August - Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

National Shrine of
Blessed Francis
Xavier Seelos
In the Redemptorist Church
of Saint Mary’s Assumption
Volume LII
Number 8
919 Josephine Street
www.seelos.org
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 525-2495
August 2013
WHEN MIGHT PREVAILED OVER RIGHT
I n the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Stephen A. Douglas
accused Abraham Lincoln of being two-faced. Lincoln
turned to his audience and asked, “I leave it to you, my
friends. If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?”
However, Lincoln was far less tongue-in-cheek about
the existence of a two-faced reality in his day that
reared its ugly head: “When the Know-Nothings get
control, it [the Declaration] will read ‘All men are created
equal—except Negroes, foreigners, and Catholics.’
When it comes to this, I should prefer emigrating to
some country where they make no pretense of loving
liberty—to Russia, for instance—where despotism can
be taken pure without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”
The Know-Nothings are so called because its
members addressed inquiries about the nature of their
organization with, “We know nothing.” They disdained a
foreign-born presence in the U.S., and their animosity
was especially aimed toward Catholics, of whom many
were German and Irish immigrants. At their peak in
1856, the Know-Nothings had elected over a hundred
Congressmen, eight governors, and mayors of several
cities. Know-Nothing mobs resorted to violent outbreaks
and fierce rioting. In an 1855 letter to his sister in
Bavaria, Seelos alluded to the nativist tinderbox:
“[Baltimore] is really the most pleasant and beautiful
city in the United States, though by far not the
largest. . . . Recently, very much evil has
taken root, especially among the middle
and lower classes. If it continues
this way, I may still be a martyr—
which would be a great grace.”
Prior to Seelos’ arrival in Baltimore,
he and the other Redemptorists were
already familiar with anti-Catholic
hostilities in Pittsburgh. When a
peace-loving priest had been accosted
one night by rowdies, he promptly returned to Europe
after serving just two years as pastor. Father Seelos,
only thirty-two at the time, was appointed to replace
him; one of his first acts was to erect a wall around
the Redemptorist complex as a safeguard against the
Know-Nothing rabble-rousers.
An early biographer describes the time Seelos
crossed a river on a ferry to bring Holy Communion to
a sick person in Pittsburgh: “On the ferry, he looked
for what he thought was a secluded spot where he
stayed on his knees with the Blessed Sacrament until
he reached the other side of the river. The result of
this was that some rough men, who had no faith and
were filled with hatred for Catholics, decided in secret
to lay hands on him and vent their hatred on him as a
Catholic priest at the first opportunity. They wanted
to knock his Catholic ideas out of his head. Luckily,
just as the sacrilegious attack was about to begin, an
Irish girl intruded herself into the midst of the affair
and spoiled the execution of the fiendish plan of these
brutes with a ready tongue and with Catholic fire.
“Father Seelos related the incident to his superior,
the later Bishop Neumann of Philadelphia, who seriously
and strictly warned him about such overstepping of
the bounds of prudence. Those were still the days of
the troublemakers, or, as it was called in America,
Knownothingism, when might prevailed
over right and more often, over the
rights of religion. This incident
amply shows where the heart
of Father Seelos was when he
carried his Savior to the sick.”
Moreover, this time in history
amply shows where the hearts of
some Americans were, when it came
to immigration.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES:
1850s in America
Message from the Editor
An exquisitely-carved holy water font from
the year 1495 welcomes visitors in the Church of
Saint Anastasia in Verona, Italy. Its captivating
feature is a hunchback who appears to bear
the weight of the font on his back. Over the
ages, the superstitious have had a mysterious
inclination to touch the hump for good luck.
An exquisite bronze statue of Blessed Francis
Seelos welcomes visitors to his shrine in New
Orleans. After the artist Franco Alessandrini
completed the life-size work in Italy in 2001,
it was blessed in a ceremony at the shrine
shortly thereafter. A prominent feature of
the statue is Seelos’ extended right hand that
holds a replica of his Redemptorist Mission
Cross. Over the last twelve years, many visitors
have had a natural, human inclination to touch his hand that reaches
out to them. This spontaneous reaction is anything but superstitious!
“A statue of a saint is a physical sign of a spiritual reality,” writes
Matthew Kelly in Rediscover Catholicism . He suggests that the reason so
many statues have been removed from our churches and homes is because
we prefer not to be reminded of the holiness that all saints challenge us
to attain. Kelly notes that on the other hand, “our devotion to the saints
becomes hollow and borders on superstition” when our imitation of them is
less important than veneration to them .
If the faithful have already effected a color change to the bronze hand
of a Seelos statue over time, is it not a spontaneous attempt to connect to
his goodness in a tangible manner? When they gaze at his appealing smile
and look directly at the skull and crossbones depicted on his crucifix, are
they not praying for a happy death in imitation of Father Seelos?
The Shrine exists for us to make contact with Seelos in numerous ways.
We take hold of the Cheerful Ascetic’s hand when entering into the Passion
of Christ on the Cross—now and at the hour of our death! Let this genuine
sacred art draw us “to adoration, to prayer and to the love of God” ( CCC
#2502); and above all, let the imitation that it inspires make us holy!
Byron Miller, C.Ss.R.
Year of Faith: an invitation to prayer
The National Seelos Shrine / Saint Mary’s Assumption
Church is one of eight designated Holy Sites in the New
Orleans Archdiocese during this special Year of Faith.
By papal decree of Pope Benedict XVI, a plenary
indulgence is granted to all during the Year of Faith who:
• Spend time in personal prayer & meditation;
• Read & reflect on the Creed or on a passage from
Scripture;
• Conclude with the Our Father, a Profession of Faith,
& a prayer to the Blessed Mother for the intentions
of the Pope.
• While here—or within three days before or after
the pilgrimage—receive Holy Communion & the
Sacrament of Penance (Confession).
Sacristy Window, National
Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, Washington, DC
Blessed Seelos was chosen for Aug. 2013 as one
of 12 saintly Americans highlighted during the
Year of Faith. Visit www.usccb.org
Seelos Center Services

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
B. J. Chauvin:
504-427-5469
Ochsner (Jefferson)
Mark/Monica Surprenant 504-895-5371
Marie Giorlando
504-568-0522
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
Alexandria
Deacon Bill /Joan Travis: 318-664-7069
Baton Rouge
Gloria Bacque: 225-753-3800
Bogalusa
Mary Haaga: 985-735-1056
Covington
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
Lake Charles
Lisa Verrette:
337-274-4810
LaPlace
Courtney Guidry:
985-653-1343
Mandeville
David Brumfield: 985-886-9235
Lisa & Eric Johnsen
985-276-4445
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Janice Coari: 228-206-0535
New Iberia/Abbeville/Jeanerette
Rachel Gonsoulin: 337-224-7855
Opelousas
Suzanne Pitre:
337-351-8489
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
Mary Jo Stewart:
985-502-9033
Lisa & Eric Johnsen
985-276-4445
St. Bernard/Arabi
Patricia Noote: 504-756-4163
Seelos Center Devotionals
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).
Wood Engraved “[The saints] may have lived
in other places and times,
Seelos Items but
they can be true friends
• 1” pendant
• 5” bookmark with
color image
• 2-sided keyring
• 2” x 2.5” magnet
All 4 items:
$25 (incl. p/h)
front
back
Seelos Novena: 32-page deluxe
booklet with sturdy cover; specify
English, Spanish, or Vietnamese
(Donation: $3.50, incl. p/h)
to you and me today. . . . I
promise you, it is better to
spend time with dead people
who bring you to life
than with live people
who lead you to death.”
— Matthew Kelly,
Rediscover Catholicism
(Beacon Publishing, 2010)
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 $3.
 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.
Bronze, Seelos Museum
New Orleans 2001
Franco Alessandrini,
sculptor
you know?
Annual Seelos Memorial Mass Did
The Blessed Francis
Sunday, October 6, 2013, 1:00 p.m.
St. Mary’s Assumption Church
(corner of Josephine & Constance)
Presider & Homilist:
Most Rev. Gregory Aymond,
Archbishop of New Orleans
You ave cordially invited!
10thAnnual Seelos Gala Dinner
Honoring
Joyce Bourgeois
Recipient of the 2013 Seelos Order of Witness
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Program 5:30 p.m. / Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Audubon Tea Room - 6500 Magazine Street
For Dinner Reservations or Sponsorships
Call 504-525-2495 or visit seelos.org
by October 7th
Seelos Gala features
Silent & Live Auctions & Door Prizes to benefit
Seelos Shrine Ministry & the Canonization Cause
Xavier Seelos prayer
group in Daphne,
Alabama, has grown
from nine members
to 24! The group
was organized four
years ago under
the direction of
Archbishop Thomas
Rodi to promote
devotion to Blessed
Seelos, and to offer
prayers for his
canonization, for
the sick, and for our
country. Co-leaders
Ethel Smith & Pat
Ernst are members
of Christ the King
Catholic Church in
Daphne, where Seelos
healing Masses are
regularly scheduled.
I had been having problems lifting my leg,
creating some close trip-and-fall situations.
The ligament that stretches over the
kneecap was inflamed. Any movement
was painful. Kneeling was now impossible.
Every step up the dozen stairs to my front
door was agony. Twisting the leg to help
me take a seat in an automobile was
nearly impossible. I was told to rest the
leg and try ice on it. Surgery was a real
possibility and walking would never be
the same. Seelos promoter, Mary Jane
Drndak, suggested that I take the Seelos
relic and place it on my knee and we both
began to pray. By the next afternoon I
realized that I no longer had any pain in
the left knee, and that leg felt better than
the opposite one that was never injured!
That feeling of total healing persists even
now. Thank you, Seelos Center friends
for introducing me to this wonderful saint!
lincoln, ne
I wanted to write about our daughter‘s
successful conception, but the story
just gets bigger and bigger. I have bone
metastasis from breast cancer, and when
I recently went for radiation therapy, the
techs allowed me to put the Seelos relic
on my chest during the treatments. They
prayed the prayer with me, and I had no
ill side effects, but some very good ones.
Next, I gave the relic to a friend with celiac
disease who was told she would need
surgery, but now she’s just on medication.
So, the story is just not over yet. I’m
of course praying that these things will
demonstrate a miracle to put our Seelos
over the top to be St. Francis Seelos.
TESTIMONIALS
newport, ri
I was suffering greatly from neck pain, due
to a disc that worsened by the day. It had
started to affect other parts of my body as
well. Years ago my husband and I had
asked Father Seelos for a favor and we
received it. Now I turned to him again and
applied the blessed Seelos oil and relic to
my neck and I prayed for his intercession.
The relic on my neck felt like the hand
of God and I did not want to take it off.
Instantly, the pain was gone; I can now turn
my head and all other pain is gone too. I
love Father Seelos. He is alive and well in
our home. God bless you for all the work
you do for him and our Lord!
lake charles, la
My husband began an oral antibiotic
treatment after being diagnosed with
cellulitis, but his leg continued to swell
and it became increasingly red. He was
immediately admitted to the hospital and
put on antibiotics through an IV. His blood
culture showed a serious strain of Staph,
MRSA. We pinned the cloth Seelos relic
to my husband’s shirt. The swelling began
to subside. We thank our friend who gave
us this gift during our time of need.
Seelos Center News
lansing, il
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 Administrator: Joyce Bourgeois
Nick Punch, Maureen Vicknair
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.
marrero, la
I was very sick during my second pregnancy.
I was always nauseated and couldn’t keep
any food down. My mother informed me of
a Father Seelos Healing Mass. My family
and I attended, and we received a special
blessing from the cross that had a piece of
Father Seelos’ bone fragment inside. My
pregnancy became much better after the
healing Mass and I wasn’t sick anymore.
In June 2012 I had a healthy, beautiful baby
boy. Thank you God and Father Seelos!
laplace, la
I prayed to Fr. Seelos during my illness
(myeloma) and I have been in remission for
3 ½ years. I also attended a Seelos healing
prayer group with family and friends during
my treatment. I believe that he has cured
me from cancer, through the power of God.
metairie, la
In preparation for a two week trip, I
downloaded an eBook to read on the plane.
One of the books featured that day was The
Little Way of Ruthie Leming. I read the
synopsis about Ruthie, and how her brother
and his family decided to move back to St.
Francisville to experience community and
Louisiana traditions, and decided it was the
right book for me. I was amazed at how
accurate it was and I became engrossed. I
read the chapter that contains the passage
quoted in the July Seelos Center News. I
was surprised to find a reference to our
beloved Shrine, and I just couldn’t believe
it when I saw this on the front page of your
newsletter. I have shed many tears while
reading, as it reminds me of things that
have happened in my life long ago and in
the more recent past.
PLEASE VISIT SEELOS.ORG FOR LATEST SEELOS E-BOOK TITLES!
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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