FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2018
For Black Catholic History Month in November, the Diocese of Arlington has collaborated with St. Luke Productions to bring the theater production and co-sponsoring, “Tolton: From Slave to Priest” to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria. This one-man show, performed by actor Jim Coleman and directed by Leonardo Defilippis, is based on the life of Fr. Augustus Tolton, a former slave who conquered nearly impossible odds to become the first black man to be ordained to the priesthood by the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.
The play is currently on a national tour. This is the first time the show will be presented in Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area – and we are making it free for the public. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Click here to watch the trailer. To learn about the production or to reserve tickets, please visit https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/tolton/.
Here are the dates and showtimes:
Where: Bishop Ireton High School, 201 Cambridge Road, Alexandria
Performances: November 16 - 7 p.m.; November 17 - 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.; November 18 - 4 p.m.
About
Born
in 1854 to enslaved parents in Missouri, Augustus Tolton sensed a call to the
priesthood after escaping to freedom and gaining a Catholic education. When he
was rejected by every American seminary to which he applied, Tolton studied and
was ordained a priest in Rome. He then returned to minister the faithful in
Chicago, where he remained until his death in 1897. Tolton is a Servant of God which means he’s
being considered for sainthood.
