Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and its African American ministry in Daytona Beach, Florida, will host a free, public viewing of the “Tolton Speaks” documentary during Black Catholic History Month.

November celebrates Black Catholic History Month, and Nov. 3 marks the feast day of St. Martin de Porres, the first Black saint in the Western Hemisphere. He is the patron saint of public health workers, social justice, the poor, and multi-race people.

People may be more familiar with de Porres versus Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African American priest in the United States, said Dr. Alice Wood, event facilitator and former professor of religion and ethics at Bethune Cookman University.

“There are many stories about Black Catholics in the history of this country that people don't know about, and I'm very excited to open up that window,” she said.

Wood, a parishioner and member of Our Lady of Lourdes’ African American ministry, recalled attending a conference and learning about the Tolton Spirituality Center, based in Chicago, Illinois, and its mission, drawing upon the life and legacy of Venerable Tolton, a former slave.

Wood emphasized that finding African American voices in history is difficult, especially within the Catholic Church.

“I went back and asked the African American ministry at Lourdes how they felt about having this event, and everybody was very excited,” she said.

“The fact this documentary has been put together from Tolton's writings is a wonderful and exciting aspect of this project,”

St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland, California, had an Aug. 17 screening of the “Tolton Speaks” film at the Oakland Museum of California. About 140 people attended, said Joyce Scotlan, outreach coordinator and alpha administrator at St. Columba.

“We had a really good Q&A after the film, and people wanted to know what we were planning to do next and how we can further Fr. Tolton's Cause for canonization,” she said.

The Diocese of Oakland is assembling a Tolton Ambassador Program with St. Columba.

An ambassador is a “layperson accredited and sent by the Tolton Cause as a regional messenger of the Postulator of the Cause; appointed for supporting the Tolton Guild in an assigned region,” according to the Tolton Spirituality Center.

Scotlan will be a co-convener for the program, along with Dr. Chiquita Tuttle, coordinator of the Diocese of Oakland’s African American Pastoral Center.

“There are no African American saints, so we have to work hard toward that inclusion being among the communion of saints,” Scotlan said.

“Fr. Tolton gives us an example of what it means to be Black and Catholic because it’s not easy. It certainly wasn't easy for him, yet his faith grew stronger,” she added.

Fr. Phil Egitto, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, said Tolton’s story is “truly inspiring.” He is excited for parishioners and others to see the film.

“It's fantastic to see our parish taking steps to engage the African American community in Daytona. His legacy has so much to offer, and I hope this screening sparks meaningful conversations and a deeper connection to the richness of our Catholic faith. I thank the Tolton Spirituality Center for its commitment to spreading the joy of the Gospel,” Egitto said.

MORE INFORMATION:

3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Sanctuary, 1014 N. Halifax Ave. Daytona Beach, FL

Call: 386-255-0433