| Francis Xavier Seelos was
born on January 11, 1819 in F??n, Bavaria, Germany. He was baptized on the
same day in the parish church of St. Mang. Having expressed a desire for
the priesthood since childhood, he entered the diocesan seminary in 1842
after having completed his studies in philosophy. Soon after meeting the
missionaries of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (The
Redemptorists), founded for the evangelization of the most abandoned, he
decided to enter the Congregation and to minister to the German-speaking
immigrants in the United States. He was accepted by the Congregation on
November 22, 1842, and sailed the following year from Le Havre, France
arriving in New York on April 20, 1843. On December 22, 1844, after having
completed his novitiate and theological studies, Seelos was ordained a
priest in the Redemptorist Church of St. James in Baltimore, Maryland,
U.S.A. After being ordained, he worked for nine years in the parish of St.
Philomena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, first as assistant pastor with St.
John Neumann, the superior of the religious community; He later was
superior himself and was pastor for the last three years. During this
time, he was also the Redemptorist novice master. With Neumann he also
dedicated himself to preaching missions. Regarding their relationship,
Seelos said: "He has introduced me to the active life" and "he has guided
me as a spiritual director and confessor." His availability and innate
kindness in understanding and responding to the needs of the faithful,
quickly made him well-known as an expert confessor and spiritual director,
so much so that people came to him even from neighboring towns. Faithful
to the Redemptorist charism, he practiced a simple lifestyle and a simple
manner of expressing himself. The themes of his preaching, rich in
biblical content, were always heard and understood by everyone, regardless
of education, culture or background. A constant endeavor in his pastoral
activity was instructing the little children in the faith. He not only
favored this ministry but also held it as fundamental for the growth of
the Christian community in the parish. In 1854, he was transferred from
Pittsburgh to Baltimore, then Cumberland (1857), and then Annapolis
(1862), all the while engaged in parish ministry and serving in the
formation of future Redemptorists as prefect of students. He was true to
his character in this post, remaining always the kind and happy pastor,
prudently attentive to the needs of his students and conscientious of
their doctrinal formation. Above all, he strove to instill in these future
Redemptorist missionaries the enthusiasm, the spirit of sacrifice and
apostolic zeal for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the people. In
1860, he was proposed as a candidate for the office of Bishop of
Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX,
from 1863 until 1866 he dedicated himself to the life of an itinerant
missionary preacher in English and German in the states of Connecticut,
Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island and Wisconsin. After a brief period of parish ministry in
Detroit, Michigan, he was assigned in 1866 as pastor to the Redemptorist
Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was
known as a pastor who was joyously available to his faithful and
singularly concerned for the poorest and the most abandoned. In God's
plan, however, his ministry in New Orleans was destined to be brief. In
the month of September, exhausted from visiting and caring for the victims
of yellow fever, he contracted the dreaded disease. After several weeks of
patiently enduring his illness, he passed on to eternal life on October 4,
1867, at the age of 48 years and 9 months. His Holiness Pope John Paul II,
proclaimed Father Seelos Blessed in St. Peter's Square on April 9th of the
Solemn Jubilee Year 2000. |
Blessed Francis X Seelos
