Francis Xavier Seelos
| Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religious, priest and missionary | |
| Born | January 11, 1819 Füssen, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Confederation |
| Died | October 4, 1867 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church (United States & Redemptorists) |
| Beatified | April 9, 2000, Vatican City, by Pope John Paul II |
| Major shrine | National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R., St. Mary's Assumption Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Feast | October 5 |
Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R., (January 11, 1819 – October 4, 1867) was a German Redemptorist who worked as a missionary in the United States frontier.
Seelos was born in Füssen in the Kingdom of Bavaria on January 11, 1819, one of 12 children born to Mang Seelos and Franziska Schwarzenbach. He was baptized that same day in the Parish Church of St. Mang. He attended middle school at the Institute of Saint Stephen in Augsburg. Receiving his diploma in 1839, he went on to university in Munich, where he completed his studies in philosophy. Having expressed a desire for the priesthood since childhood, he entered the diocesan seminary on September 19, 1842.
Seelos was touched by the letters published in the Catholic newspaper Sion, from the Redemptorist missionaries describing the lack of spiritual care for the thousands of German-speaking immigrants. After visiting the Redemptorists in Altötting, he decided to enter the congregation, asking to be allowed to work as a missionary in the United States. He was accepted by the Redemptorists on November 22, 1842, and sailed the following year from Le Havre, France, on March 17, 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.
After being ordained, Seelos worked for nine years in the Parish of St. Philomena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—first as curate to St. John Neumann, who was the superior of the Redemptorist community, later as Superior himself, and for three years as pastor. 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."
...
Wikipedia