Maryland's own Father Seelos considered for canonization
Issue date: 9/1/09 Section: News
A bench sits in the garden of St. Mary's Church in Annapolis, Maryland, though it is more than just a bench. Sitting on it is a life-sized bronze statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, a nineteenth-century missionary and former pastor at St. Mary's who is a candidate for sainthood.
Fr. Seelos was born in 1819 in Germany. He entered the seminary in his early twenties and met members the Redemptorists, a missionary group, which inspired him to join and help German immigrants in the United States. After traveling to the U.S. in early 1843, he finished his studies and was ordained a priest in St. James Church in Baltimore. He served at various parishes during his life, including St. Alphonsus in Baltimore, Sts. Peter and Paul in Cumberland, and St. Mary's.
Seelos was a prime example of following in the footsteps of Christ during his time in the United States. He helped and prayed with the poor and sick, spread the word of Christ in a way that everyone could relate to, and was famous for attracting long lines during confessions because of his forgiving and understanding personality.
A Redemptorist website, Seelos.org, describes him as a man whose "availability and innate kindness…quickly made him known as an expert confessor and spiritual director, so much so that people came to him from neighboring towns."
Caring for the less fortunate and guiding others toward God was Seelos' calling. It was this calling, however, that ultimately called him to live with Christ in October of 1867 at the age of 48 when he contracted yellow fever from the sick people he was treating in New Orleans
Seelos is a revered person in St. Mary's community not only because of his virtuous actions during life but because he also touched the parish after his death. A St. Mary's parishioner is at the center of a Church investigation into a miracle that could give Seelos the honored title of "saint."
Mary Ellen Heibel, 71, found out she had terminal cancer in 2004 and had about six months to live. After undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, doctors told her she was completely cured in February 2005. They could not explain the sudden disappearance of the cancer, but Heibel thought she knew why she was so fortunate.
Fr. Seelos was born in 1819 in Germany. He entered the seminary in his early twenties and met members the Redemptorists, a missionary group, which inspired him to join and help German immigrants in the United States. After traveling to the U.S. in early 1843, he finished his studies and was ordained a priest in St. James Church in Baltimore. He served at various parishes during his life, including St. Alphonsus in Baltimore, Sts. Peter and Paul in Cumberland, and St. Mary's.
Seelos was a prime example of following in the footsteps of Christ during his time in the United States. He helped and prayed with the poor and sick, spread the word of Christ in a way that everyone could relate to, and was famous for attracting long lines during confessions because of his forgiving and understanding personality.
A Redemptorist website, Seelos.org, describes him as a man whose "availability and innate kindness…quickly made him known as an expert confessor and spiritual director, so much so that people came to him from neighboring towns."
Caring for the less fortunate and guiding others toward God was Seelos' calling. It was this calling, however, that ultimately called him to live with Christ in October of 1867 at the age of 48 when he contracted yellow fever from the sick people he was treating in New Orleans
Seelos is a revered person in St. Mary's community not only because of his virtuous actions during life but because he also touched the parish after his death. A St. Mary's parishioner is at the center of a Church investigation into a miracle that could give Seelos the honored title of "saint."
Mary Ellen Heibel, 71, found out she had terminal cancer in 2004 and had about six months to live. After undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, doctors told her she was completely cured in February 2005. They could not explain the sudden disappearance of the cancer, but Heibel thought she knew why she was so fortunate.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Myke Rosenthal-English
posted 9/01/09 @ 2:39 AM EST
An excellent article about Blessed Seelos.May this German American Priest who was born here in Fussen Germany quickly be ploclaimed a Saint.His manner and care of souls in the confessional is a great example to all today's priests,as well as the laity on the inportance of this Sacrament. (Continued…)
reklama internete
posted 4/19/10 @ 3:16 PM EST
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