Seven on the Road to Sainthood

Black Catholic History Month · November 2026

Every November, the Church in the United States keeps Black Catholic History Month, framed by the feast of St. Martin de Porres on Nov. 3 and the birthday of St. Augustine on Nov. 13. The United States does not yet have a canonized Black saint—but seven Black American Catholics are on the way, and this year brought real movement.

Venerable

Pierre Toussaint (1766–1853). Born enslaved in Haiti, he became a celebrated New York hairdresser who gave his fortune and his days to orphans, the sick and the poor.
Mother Henriette Delille (1813–1862). A free woman of color in New Orleans who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family when no white congregation would accept Black women.
Mother Mary Lange (c. 1784–1882). Founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, the first congregation of Black women religious; declared Venerable in 2023.
Fr. Augustus Tolton (1854–1897). A formerly enslaved man who became the first priest in the United States publicly known to be Black. His cause awaits a miracle for beatification, and a national shrine is planned in western Illinois.

Servant of God

Julia Greeley (d. 1918). Born into slavery, she became Denver's "Angel of Charity," quietly hauling food and fuel to the poor by night.
Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA (1937–1990). Teacher, singer and evangelist from Mississippi. On Feb. 9, 2026, the Diocese of Jackson closed its investigation and sent her cause to Rome, where she could next be declared Venerable.
Fr. Martin Maria de Porres Ward, OFM Conv. (1918–1999). Boston-born, the first African American to join the Conventual Franciscans, and a missionary to Brazil for decades. His cause, opened in 2020 by the Diocese of São João del Rei, received Vatican approval to proceed in 2024.

Ask their prayers this month—and pray for their causes. The U.S. bishops offer free Saintly Seven prayer cards for each.