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James Augustine Healy: References & Edit History
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Researcher's Note
Who was the first African American priest?
Both James Augustine Healy and Augustus Tolton can lay claim to the title of first African American Roman Catholic priest. Healy, the son of an Irish planter and a mixed-race mother, was ordained in 1854. Although the definition of race that was prevalent at the time characterized him as African American, Healy was light-skinned and not only could pass for white but also never openly identified as a Black priest. Augustus Tolton, who was ordained in 1886, was born to enslaved parents. Tolton is therefore often regarded as the first “recognized” African American Roman Catholic priest or as the first Catholic priest having African American heritage on both sides of his family.
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Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| First paragraph modernization. | Apr 26, 2024 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Apr 02, 2024 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Aug 01, 2023 | ||
| Noted that he was white-passing and changed “slave” to “enslaved” throughout. | Mar 16, 2022 | ||
| Add new Web site: African American Registry - Biography of James Augustine Healy. | Jun 06, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: BlackPast.org - Biography of Bishop James Augustine Healy. | Jun 06, 2014 | ||
| Cross-reference to Researcher's Note on the first African American priest added. | Sep 09, 2010 | ||
| New article added. | Dec 10, 2004 |
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