Indeed Seelos might have viewed his hemorrhage as a blessing, as his weakened constitution lead to assignment as superior, pastor and novice master of St. Mary’s in Annapolis, Maryland. The community is large, but the pressure of work is minimal compared to that of St. Alphonsus parish. He says in a letter to his friend, […]
Coming out of the confessional just before supper, as he stretches himself to get rid of the stiffness in his arms and legs, blood suddenly begins pouring out of Seelos’ mouth. He has suffered a violent hemorrhage and is hospitalized for 4 weeks. In true Seelos fashion, he says in a letter to his sister, […]
Seelos is appointed pastor and rector of St. Alphonsus Parish in Baltimore, Maryland. Moving from St. Philomena to St. Alphonsus was like going from a peaceful village to a bustling metropolis. His appointment includes not only St. Alphonsus, but two parish centers, two smaller parishes on the outskirts of Baltimore, and four mission stations outside […]
Seelos is granted his naturalization papers, becoming a U.S. citizen. | Shown above, Seelos’ Declaration of Intent for U.S. Citizenship, c. 1848.
Twelve Redemptorists arrive in New York after a tempestuous sixty-two day trip trip across the Atlantic. They begin to preach a parish mission at St. Joseph’s Church, where they hear an estimated 6,000 confessions and give first holy Communion to 60 adults and 400 children. This is the first organized English mission in the country; […]
No one is more surprised than Seelos when he is chosen as pastor and rector of St. Philomena’s Parish. At thirty-two, he was years younger than the fathers and brothers he was asked to lead. But this disparity of age doesn’t seem to intimidate him in being faithful to his duties as a rector. His […]
According to rule, Redemptorists are required to make a ten-day retreat each year. Seelos makes his annual retreat in total silence and seclusion, in which he writes daily summaries of his prayers, meditations and examinations of conscience. His notes speak loudly about his burning desire to become holy. During this time, Seelos makes a radical […]
At twenty-eight years old and just three years after taking his own vows, Seelos is appointed novice master at St. Philomena’s. His appointment was short-lived – a mere 16 months – because the Superior of the American Mission decided that the novices should be under his watchful eye in Baltimore. But even though his stint […]
Fr. Neumann introduces Seelos to mission preaching at St. Vincent’s Church in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. In Seelos’ later years, mission preaching would become his full-time ministry.
Seelos is assigned to St. Philomena parish in Pittsburgh as assistant pastor, under the guidance of Fr. John Neumann, who would eventually become St. John Neumann. Seelos says of Neumann, “He loved me as his own son. Above all, the example of his virtuous life is always before my eyes – his constant modesty, his […]