Tomorrow, Friday, July 3, is the penultimate day of prayer and fasting, as requested by Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, in order to seek peace, justice and reconciliation for all the peoples of the United States.
The six Fridays of prayer and fasting lead towards next week's anniversary of the death of Venerable Augustus Tolton (1854 – 97), a former slave who became the first black priest in the United States.
“Any path forward for our dear yet divided nation has to begin with prayer –- in earnestly bringing our fears, our hopes, our anger, our tears, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we celebrate as a solemnity on June 19,” said Bishop Boyea, June 4, upon announcing the days of prayer and fasting.
“Indeed, we entrust all our needs to Christ, our righteous judge and prince of peace, in the certain knowledge that he alone can gently shepherd us towards peace, justice and reconciliation for all the people of our beloved land.”
“In doing so, it is also appropriate to seek the assistance of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton during these days of prayer and fasting, and to ask Almighty God to grant the canonization of ‘Good Father Gus’ as a model of saintliness and solidarity in the face of racial injustice and social division.”
To download a prayer card to Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, click here.