This weathered tree, seemingly pointing at heaven's gate, reminds me of Father Augustus Tolton.
+ Born a slave
+ Son of Peter Paul Tolton, one of the 180,000 black men that joined the Union Army...
+ Son of Mary Jane Tolton who risked everything to escape slavery with her three children
+ Man of faith who found peace in the Church despite prejudice from people both outside and within the Church
+ Ordained a priest at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome
+ Father Tolton then served as the first black priest in the United States.
Father Theodore Warning spoke the following of Father Tolton and his mother.
"They lived in a poorly furnished but very clean house. The meals were simple affairs. Father Tolton, his mother and I sat at a table having an oil cloth cover. A kerosene lamp stood in the middle. On the wall directly behind Father Tolton's place hung a large black rosary. As soon as the evening meal was over, Father Tolton would rise and take the beads from the nail. He kissed the large crucifix reverently. We all knelt on the bare floor while the Negro priest, in a low voice, led the prayers with deliberate slowness and with unmistakable fervor."
Father Augustus Tolton died on July 9, 1897 at the age of 43. To learn more about Father Augustus Tolton please visit "Father Augustus Tolton - Cause for Cannonization" at http://www.toltoncanonization.org/default.htm