t see color, he saw hope for the future in all people. Being the first Black priest in history, Father Tolton would have a huge impact on his community. Father Tolton took advantage of this and made sure he made a lasting impact on the citizens of Chicago. What he couldn’t realize at the time was that his ministry would positively affect the lives of people around the world for centuries to follow.
Father Tolton was very virtuous. He demonstrated faithfulness, justice, and courage when he allowed all races to worship in his church. He also demonstrated charity by devoting his life to God while facing all of life’s challenges along the way. Father Tolton had to overcome racism, poverty, and cruelty and did so without complaint so that he could complete the mission that God had told him to do. Father Tolton reminded us all that someone’s heart is the only thing that truly matters, not their skin color. This inspired African American Catholics all around the world to follow his example and become priests too. Even though Father Tolton died in 1897, his legacy will live on forever.