Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Francis Xavier Seelos was born on January 11, 1819 in the city of Füssen, Germany. At the age of 23 he entered the seminary, but soon after joined the Redemptorist order so he could be a missionary to the Germany speaking immigrants in the United States.  He arrived in the US in 1843, was ordained a priest in 1844, working for the first nine years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania alongside St. John Neumann.  He was well known as a kind and gifted confessor and spiritual director, who also had a deep love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. He travelled all over the north and midwest helping to teach immigrants about the faith and ministering to their needs. In 1866 he was assigned to work in New Orleans, Louisiana. Unfortunately, the very next year he passed away after caring for victims of the yellow fever and contracting the disease himself. He died on October 4, 1867. He was declared Blessed by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000 and his feast day is October 5th.