Focus on Pierre Toussaint (A real Black History Month story)

Catholic Insight ^ | April, 2008 | Norman Darden

[Servant of the Cross]

Pierre Toussaint, the 18th century Haitian slave, who was freed in New York by his master’s widow after they had fled the burning slave colony, then called Saint Domingue, in 1787, has been declared a candidate for beatification by the Vatican.

This has not made him as famous a black American in the States or in the world as has the fortunes of Barack Obama, the hottest black male in America right now. He, of course, is running for President of the United States with a good chance of success, and may become the leader of the free world. He is an American black who is internationally famous. Toussaint is an American black who should be as widely known, but he is tied to the Church.

Pierre Toussaint’s life was far more remarkable, far more edifying than Obama’s is since today he is “beatifiable.” Obama does not seem to be on that high road. Toussaint, on the other hand, lived on the highest plane, attended daily Mass at 6 a.m. for 60 years and provided spiritual and corporal sustenance to the five people in his big New York house. He paid cash for it as soon as his business began to flourish—caring for his wife, his sickly niece, his sicker sister, his crestfallen master and his master’s wife - who owned him until their deaths. While he paid daily attention to his fancy hairdressing business, he also found time to provide monetary help to Catholic charities and orphanages he supported. (snip)

In October, 1995, Pope John Paul II, from the throne in the sanctuary of New York’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, publicly declared Pierre Toussaint Venerable. The great pope made the statement that Pierre Toussaint’s soul was worthy of public veneration. (snip)

[Servant of the Cross]

A life that is truly worth celebrating this month. His Haitian background is interesting given the current events there. Very insightful contrasts with the poseur makes this "old" story (2008) still relevant today.

[vladimir998]

A great saint. And he truly was a “post-racial” man.

[Cicero]

It sounds like a verifiable miracle to me, if they have the Xrays from before and after.

When I saw that he was a black ex-slave from Haiti, I wondered if he was related in any way to the famous liberator of the island from Napoleon, Toussaint Louverture. But in that case, Toussaint was his first name.

[John-Irish]

Pierre Toussaint also happens to be the name of the socialist son of a bitch who is head of the Transit Workers Union of New York City.