Prayer for the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Augustine Tolton
O God, we give you thanks for your servant and priest, Father Augustus Tolton, who labored among us in times of contradiction, times that were both beautiful and paradoxical. His ministry helped lay the foundation for a truly Catholic gathering in faith in our time. We stand in the shadow of his ministry. May his life continue to inspire us and imbue us with that confidence and hope that will forge a new evangelization for the Church we love.
Father in Heaven, Father Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows; we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death. If it be your Will, O God, glorify your servant, Father Tolton, by granting the favor I now request through his intercession (mention your request) so that all may know the goodness of this priest whose memory looms large in the Church he loved.
Complete what you have begun in us that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom. Not to us the glory, but glory to you O God, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever.
Amen
2010 Bishop Joseph N. Perry
Imprimatur
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archdiocese of Chicago
A Prayer for More Priests
God our Father, you have found the Venerable Augustine Tolton to be an obedient servant of Christ, our eternal high priest, and a faithful steward of the mysteries of God.
Father Tolton’s sharing in the cross of our salvation led him to a life of long suffering in the face of prejudice and misunderstanding, which produced within him the fruits of a great joy and a humble love for your people. His zeal for the priestly ministry shines brightly before us in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois in which he served, illuminating for us the path to you.
Through his example and intercession, may many young men within this local church respond with generous and courageous love to your Son’s invitation to share in his priesthood so that each of your altars in this diocese may be served by such a faithful priest as this Venerable Servant of God. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Prayer to Imitate the Venerable Augustine Tolton
O God, who ennobled your servant, the Venerable Augustine Tolton, through the saving waters of baptism, teach us, by his example, to rise above the vanities of this world and attain the heights of your majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
A Prayer to the Venerable Augustine Tolton
Venerable Father Tolton, when confronted with the hatred of a brother and the taunts of a few, you imitated the Lamb of God and did not open your mouth against them.
Help us, Father Gus, to follow your example of long-suffering compassion and silent
perseverance, to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors.
Teach us to be noble servants of Christ until he calls us into the presence of his majesty, there to look upon the Master’s loving face.
Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.