September - Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

In the Redemptorist Church of Saint Mary’s Assumption

Volume LI Number 9 919 Josephine Street

New Orleans, LA 70130

www.seelos.org (504) 525-2495

September 2012

Bavarian Ambassador of Christ Father Miller, believers in Füssen have a strong bond with Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. But beyond his birthplace there are still many who do not know much about his charisma. Things seem to be different in New Orleans, where you even have a Seelos Center and where so many seek the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. What does Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos mean to believers in your country and what is the inner reason for that popularity? Francis Xavier Seelos has captivated the hearts of so many in America. His life and example readily demonstrate how love of God and neighbor, how compassion and goodwill, how tolerance and adaptability, can be brought to perfection in all of us. His remarkable willingness to leave his beloved homeland and come to America to minister to German immigrants in need, and his willingness to come to New Orleans when he knew the dangers of yellow fever, reveal a man who lived a rather ordinary life, but with extraordinary faith and trust in God. I believe it is that ordinary/extraordinary quality that makes Father Seelos appealing to others. I say this in all sincerity: In this native son, Bavaria has produced one of the finest examples of what it means to be “an ambassador of Christ.” In addition to Seelos‘ personal charisma, there are recorded first-hand accounts of people who attribute healings of various kinds through his prayers and blessings while he was alive, and there are countless testimonials that likewise attribute his powerful intercessory prayers in heaven in the almost 150 years after his death.

What is the (New) Seelos Center like? How do you preserve and treasure the memory of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and spread his message in our modern time? A Redemptorist confrere, Fr. Benedict Neithart, C.Ss.R., who lived with Father Seelos said, “He knew no distinction of condition. He received [the lowly] with the same gentle deference as the highest gentleman and lady.” The Seelos Welcome Center aims to reflect the inviting hospitality that Father Seelos himself provided, and the hospitality

that is identified with the southern part of the United States. First and foremost, it is hoped that pilgrims far and wide who visit the Seelos Shrine find an environment that is conducive to a prayerful and meaningful experience with God. If a relationship with God is deepened in some way by having visited the Seelos Shrine, then our mission in ministry is accomplished! That mission is enhanced when visitors spend time in the presence of Father Seelos‘s sacred remains, when they view various artifacts that relate to him, and when we offer prayers and sacraments to those in need.

What does Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos mean to you personally and how does he inspire you? Promoting the Cause of Blessed Seelos, and my involvement in ministry at the Seelos Shrine, has been the most rewarding apostolic work that I have ever done. My family received the monthly Father Seelos newsletter in our home when I was a child growing up in Louisiana. I have known the name “Francis Xavier Seelos” practically from the time that I could read and write! Of course, little did I know then that I would be a member of the same Redemptorist Congregation to which Father Seelos belonged, much less be called to this special ministry at the time of his beatification! In so many ways, Father Seelos was ahead of his time: He was gentle and understanding in the confessional; he was refreshingly humorous and good-natured in the pulpit and elsewhere; he was pious and demanding of himself in spiritual matters, but compassionate toward those who appeared lacking in this regard; and he was most forgiving of others—in particular, some of his own Redemptorist confreres—who misunderstood him and created major challenges for him. As a priest and a Redemptorist, I derive tremendous inspiration from Francis Xavier Seelos for these reasons, even though I often fail where he excelled. Edited excerpt from “Seelos-Verehrung in Amerika,” Katholische SonntagsZeitung , the Catholic newspaper for Augsburg, Germany, May 15, 2011. Interviewer: Susanne Loreck. Reprinted with permission.

message from father terry m c closkey, c.ss.r. I arrived in New Orleans in August, 2011. I was assigned to St. Alphonsus Parish to be an Associate Pastor and to help part-time at the Seelos Center. I had never been to the Seelos Center before. I had been somewhat familiar with Father Seelos, especially after reading the biography entitled, Cheerful Ascetic . Just the title of the book was enough to stir up my curiosity, and the more I read, the more I realized how that title really captured the life and spirit of Father Seelos. Just to see the pictures or statues that portray him today, you see a smiling figure who must have been a holy man. What I found especially attractive was the fact that for a number of years Father Seelos had been assigned to the formation of future Redemptorists. The early years of my own priesthood were spent in a similar assignment, and I can only hope that I was faithfully following the example and dedication that Father Seelos brought to this important ministry. It didn’t take very long, after arriving in New Orleans, to appreciate the impact and the legacy that Father Seelos had brought to this thriving and growing Catholic population. He only lived here for a little more than a year, but during that time he endeared himself to so many people through his preaching, his kindness in the confessional, and in particular to his dedication to the sick, especially those who were infected during the yellow fever epidemic, the same sickness that eventually took his own life. The Seelos Center is blessed with a wonderfully dedicated staff, and a host of very generous volunteers, many of whom have their own personal stories of how Father Seelos has touched their lives. Every day visitors come to pray at the Seelos Shrine, and they come from all parts of the country. I have seen cars with license plates from Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Colorado, Minnesota, just to name a few. Some of these pilgrims come to ask for Father Seelos’s intercession for healing of cancer or some other health-related illness. Many of them come back to give thanks to Father Seelos for the help or the healing they have received. Three times every year the Seelos Center celebrates a Mass in St. Mary’s Assumption Church, where Father Seelos was once the Pastor, and where he was buried. The church is usually filled to capacity at those Masses. Yes, the miracles continue to happen here. There are as many as 50,000 people who visit the Seelos Shrine annually. Some come out of curiosity, others come with the hope of having their prayers answered, many come to give thanks. While we all await the next miracle that will declare Father Seelos a saint, for now we lovingly venerate “Blessed” Francis Seelos, and, indeed, we too are “blessed” to have him as a friend and a powerful intercesso r. May he enable each one of us to also be cheerful ascetics! [In August 2012, Fr. McCloskey was transferred to the Redemptorist Community in Denver, CO — Editor]

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED! Seelos Memorial Mass

Sunday, October 7, 2012 1:00 p.m. St. Mary’s Assumption Church (corner of Josephine & Constance) Homilist & Presider: Rev. Paul Yi Diocese of Baton Rouge

9th Annual Seelos Gala Dinner

Sunday, October 14, 2012 5:30 p.m. Audubon Tea Room 6500 Magazine Street Call 504-525-2495 Gala reservations by Monday, Oct. 8

Seelos Center Services

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Pilgrimages to Seelos Shrine & Museum. Call Center: 504-525-2495, Open Mon-Fri, 9 to 3; Sat, 10 to 3:30.

 Daily Prayer Message 504-586-1803  Blessings of the Sick with a Seelos Crucifix in designated area hospitals:

East Jefferson Gerry Heigle: 504-482-4404 Teresa LaCour: 504-887-0214 Ochsner (Kenner) Linda DiMaggio: 504-287-8732 Ochsner (Jefferson) Mark/Monica Surprenant 504-895-5371 Marie Giorlando 504-884-9977 Earl Moraga 504-428-5141 Uptown/Innercity Dennis Waldron: 504-442-6336 Westbank Elmo & Gwen Miller: 504-362-2674 Mary Grace Orsag: 504-367-7515 Abbeville/Erath/Lafayette Boniface ‘Boni’ Suire: 337-937-5675 Baton Rouge Gloria Bacque: 225-753-3800 Bogalusa Mary Haaga: 985-735-1056 Covington Dr. Ann Logarbo: 985-886-0218 April Mayo: 985-892-1828 Houma/Thibodaux Dan Montz, L.P.C.: 985-446-1805 Lacombe/Abita Springs Billy Bachemin: 985-288-7006 Lafayette/New Iberia/Morgan City Fred Roy: 337-380-0646 LaPlace Courtney Guidry: 985-653-1343 Mandeville David Brumfield: 985-886-9235 Lisa & Eric Johnsen 985-845-8116 MS Gulf Coast Janice Coari: 228-206-0535 Gail Garay (Pearl River) 985-863-7562 New Iberia/Abbeville/Jeanerette Rachel Gonsoulin: 337-224-7855 Hattiesburg/Wiggins, MS Cannon-Pulver Family: 601-928-9777 Ponchatoula/Hammond Gasper Corpora: 225-294-5938 Prairieville/Gonzales M/M Claude Bourgeois 225-673-6688 Shreveport/Bossier City Tom & Marjorie Rivers: 318-797-3116 Slidell Carmelie Mancuso: 985-502-7325 Mary Jo Stewart: 985-502-9033 St. Bernard/Arabi Patricia Noote: 504-756-4163

DID YOU KNOW?

Seelos Center Devotionals

In 2009, a Vatican decree established the October 5th celebration of Bl. Seelos as an obligatory memorial in the New Orleans Archdiocese & an optional memorial in each of the dioceses of the New Orleans Province. An appeal for an optional Seelos memorial throughout the U.S. is pending approval.

Cheerful Ascetic, 480-pg. hardbound biography by Fr. M.Curley that captures Seelos’ piety & personality; index/photos (Donation: $30, incl.p/h) Garabandal Journal features cover story by Mark Regis on “Blessed Francis Seelos, Powerful Intercessor” in the Sept/Oct 2003 issue. (Donation: $7, incl. p/h).

above & beYOnd

Seelos Novena: 32-page deluxe booklet with sturdy cover; specify English, Spanish, or Vietnamese (Donation: $3.50, incl. p/h) Seelos Wooden Bracelet with Color Images is 3-1/4” wide x 3/4” tall before expansion. Depicts various images of our Blessed Mother & Bl. Seelos at the Shrine. (Donation: $13, incl. p/h) Seelos Holy Water Bottle: Empty holy water bottle with Seelos imprint. (Donation: $6, incl. p/h) Seelos Ceramic Plaque: Handmade ceramic plaque of Bl. Seelos made by Benedictine monks at St. Andrew’s Abbey in California. Measures approx. 10” x 4” (Donation: $40, incl. p/h) St. Mary’s Assumption/Seelos Shrine Ceramic Plaque: Handcrafted piece by New Orleans artist Amanda Sierra. Measures approx. 6” x 8.5” (Donation: $45, incl. p/h) Praying the Seven Sorrows of Mary with St. Alphonsus CD by Fr. Pablo Straub, Redemptorist missionary & EWTN personality. (Donation: $22, incl. p/h) The Way of the Cross CD: Narrated by Liam Neeson. Prayers & Music by St. Alphonsus Liguori. (Donation: $22, incl. p/h)

 A Seelos Vigil Candle will burn near his

sacred resting place in Seelos Shrine, New Orleans, for an offering of $4.

 Seelos

2nd & 3rd-Class Relics/ Seelos Pamphlets & Prayer Cards in English, Spanish, Vietnamese. Call Seelos Center, 504-5252495 or 2499. Please allow up to 2 weeks for delivery.

Francis Seelos was the sixth of twelve children. Of the nine who survived, three married, three remained single, and three entered religious life. Francis joined the Redemptorist Congregation; one of his sisters became a Sister of Charity, and another, a School Sister of Notre Dame. His younger brother, Adam (b. 1828), had five children. One of the descendants from this family is Ambros Seelos (b. 1935), a well-known German musician, composer, and conductor. He and his orchestra produced numerous Big Band albums and songs from the 1960s through the 2000s. On July 16, 2012, the two sons of Ambros and Margit Seelos—Maximilian (top photo) & Ambros Jr. (bottom)— visited the Seelos Shrine to pay respects to their saintly ancestor.

Thank you very much for your kind help during our “Tour of Five,” five people & five Catholic churches. The ladies at the Seelos Welcome Center went above and beyond to assist us. The shrine of Fr. Seelos is amazing in its scope and it is truly inspirational! It certainly brought a taste of heaven to us!— Lafayette, LA SHRINE ASHRINE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO area STUDENTS SHRINE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO area STUDENTS

2012 8th Grade Seelos Scholarships: Outstanding Recipient: EMILY T. NAUCK (Metairie, LA) Dominican High School Honorary Recipients: TIA N. CARTER (New Orleans) Cabrini High School KRISTYN H. MURRAY (Belle Chasse, LA) Cabrini High School KARLIE N. LEWIS (Montz, LA) Archbishop Chapelle High School 2012 High School Senior Seelos Scholarship: Outstanding Recipient: NICHOLAS J. SMELTZ (New Orleans) Spring Hill College (pictured with parents, Jan & Victor Smeltz)

My wife was very ill with pneumonia. Her oxygen level was at 52%. She was very dependent on a ventilator and was medically induced in a coma for 6 days. She was transferred from a regional hospital in Morgan City to one in New Orleans via Air-Med. Returning from New Orleans one afternoon, I went to Russo’s Landing just outside Morgan City, for some quiet time. From a far distance, I could see a tugboat towing some barges. As it came into view, with utter amazement, the boat was named “Father Seelos.” What peace! Upon my return to New Orleans that afternoon, I stopped by the hospital Adoration Chapel. There I was asked if my wife had been blessed and was told to contact the Seelos Center! She is doing very well today. No doubt, Father Seelos was with her during her recovery.

metairie, la

I am writing to let you know of prayers answered through Fr. Seelos’s intercession. My brother was diagnosed with colon cancer in March. It was discovered that his bladder might have been infected or intruding the surgery area of his colon—so the procedure was stopped at that time. Doctors performed surgery again in June, and to their surprise, the bladder was disconnected from the other organ infected with cancer, giving the surgeon direct access to the infected area. They were fearful that the bladder needed removal, to leave my brother with a permanent bag on his abdomen. During the time from March through June, I prayed diligently to Fr. Seelos, as did my brother himself.

TESTIMONIALS palmerton, pa

I’ve always had a very special devotion to Bl. Seelos. Two weeks ago I had major surgery for a tumor in my large intestine. The tumor was cancerous, but it did not spread to the lymph nodes. Every day I pray to him to protect my children and grandchildren. I have total faith in his prayers.

metairie, la

I’m ten years old. A year-and-a-half ago I noticed several warts on my right hand. My classmates were teasing me. After several treatments by a dermatologist which included acid, freezing, laser, topical treatments, we didn’t see much progress. My grandmother gave me a [3rd class] relic of Father Seelos. Each night I taped it on my hand and prayed for his intercession. After a short time they were much smaller. Suddenly, they disappeared completely. My mother took me for a check-up and the dermatologist couldn’t believe they were gone. I told her I prayed to Bl. Fr. Seelos and I continue to do so.

bel air, md

My wife & children gave me a gift of a Seelos first class relic. Immediately upon receiving it, I felt a very special kinship to Bl. Seelos. Given my love for the saints I figured I was blessed to have another friend in heaven. This was different. My relationship with Bl. Seelos became much more intense. I found myself praying to him not unlike one would talk to a friend or brother! I found myself at days end saying to him, “Bl. Seelos, I love you, be my saint.” While holding his relic very close to my heart, I still say these words to this day. Three months ago, I was in the hospital with many of my internal organs compromised; my pancreatic enzymes were “off the scale,” and something was “banging on my pancreas.” Even though I did not have the symptoms of pancreititis, I went right away to my friend Fr. Seelos. He did not let me down. He kept me looking to Christ for the strength necessary to handle a situation like this. I looked to the Cross for strength, and to the Blessed for peace. After blood work with my internal medicine doctor, not only is my pancreas normal, but so are all the organs in my abdomen! “Bl. Seelos, I love you, be my saint!”

grand prairie, tx Seelos Center News

franklin, la

A monthly newsletter for friends of BL. FRANCIS X. SEELOS Denver Provincial Superior: Very Rev. Harry Grile, C.Ss.R. Seelos Center Executive Director / Editor: Rev. Byron Miller, C.Ss.R. Seelos Center Administrators: Joyce Bourgeois, Jackie Milan, Nick Punch Vice-Postulators: Frs. John Vargas & Byron Miller

Seelos Center News (USPS 4472) published monthly by the Redemptorists / National Shrine of Bl. F.X. Seelos Subscription is $12 per year.

My younger son was diagnosed with leukemia one week after we lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. In the course of his 3-1/2 years of chemotherapy, we took him to the shrine to be blessed with Fr. Seelos’s cross, while we prayed for him. He continues to be in remission and is currently healthy. Thanks, Fr. Seelos, for watching over my son.

PLEASE VISIT WWW.SEELOS.ORG AS WE celebrate over 300,000 HITS!

Dear Father Byron: In my own way, I want to support the cause of Blessed Francis Seelos in gratitude for Graces Received & Prayers Answered. $_________ to be used for:  the ministry & maintenance at the National Seelos Shrine.  my 1-year newsletter subscription renewal ($12) Make a Self-Guided Retreat with Bl. Seelos: All 6 for $15, incl. p/h  other item(s) designated below:  Delete me from your mailing list.  Delete multiple mailings to this address.

 these prayer intentions at the Shrine & at weekly Mass for Seelos Benefactors:

Please make donations payable to “National Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos”. Contributions to the Seelos Shrine are income tax deductible, less items purchased.

 Send electronic newsletter to e-mail address below:

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Kindly return in the enclosed envelope with any corrections or CITY call 504-525-2495 or e-mail [email protected] Allow a minimum of 30 days to STATE process your address change request.

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