For two days this May, Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. will host three showings of Tolton: From Slave to Priest – a dynamic one-man stage play making its rounds across the Southeast. Directed by Leonardo Defilippis of Saint Luke Productions and starring Jim Coleman, the show is a powerful new live production based on the life of Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African American priest.
Fr. Tolton was born a slave on a Missouri farm in 1854, and his mother risked everything to reach freedom in Illinois with her three small children. After settling in the town of Quincy, Illinois, the family continued to experience hardships and prejudice. In spite of this, he persevered in his deep desire to become a Catholic priest.
When every seminary in the United States rejected him, Fr. Tolton did not give up, and he was finally ordained in Rome. Upon his return to Illinois, Fr. Tolton worked tirelessly to serve people of all races, especially the former slaves who flocked to Chicago. Fr. Tolton saw the Catholic Church as the antidote to the discrimination and rejection that he experienced in his own life. “It was the priests of the Church who taught me to pray and to forgive my persecutors,” he said. “We should welcome all people into the Church, not send them away.”
At the young age of 43, Fr. Tolton died after collapsing from heat exhaustion in Chicago. Now his cause for sainthood is moving forward, as more and more people are beginning to recognize the humble perseverance, courage, and compassion of this extraordinary man.
This compelling true story of courage, forgiveness, and reconciliation resonates deeply with modern American audiences. Bishop Joseph Perry of Chicago, postulator for Fr. Tolton’s canonization cause, is calling Tolton a production that will “inspire a new era of peace, hope and forgiveness in America.”
Shows hosted by Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. will be presented Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., and Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at Alabama State University’s J. Garrick Hardy Student Center.
To register for Wednesday evening’s show, click here. To register for Thursday morning’s show, click here. To register for Thursday evening’s show, click here.
Tolton is a riveting multimedia drama not to be missed. The production runs 75 minutes, and is suitable for children age 10 and up.
For information regarding Tolton or complimentary show tickets, contact Brandon R. Vaughn at 334-230-1952 or via email at bvaughn@rcmsouth.org.