New documentary series highlights six Black Catholics on path to sainthood

A new documentary series titled "Black Catholics: Footsteps to Sainthood" will begin airing Nov. 2 on the Archdiocese of Boston's CatholicTV network. The half-hour episodes feature six African American Catholics currently on the path to sainthood in the United States. The series coincides with Black Catholic History Month, which the Church in the U.S. observes every November.

The first episode focuses on Father Augustus Tolton, the first publicly recognized African American priest to serve in the United States. The program uses live acting and artificial intelligence to depict his life. Father Tolton, the son of enslaved Black Americans, escaped from Missouri to Quincy, Illinois, during the Civil War. After facing prejudice in the U.S., he attended the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome to complete his studies. He served Black Catholic parishes in Chicago until his death from heatstroke in 1897.

Retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry of Chicago serves as the postulator for Father Tolton's cause for sainthood.