A Saintly Priest of the 1800s...

By Thomas Artz, C.SS.R.

Could two canonized saints have lived in the same parish house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the late 1840s? It seems almost incredible, yet it just might someday come true. The pastor of St. Philomena's parish at that time was John Neumann, canonized a saint in 1977.

One of his assistants in the parish was Francis X. Seelos, a young Redemptorist priest. It is very possible that in a few years Father Seelos will also formally be declared a saint of the Catholic Church. His life is an inspiration. Perhaps learning about the life of Francis X. Seelos can inspire others to lead a better Christian life.

Francis Seelos was born January 11, 1819, in Fussen, a small town of Southern Germany. His father worked as a tailor and later became the sacristan of the local parish church. The Seelos family was not known for great wealth or prestige; but they were a devout Catholic family, the typical family that fosters vocations.

Desire to Be a Priest

From his early years Francis wanted to become a priest. The pastor of his local parish was most helpful in getting Francis started on the road that led to the priesthood. He gave young Francis special training in the Latin language, so important at that time for anyone who wanted to be a priest. When it was clear that the Seelos family could not pay for the priestly education of their son, the pastor found special benefactors who supported Francis during his many years of schooling.

After six years of grammar school in his hometown, Francis spent seven years studying at St. Stephen's Academy in Augsburg. In 1839, young Seelos entered the University of Munich on a scholarship for the two-year course in philosophy. His desire to be a priest deepened with each passing year in school; he was especially remembered by his classmates and friends as a cheerful and fun-loving person.

 

Joining the Redemptorists

In 1842 Francis Seelos applied for admission to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (also known as the Redemptorists), at the same time expressing a desire to become a missionary to the United States of America.

Transatlantic correspondence was slow in those days, and so it took several months before Francis learned that he had been accepted by the Redemptorists. By then he had transferred from the University of Munich to the seminary of the diocese of Augsburg at Dillingen. After learning of his acceptance, he left the seminary and went to a nearby Redemptorist community. After a short period of orientation with the Redemptorists in Germany, Francis left for the United States in 1843.

A major problem in leaving was his deep love for his family. Knowing how painful it would be to say good-bye, Francis thought it best to avoid going back home. Instead, he wrote the Seelos family a touching and tender letter they received after his departure.

In April 1843, Francis X. Seelos arrived in New York City to join the Redemptorists. At that time the Redemptorists had been in America for little more than ten years. They numbered only a few dozen priests and Brothers working primarily for German-speaking immigrants. Francis was sent to the Redemptorist parish of Saint James in Baltimore, Maryland, where on May 16, 1843, he was invested with the distinctive Redemptorist habit and began his solemn year of novitiate.

Those were happy days for Francis. He had always loved the spiritual life and its treasures. As a novice he now had time to give himself completely to the Lord and to prepare for his life as a priest. He knew that unless he himself were holy it would be impossible to make others holy. It was for this reason that he prepared so diligently for his life as a priest and a religious by prayer and by penance, always striving to deepen his love for God and his fellowmen.

 

The Young Priest

Francis officially entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on May 16, 1844, when he professed for life the religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He was now a Redemptorist. In the next eight months Francis completed his studies for the priesthood, and on December 22, 1844, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Eccleston of Baltimore.

For several months after he was ordained Father Seelos remained in the Baltimore area. In August 1845, he received his first official assignment, and joined the Redemptorists working at St. Philomena's parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It was at this time that Francis met Father John Neumann, Redemptorist priest and pastor of St. Philomena's parish. Later Father Neumann would become Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists in America and then Bishop of Philadelphia. Today he is revered as St. John Neumann, a canonized saint of the Roman Catholic Church. For the years they were together in Pittsburgh, John Neumann was a saintly example for the young Father Seelos of all the good things a holy and zealous parish priest should be.

 

Pastor of a Parish

Father Seelos remained in Pittsburgh nine years. In 1851, ordained seven years and only 34 years old, Father Seelos was made pastor of that growing Pittsburgh parish. The faithfulness that he showed to his duties as pastor inspired all the priests who served in the parish to give greater glory to God by their service to his people. The people loved their pastor who inspired them to live better lives.

As pastor of the parish Father Seelos was never too busy to speak with or to offer his help to any of his parishioners. Anyone could come to see him early in the morning or late at night and he would try to do all that was reasonably possible to help.

Father Seelos made a special effort as pastor to take an interest in the school children. Two or three times a week he would visit the school, often stopping to give a catechism lesson. He could speak to the children in simple terms and with great feeling, so they would come to know and love the Lord more deeply.

While in Pittsburgh Father Seelos became a legend in his own time. People came to this saintly priest from far and wide to seek his spiritual assistance. In 1860, when the diocese of Pittsburgh was to get a new bishop, many people, including the retiring bishop, thought that the saintly Father Seelos would make an excellent choice. Father Seelos did not become the new bishop, but even to be considered for such a position showed how highly respected he was by everyone.

Pastor in Baltimore, Maryland

In March 1854, Father Seelos was transferred from Pittsburgh to become pastor of St. Alphonsus parish in Baltimore. As pastor he was responsible for the care of the people, not only in the main parish but also for the spiritual needs of the many who lived in the outlying areas of the city and who were served by the many mission chapels.

Besides the many administrative duties as pastor, he also had responsibilities within the Redemptorist community itself. Yet he still found time for the individual needs of his parishioners. He spent countless hours in the confessional; he preached at the missions and novenas.

Father Seelos took a special interest in the many communities of Sisters in the area. He served many as confessor and spiritual director. These Sisters were involved in an essential ministry of spreading the Gospel and educating the Catholic community. Father Seelos helped the Sisters to prepare themselves spiritually for these works.

As the years rushed by the constant hard work began to take its toll. Father Seelos had never been robust and now he began to weaken noticeably. During Lent of 1857 he broke a blood vessel in his neck. Near death for several days it was many weeks before he could return to his normal duties.

Father Seelos was able to use this time of sickness to the greatest advantage. Even in the busiest of days as pastor he had maintained his personal times of prayer, spiritual reading, and his practices of piety and mortification. Confined to bed he was able to spend the entire day in prayer, drawing closer to the Lord and recommending to God all the needs of his own parish and the needs of God's people throughout the world.

Throughout his life, even though his health was poor, Father Seelos often was called upon to do double duty. For a short while after his ordination he was both parish priest and assistant to the novice master. Later in Pittsburgh he had his parish duties, plus being the person in charge of the Redemptorist novices. This meant that along with his many duties in the parish he was called upon to instruct the new Redemptorists in the ways of spirituality and community life.

 

Seminary Director

In 1857 he was appointed pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul's Church in Cumberland, Maryland. More important than that was his assignment as director of students. Attached to the church at Cumberland was the seminary of the Redemptorists. Father Seelos was to be in charge of the spiritual formation and general welfare of the students. He was directly responsible for shaping these men into holy and dedicated priests. At times there were as many as 70 students in the seminary, a very diverse group, but all were united in their love and esteem for Father Seelos.

As a superior for 16 of his 23 years as a Redemptorist, Father Seelos was a gentle man of prayer. His observance of the Redemptorist rule of life and his dedication to his priestly duties inspired others to a greater degree of obedience and dedication. In the conferences he gave as director of the students, Father Seelos instilled in the seminarians a sense of dedication to God and to the people, a love of the priest-hood, and a desire to live as holy and virtuous priests and Redemptorists.

 

The Monthly Virtues

Father Seelos believed that it was especially important for the Redemptorist seminarians to learn the traditional custom of devotion to the twelve monthly virtues. St. Alphonsus Liguori had made these twelve virtues one of the basics of the Redemptorist rule when he founded the Redemptorists in 1732. The practice was sound practically and psychologically.

Every month Redemptorists were exhorted to deepen their practice of a certain virtue. In January, it was faith. One's thoughts were to be centered on hope in February. March was for love of God; April, love of neighbor; May, poverty; June, chastity; July, obedience; August, humility; September, mortification; October, recollection; November, prayer; December, self-denial. Each year the cycle of the twelve monthly virtues would be repeated and renewed.

Father Seelos learned this way of practicing the virtues during his novitiate. He continued each month of his life to grow closer to the Lord by practicing the special virtue for that particular month. He encouraged all the seminarians to do likewise.

In the 1860s the Civil War then devastating the United States began to cause problems for the Redemptorist seminary at Cumberland. There was a fear that the seminarians might be drafted, plus the worry that Cumberland could become a major battleground. Because of this the seminarians were gradually moved to Annapolis, Maryland. At Annapolis there was a new and larger building and a greater degree of safety. Father Seelos moved to Annapolis in May 1862, and shortly after arriving he was relieved of his duties as the director of students; however, he remained as pastor of the parish and seminary professor. He was called upon to minister to the many soldiers, prisoners of war, and wounded people who were in the Annapolis area.

 

Home Missionary

August 1863 saw Father Seelos enter into the work that is most characteristic of the Redemptorist priest. He was appointed to the mission band. Now his work would be to bring people back to God and to increase the fervor of those already in God's grace, especially by the ministry of preaching. The home mission was a special series of sermons and spiritual exercises conducted in parishes by missionary priests. The purpose was to renew and strengthen the faith of the people and to call those who had fallen away back to the practice of their faith.

In the next three years Father Seelos would conduct missions in countless parishes in more than a dozen states. Each mission would last only a few weeks, but the good that he did in that short time seemed to continue for many years.

When Father Seelos stepped to the pulpit to preach his mission sermons the faithful were immediately attracted by his friendly glance and his kindly tones. His sermons were simple and to the point. It was the simplicity of the message and the sincerity of his voice that moved his listeners to draw closer to the Lord.

It was through his sermons that Father Seelos won the admiration and confidence of the people, but it was in the confessional that his true saintliness and his priestly zeal for souls was exhibited most clearly and positively. After each mission sermon Father Seelos went to the confessional, spending long hours welcoming sinners back to the graces of the Lord.

Father Seelos gained a widespread reputation for being able to bring peace of mind to those who were troubled. He could give despairing souls hope, courage, and determination to face the future. People who had been bothered by scruples of conscience for many years were often cured of this terrible affliction with only one visit to the confessional of Father Seelos.

Father Seelos remained on the mission band until the fall of 1865, when he was transferred to the Redemptorist parish of Holy Redeemer, in Detroit, Michigan. There he was able once again to show special care for his favorite people, the poor and the sick. When St. Alphonsus Liguori founded the Redemptorists he instructed them to serve especially "the most abandoned." Throughout his life as a priest Father Seelos put that motto and those words into practice.

His stay in Detroit was brief. After only ten months in that city, he was transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana.

 

A Holy Death

In New Orleans the Redemptorists were in charge of three different churches, caring for the Catholics of three nationalities: French, German, and English. Father Seelos was familiar with all three languages; but he spent the majority of his time working in St. Mary's church, using his native language to help the people who had come to America from Germany.

Outbreaks of yellow fever were frequent and sad occurrences in New Orleans. In September 1867, the disease again devastated the crescent city on the Mississippi River. The sick calls came day and night; the funerals were many. Father Seelos worked tirelessly among the sick and the dying until September 17, when he was stricken by the yellow fever virus.

His saintliness was obvious during this final illness. In the face of the severest pain he did not complain. He remained constantly in prayer and seemed to be completely at peace, eagerly awaiting the moment when the Lord would come to take him to himself. His condition worsened, and on October 4 it was clear that the end was near. The Redemptorist priests and Brothers, Father Seelos's confreres, gathered at his bedside in prayer. In the church and throughout the city of New Orleans the people prayed for the saintly priest they have come to know and love in the short time that he had been with them.

Father Seelos died on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48. His life ended but it surely was not the end of his work in New Orleans. In fact, it seemed to be just the beginning.

 

The Great Healer

Earlier in this pamphlet it was mentioned that Father Seelos often brought spiritual healing to troubled souls in the sacrament of confession. The Holy Ghost also chose to work through Father Seelos on countless occasions to bring physical healing to people, as well as inner, spiritual healings.

For example, Father Seelos was asked to come and see a nine-year-old girl who had suffered frequent and severe epileptic seizures since infancy. He blessed the child, placed his hands on her head, and sent her home. She no longer had the seizures.

On another occasion the father of a large family fell from a scaffold while at work. The doctors did all they could, but it was not enough; they were sure the man was going to die. Father Seelos came to the hospital to pray with the man and his family, and soon the man had recovered completely and was able to return to his job.

A man in Pittsburgh came into the rectory on crutches. Father Seelos prayed over the man and he walked away leaving his crutches behind. A Redemptorist priest could barely walk due to a pain in his knee. Father Seelos prayed over the priest, and the pain left immediately never to return.

The healing power of Father Seelos seemed to increase after his death. In 1872, five years after his death, a dying baby was cured of pneumonia and meningitis after his grandmother prayed to Father Seelos. A 16-year-old girl in New Orleans was cured successively of smallpox, typhoid fever, and a lung tumor after her family prayed to Father Seelos. In 1938, a six-year-old Louisiana boy made a seemingly miraculous recovery from the paralysis of polio after his mother prayed at the tomb of Father Seelos.

More than one hundred years after the death of Father Seelos the favors granted through his intercession seem to increase steadily. Throughout the world thousands of people turn to Father Seelos each day and ask for special help.

Devotion to Father Seelos

Father Seelos was not an ordinary priest. There can be no doubt about that. From his earliest days as a priest until his early death at 48, people came to him because of his special holiness, his tremendous zeal for souls, and his kindly manner, shown especially to the poor, the sick, and the lonely. Everyone he met and everyone he lived with as a Redemptorist knew that Father Seelos was a special person, perhaps even a saint of the Catholic Church. Shortly after his death efforts began to canonize Father Seelos.

Because Father Seelos has not yet been canonized, there is no public devotion in his honor. However, you can pray privately to this holy man, asking him to intercede for you with God. If you are granted a special favor after praying to Father Seelos, please write to the Father Seelos Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, telling about how God has worked in your life through the intercession of Father Seelos.

You can also try to imitate the virtuous life of Father Seelos, perhaps by using the system of the monthly virtues. Whatever your age, occupation, or state in life, you can try each day to draw closer to the Lord in prayer as Father Seelos did.

You can also tell others about the holy life of Father Francis X. Seelos, a Redemptorist priest, about the virtues he practiced, and how they also might imitate this great saint. They, too, will turn to Father Seelos in prayer in their times of need, knowing he will help them.

For more information write to:

The Father Seelos Center
2030 Constance Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130