The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is planning a shrine to Venerable Augustus Tolton, the nation’s first openly Black Catholic priest, according to city records greenlighting an announcement event on Wednesday, April 29, in Quincy.
As first reported by Muddy River News, the diocese will launch a fundraising campaign to transform the city’s now-closed St. Boniface Catholic Church—where Tolton once studied as a child and celebrated his first Mass in Illinois—into a shrine honoring the priest on the road to sainthood, who was ordained 140 years ago this week.
“This is an extraordinary moment not only for our area, but for the Catholic Church in our country,” said Bishop Thomas Paprocki.
“This shrine will place Quincy firmly on the spiritual map for pilgrims seeking inspiration, healing, and deeper faith.”
Shrine of the Venerable Fr. Tolton fundraising campaign launches April 29 in Quincy – Muddy River News https://t.co/RZWUXuyB6y
— Muddy River News (@MuddyNews) April 21, 2026
The proposed shrine at St. Boniface has reportedly been in the works for years, also dating back to 2019, though in recent years the diocese has opposed efforts to preserve the downtown church. It was first slated for closure in 2006, later hosting Masses sporadically until 2020. Advocates opposed the shuttering and first requested a city designation as a historic landmark in 2007, though the application was denied.
The building, designed by architect John Benya, has since continued to deteriorate, and a resubmitted landmark application was accepted in 2024, granting protections from major changes to the building. The diocese opposed both applications, noting a lack of funds for upkeep and stating that the church would possibly be demolished.
With the church now an official landmark, Bishop Paprocki has spoken quite differently of the 62-year-old mid-century modern-style edifice, whose roots date back to 1838.
“To restore St. Boniface as a shrine dedicated to Father Tolton means preserving sacred history while creating a living place of prayer, hope, and renewal — all tied to a holy priest whose life is an example of authentic discipleship of Christ,” said Paprocki, who at the announcement event will bless a plaque honoring the church’s new status.
The shrine will reportedly require upwards of $10 million in renovations and expansion, and fundraising is now underway with the help of a $25,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor. A website for the shrine is live, providing information on the process as well as Tolton’s sainthood cause.
“This shrine will only be possible through the generosity of the faithful,” said Paprocki.
“I encourage Catholics everywhere to prayerfully consider supporting this project. By helping build this shrine, you are helping preserve Father Tolton’s legacy and offering future generations a place where hearts can be lifted to God and lives transformed by grace.”
Born into Catholic slavery in 19th-century Missouri, Tolton escaped with his family during the Civil War to Quincy, where he was raised in the faith. He enrolled at St. Boniface’s school in 1865, but left after a month of racist treatment. Later sensing a call to the priesthood, he was infamously denied entry into every U.S. Catholic seminary to which he applied, leading him to leave the country to study in Rome.
Tolton was ordained to the priesthood in 1886, after which he was sent back to America to serve in Quincy. He celebrated a first Mass at St. Boniface, but was quickly targeted by the parish pastor, Fr Michael Weiss, who opposed his growing popularity. In 1889, Tolton successfully sought a transfer to the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he founded the city’s first Black Catholic parish and served until his death from heat stroke in 1897 at the age of 43.
Since the official introduction of his sainthood cause by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2011, Tolton has become the namesake of two Catholic schools, a senior living center in Philadelphia, a lodge and retreat center in Missouri, and the Augustus Tolton Pastoral Ministry Program at Catholic Theological Union. In recent years, annual processions and pilgrimages have been held in his memory and a documentary, “Tolton Speaks,” premiered in 2024. The Tolton Spirituality Center, founded in Chicago in 2021, hosted the inaugural Tolton Symposium earlier this year.
Physical memorials to the late priest include the Fr Tolton Memorial Wall at St. Peter’s Church in Quincy—Tolton’s childhood parish—as well as his grave at St. Peter’s Cemetery; a plaque at Quincy City Hall; stained-glass windows at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City, Missouri; and smaller shrines at local parishes, including Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in St. Louis.
The dedicated downtown Quincy shrine would be a first for any of the seven African-American Catholics on the path to sainthood, none of whom have been beatified. That process usually requires the Vatican to confirm that a miracle has been caused by the intercession of a sainthood candidate.
“The shrine is envisioned to be an intimate and sacred place where pilgrims can pray for Father Tolton’s intercession,” the Springfield Diocese said in a statement.
“Daily Mass will be celebrated at the shrine and plans also include a small museum and a gift shop to support its ongoing mission.”
The announcement event will take place at St. Boniface on April 29 at 11:30am CT. Expected to be in attendance are Bishop Paprocki; Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Joseph N. Perry of Chicago, diocesan postulator for Tolton’s sainthood cause; Fr Steven Arisman, chairman of the shrine committee; and Mayor Linda Moore.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
