Saintly Six at Saint Leo

Dr. Chiquita Tuttle of the African American Pastoral Center for the Diocese of Oakland continued her quest to raise awareness for the canonization efforts on behalf of the Saintly Six by visiting St. Leo the Great School in Oakland on Nov. 4.

 

Dr. Tuttle highlighted the noteworthy contributions of African Americans to the Catholic Church, including their role in building many churches across the country and the current African American bishops. “African American Catholics are spiritual, we are strong, we are resilient, we made lots of contributions to this country, and I want that message to resonate with you at the end of the day,” she said.

 

Dr. Tuttle walked the students through the canonization process, explaining the steps. She shared brief biographies of the Saintly Six members: Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, Venerable Henriette Delille, Students at St. Leo School enjoy a treat and prepare to listen to Dr. Chiquita Tuttle's presentation.Venerable Pierre Touissant, Venerable Mother Mary Lange, Servant of God Thea Bowman and Servant of God Julia Greeley. All six were devoted to acts of service. “They were very much servants of God. They believed in God deeply and took care of other people,” she said.

 

The Diocese of Oakland will be installed as a Father Augustus Tolton Ambassador Program next week, and Dr. Tuttle tasked the students of St. Leo with a special mission to become the first ambassadors. “You will be an ambassador, you’ll be praying every day, and you’ll be telling his story,” she told them.

 

Each student received a Tiny Saints trinket of Father Tolton as a reminder of their new role. They also received a prayer card. “Some of the words on the back are big words. When you pray, you don’t have to use the words on the card. Use your own words to pray,” Dr. Tuttle said.

 

To learn more about black Catholic bishops or the stories of the Saintly Six, visit: https://nbccongress.org/noteworthy-black-catholics/