Father Seelos in the Rectory of Two Saints

Ga r d a e ts The Publication of the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania Historia Fidei Lux Vol. XIII, No. 1, Spring 2002 -III:CICIIII_a:_lll!l:i~:::::ll!l::l---=----=--==----~- Father Seelos in the Rectory of Two Saints By Sister Ursula Kelly, S.S.N.D. cially; Francis earned a scholar ship, too, to help with the cost. Three words could describe Once upon a time in the United Father Seelos: cheerful, gentle, and States, two saints lived in the same charitable. Francis was a loving rectory in Pittsburgh. The Catholic person, and he was well loved in Church has already canonized the return by his family, friends, and all pastor of St. Philomena Parish, who came under his influence. In Father John Neumann. On April 9, 1842, he read a letter pleading for 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified help for German immigrants in the Father Francis Seelos, who was United States. He applied to Father Neumann's assistant. become a Redemptorist missionary. Francis Xavier Seelos was born He was accepted and sent to to a good Catholic family on Jan. Baltimore, Md. 11, 1819, in the Bavarian village of While preparing to leave for Fussen. His sister Antonia wrote America in 1843, he realized how that at home he was called Xavier. painful it would be to say goodbye Antonia and Xavier were best to his family. So, instead of going friends because they were born two home to say farewell, he wrote a years apart and grew up together. attended St. Stephen's Academy in touching letter. He told them that She describes Xavier as the best of Augsburg and the University of he loved them dearly and thanked the nine children in their family. Munich. As a teen, he decided he them for teaching him to love God Even as a young boy, he could not wanted to become a priest. His pas tolerate fighting and shared what tor, Father Heim, was helpful in ever he had. He also enjoyed play getting people to help him finan- Continued on next page. ing pranks. On carnival days, just before Speaker to Discuss Pittsburgh's Benedictine Sisters Ash Wednesday, the children in Kerry Crawford, a member of the Historical Society, will discuss Fussen wore masks and paraded the history of the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh on Sunday, April through the village, playing tricks 14 at 2:30p.m. in Synod Hall. Kerry is the author of In This Time of on the townspeople. One year, Grace, a book based on in-depth interviews she conducted with young Xavier slipped into his members of the Benedictine monastic community as part of their father's best coat and hat and 125th anniversary. Her emphasis will be on the Sisters' coming of joined in the fun. His friends age as a community in western Pennsylvania during the 20th century. laughed at the sight of the little boy She will examine questions that many of us have about consecrated in the big clothes. They laughed so life both before and after the Second Vatican Council. Using the sis hard that Francis' father came to ters' own comments, Kerry will discuss what initially attracted these investigate and rescued his wed women, some barely teenagers themselves, to vowed monastic life, ding clothes. what sustained them, and what gives them hope for the future. The Francis attended six years of talk is open to the public. grammar school in Fussen. Later he Gathered Fragments even more. He asked them to pray Father Seelos administered over management of finances as he was that he would be able to share his 2QO baptisms, witnessed 35 mar working with a poor immigrant love with the poor Germans so far riages and preached in three lan parish. from home. guages each Sunday. His name Bishop O'Connor requested that At a young age, Francis Xavier appears in the baptism and mar Father Seelos be appointed a full Seelos developed a strong devotion riage registers of some of the outly time chaplain to the Sisters of to his patron, St. Francis Xavier. ing areas such as Greensburg, Mercy. It was agreed that Father Shortly after determining that he McKeesport, Pine Creek, Riceville, Seelos could accept this responsi wanted to be a priest, he decided Sharpsburg and Wexford. He even bility only if he could remain at St. that he wished to imitate his name answered pleas of abandoned Philomena and be a part of the sake by becoming like him, a mis German immigrants in community's missionary endeav- sionary. However, he was ors. Some of the Sisters of called not to Asia but to a tri Mercy were asked to offer tes angular terrain bounded by timony to the holiness of the Allegheny and Father Seelos after his death Monongahela Rivers, whose and spoke in glowing terms waters form the Ohio River. about his successes as their He was called to Pittsburgh, chaplain. Pa. In 1847, Father Neumann In April 1845, a tragic fire had a serious bout of illness had burned a quarter of and was called to rest in Pittsburgh. Over 10,000 Baltimore. The rest was short homes were destroyed. In the lived because within six aftermath of this disaster, weeks, he was appointed the young Father Seelos arrived, leader of all the Redemptorists on August 25, 1845, to in America. assume his first assignment Though the two saints no as a Redemptorist. He would longer shared a monastery, serve St. Philomena Parish in their respect and reverence for the Bayardstown section of each other continued. In fact, Pittsburgh. ·Father Neumann decided to The parish worshiped in a move the Redemptorist novi building they called "the tiate to the new monastery he Factory Church," because it had built at St. Philomena and had been a factory. The prop chose Father Seelos to be erty was located between novice master. Liberty and Penn Avenues, In 1851, at 32 years of age Blessed Francis X. Seews' official beatification image. with 11th Street as the west- and only ordained for seven em boundary and 14th Street as the years, Father Seelos was cho eastern. Steubenville, Ohio, and Wheeling, sen as pastor of St. Philomena, one Father Seelos had met his new W.Va. of the largest foundations in superior, Father John Neumann, in The influence of Father John America. He proved an excellent Baltimore, and he knew .Father Neumann cannot be estimated. As administrator and spiritual leader. Joseph Mueller from the Novitiate. Father Seelos watched his superi However, he was faced with the Bishop Michael O'Connor referred or's dedication each day, his own serious problem of many orphaned to them as "the three saints of St. love for his priesthood grew. Father children who were members of his Philomena" because of their priest Neumann was determined to build parish. ly zeal. a new church to replace the Factory What he always referred as one Within the first 18 months, Church. It took some ingenious of his most important accomplish- Gathered Fragments ments was the building of a new ond bishop of Pittsburgh. When Eventually, Father Seelos was three-story orphanage for Gennan Father Seelos learned of this, he promised intercession in the matter children on Troy Hill. The orphan wrote to the Pope requesting that of exemption. Though the seminar age was located on the present site his name be removed from consid ians had to enroll, not one of them of North Catholic High School. In eration because he would be a bet was drafted. fact, the red-brick buildings to the ter Redemptorist missionary than a Father Seelos returned to giving west of the stone buildings were bishop of Pittsburgh. His request missions and retreats in 1863-1866. part of the orphanage, which was honored. He was sent to Detroit, where he opened its doors in the summer of From Pittsburgh, Father Seelos worked as a parish priest for nine 1852. It was entrusted to the School was transferred to Cumberland, months. He was then summoned to Sisters of Notre Dame until its clo- Md., to work with seminarians. As work in New Orleans. While on the sure in 1938. train traveling south, Father Seelos' ,------------------------. he met two School preaching was so Sisters of Notre eloquent that he was Once, while traveling in the mountains, Dame. One of the sis- asked to preach a he met a classmate frotn Germany. The ters asked Father sermon at the laying man was suffering from the severe Seelos how long he of the cornerstone would be in New for the new cathedral weather and was so poorly dressed that Orleans. His answer in June 1851. Father Seelos exchanged some of his caused consternation It is said that peo- because he predicted pie from Pittsburgh own clothing with the man, even to his that he would be there and beyond sought shoes. about a year, then him as a confessor. ..._ _____________________....... would die of yellow He encouraged peo- fever. That was Sept. pie to come to confession with the Civil War broke out, a serious 26, 1866. He died on Oct. 4, 1867, these words: "If you come to con- situation developed. Congress had of yellow fever. fession I promise to treat you kind- determined that all males had to be Investigation into the life of ly and if I don't do such, you may enrolled in the military forces. Father Seelos began shortly. The accuse me publicly of being Then, on March 3, 1863, President people of New Orleans never let untruthful." It was rumored that Lincoln signee- the Conscription memory of him grow dim.

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