Servant of God Julia Greeley, Denver’s Angel of Charity, was born into slavery in Hannibal, Missouri, between 1833 and 1848. As a young child, Julia’s right eye was destroyed by a cruel slave master’s whip. Freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Julia subsequently earned her keep by serving white families. She entered the Catholic Church at Sacred Heart Parish in Denver in 1880 and had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her merciful acts included giving whatever she could to spare to assisting poor families in her neighborhood. Every month she visited on foot every fire station in Denver and delivered literature of the Sacred Heart League to the firemen, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. She joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1901 and was active in it till her death in 1918.

Venerable Mother Henriette Delille, a free woman of color, was born in New Orleans. At the age of 24, Henriette experienced a religious conversion and proclaimed, “I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God.” She founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1842. The community ministered to slaves at a time when educating slaves was illegal. A devout Catholic, Henriette worked to bring religious education and the sacraments of the Church to the many enslaved as well as free persons of African descent. Consequently, Henriette served as the godmother, sponsor, and catechist for many infants, youth, and adults presented for Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Holy Matrimony. Mother Delille was the first U.S. born Black American formally postulated for canonization.

Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton was born into slavery in Missouri. He escaped slavery with his mother and siblings by crossing the Mississippi River into free Illinois. Ordained in Rome on April 24, 1886 because no seminary in the United States could admit him, Fr. Tolton was the first recognized Black Catholic American priest. Although his priesthood was hampered by isolation and economic hardship, Fr. Tolton remained a symbol of fidelity and priestly dignity. He sough to impress upon the black community a sense of hope and belief in themselves through education and practiced faith.

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, the granddaughter of slaves, was born on December 29, 1937 in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Her parents named her Bertha and raised her in the Methodist faith until the age of nine, when she was so impressed by the Franciscan nuns that she asked if she could become Catholic. She later went to college and became the first African American to join the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Wisconsin. After a sixteen year teaching career, Sr. Thea was invited to be a special consultant for the Catholic Church. She gave presentations around the country aimed at bridging racial and cultural divisions. Blessed with extraordinary talent, Sr. Thea shared the message of God’s love through poetry, preaching, teaching, singing, and storytelling. She was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1984. She continued her fight against the evils that drive people apart, from a wheelchair, until her death in 1990. Sr. Thea prayed, “to live until I die – to live fully.” And that she did.

Servant of God Mother Mary Lange was born in Santiago de Cuba around 1794. She was the foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, Maryland in 1829. The Oblate Sisters of Providence is the first successful religious community for women of African descent. This community was dedicated to the care and education of black children, caring for the sick, education adults, and helping orphans and widows. Surrounded by prejudice and poverty, Mother Lange’s perseverance and endurance are signs of her close union with God.

Venerable Pierre Toussaint was born in Haiti and brought to New York City as a slave. He died a free man, a renowned businessman, and one of New York City’s most well-known Catholics, credited by many with being the father of Catholic Charities in New York. He generously assisted blacks and whites in need. He took care of his slave master’s widow during her illness until her death. He and his wife opened their home to orphans and educated them. When urged to retire and enjoy the wealth he had accumulated, Pierre responded, “I have enough for myself, but if I stop working I have not enough for others.”