Father Augustus Tolton
/ historical file photo
QUINCY, ILL. -- Quincy residents gathered at Blessed Sacrament Church Sunday to learn about Father Augustus Tolton's road to sainthood.
The Quincy native is a candidate for Catholic sainthood after overcoming obstacles to become the first African-American priest in the country.
The public heard from a panel of Father Tolton experts during their visit.
Bishop Joseph Perry from the Archdiocese of Chicago was a panelist, the man who would eventually present Father Tolton as a saint.
"What people here today are doing is to learn about this man, who was a Blessed man, and who was such a model for the rest of us, in holiness and relationship with God. It's where we're all trying to be at some point in our lives," Reg Ankrom, from the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County said.
The Canonization process typically takes ten years. Father Tolton passed the first stage, having been declared Blessed.
The next step is proof of miracles. Father Tolton has to have been involved in two miracles to continue on to sainthood.
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