Posted February 5, 2021

St. Francis de Sales Parish in Philadelphia and the Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought & Culture will sponsor a special Black History Month Zoom event on “Father Augustus Tolton and the Black Catholic Experience in America.”

During the Feb. 10 online presentation, which will begin at 7 p.m., Father Stephen D. Thorne will share his reflections on the life of Father Augustus Tolton, the first African-American priest to be ordained in the United States, whose cause for canonization is under way.

In sharing Tolton’s story, Father Thorne will also speak about the past and present experience of Black Catholicism in the United States and where he sees new opportunities for growth and renewal in the church today.

Father Thorne has over 20 years of experience as an educator, administrator and pastor. From 2004-2011, he served as executive director of the Office for Black Catholics for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has participated in the National Black Catholic Congress gatherings since 1987. Presently, he is the pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Parish in North Philadelphia.

To register for the free event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/father-augustus-tolton-and-the-black-catholic-experience-in-america-tickets-138021039645.