October - Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

National Shrine of
Blessed Francis
Xavier Seelos
In the Redemptorist Church
of Saint Mary’s Assumption
Volume LIII
Number 10
919 Josephine Street
www.seelos.org
New Orleans, LA 70130
In 2009, a Vatican decree established the
October 5 th celebration of Blessed Seelos as
an obligatory memorial in the New Orleans
Archdiocese & an optional memorial in each
diocese of the New Orleans Province. In
2012, the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted to place a
Seelos Optional Memorial on the liturgical
Proper Calendar of Saints for all dioceses
in the U.S., pending Vatican approval. The
Congregation for Divine Worship, in a letter
dated July 25, 2014 (Prot. n. 645/13/L),
granted its approval for the addition of the
Seelos Optional Memorial for all dioceses of
the U.S., and it provided the official texts
for both the Mass and Office of Readings.
Please visit the Seelos website for details.
Annual Seelos Memorial Mass
Sunday, October 5, 2014
1:00 p.m.
St. Mary’s Assumption Church
(corner of Josephine & Constance)
Presider & Homilist:
Most Reverend Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R.
Redemptorist Superior General
Rome, Italy
One-on-one intercessory prayer
Veneration of Seelos relics before & after Mass!
You are cordially invited!
11 thAnnual Seelos Gala Dinner
Honoring
Anne Batt & Diana Maher
Recipients of the 2014 Seelos Order of Witness
Sunday, October 19, 2014
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 by October 10th
Gala features Silent & Live Auctions to benefit
Seelos Shrine Ministry & the Canonization Cause
(504) 525-2495
October 2014
“ Holy ” Toledo for Seelos!
In 1860, one of the greatest electoral turnouts in U.S. history
took place in Ohio. Abraham Lincoln carried the state with
almost two-thirds of the popular vote. Had Lincoln failed to
carry Ohio, the presidential election would have been thrown
into the House of Representatives, where he would have lost.
Ohio’s governor, Roelliff Brinkerhoff, always connected Lincoln’s
national victory directly to events that occurred in Ohio.
In March 1861, Lincoln took office amid the threat of a civil
war; by April the war began. Lincoln’s presidency ended with an
assassin’s bullet in April 1865, a week after the war ended.
Around the time of the Civil War, Father Seelos was an
itinerant preacher of parish missions in numerous states. As
such, he found a second home in Ohio! In a May 1862 letter to
his sister, Seelos wrote: “I received your letter and Josepha’s
just as I was about to leave here for a mission [in Zanesville].
. . . Zanesville is a very old town, so far as this is possible in
America, in the State of Ohio and is just about in the middle
of it. On account of the war, we had to have passes, which is
something unheard of in America and the trains were filled
with soldiers and officers.” In December 1862, he wrote from
Annapolis to his brother: “Until into January I will be gone
from here for several weeks to give some missions in northern
Ohio, most likely with a father who was in the novitiate with
me.” (There is no record, however, of missions in northern
Ohio that involved Seelos at this time.)
In March 1865, Seelos wrote: “In Cincinnati, we gave
a big mission in Saint Joseph’s Church; Rev. M. Stehle, a
countryman of ours, was boundlessly satisfied; and never
have I noticed such sincere and active participation of the
faithful as just in this parish. The priests of the city had
the greatest interest in this mission and were regularly
present every evening. The archbishop attended the closing
and spoke to me about the increase of homes, here and
there, and so forth, invited us to table in the seminary,
and Father Burke had to give the retreat to the ordinandi.”
In early 1865 Seelos had little choice but to sit next to a
pickpocket on a crowded train from Cleveland to Toledo. Seelos
was already wary of the man, so he put his traveling money in
his breast pocket and only his baggage claim in his side pocket.
While Seelos was asleep, the pickpocket cut open his overcoat
from the side and took his wallet, thinking it contained the
money. If Seelos literally had a “holy Toledo” moment when
he later felt a big hole in his pocket, imagine the pickpocket’s
surprise when he opened Seelos’ wallet!
Mes s a g e f r o m the Edi to r
People usually get what’s coming to them—unless it was
mailed. Similarly, when I was a kid, my parents were
usually anxious to get my Christmas gift that was coming
to them—that is, until it was inhaled! For my dad, I
raided the bathroom closet to combine equal parts of his Aqua Velva and
English Leather into the half empty bottle of Brut cologne. This fragrant
formula gave new meaning to old spice. For my mother, I pedaled my bike to
the dime store on Main Street to buy a little cobalt blue bottle of perfume
called “Evening in Paris.” A few drops of this behind the ears and she could
close her eyes and imagine an enchanted evening in Paris . . . Paris, Texas!
Church incense, freshly mowed grass, sharpened lead pencils and crayons,
sizzling bacon, theater popcorn, bubble gum, Play-Doh and Silly Putty—
certain smells immediately transport us to a specific place and time.
In Father Seelos’ day an array of suggestive aromas and aggressive odors
filled the air, due in part to horse-drawn carriages in the streets, methods
of food preservation in the marketplace, and limited advancements in
personal hygiene. It is a pungent fact that the first commercial deodorant
was not invented until the 1880s. By the mid-nineteenth century, more
Americans began using soap to clean their skin; soap had been primarily
used for laundering before this time. It was widely believed that clothes
fell apart with too many washings, and too many bathings exposed a person
to miasms in the air that allowed disease to enter the body.
When Seelos arrived in Pittsburgh in August, 1845, many locals were
still affected by the great fire that had reduced a quarter of the city to
ashes in April of that year. The city, already known for its acrid, smoky
atmosphere, created a blanket of grimy soot that blackened houses and
clothing. In classrooms, the paper that students wrote on was smudged
before their assignments were even complete.
S. Frederick Starr in Southern Comfort describes a particular riverfront
area of New Orleans that developed prior to Seelos’ arrival in 1866:
“Slaughterhouses abounded at Bull’s Head, near the mouth of St. Mary
Street. Other slaughterhouses a few blocks upriver attracted so many
scavengers that the local baseball team was later named the ‘Buzzards.’ The
stench of tallow factories rose nearby and enormous steam-driven cotton
presses pounded away, audible for miles. A sugar refinery covered nearly
a city block on Second Street near Annunciation.” In the decade before
Seelos arrived, professions in proximity with an acute olfactory presence
not only included confectioners, bakers, and soap boilers, but also coopers,
saddlers, brewers, cigarmakers, and tanners. Depending on the direction
of the wind, people were likely found somewhere “waiting to exhale”!
In his bedroom, Seelos kept a simple, unadorned wooden box to store his
correspondence and sermons. That empty box is now displayed in a museum
case at the Seelos Welcome Center, but I have been known on more than
one occasion to privately open the lid and breathe in its musty scent of
centuries past. The ritual is not to magically release some genie from a
bottle, but rather, to release the so-called “odor of sanctity” in that box.
It perfumes the air and helps make Seelos alive to me—especially when I
am most in need of sniffing out answers in my own life.
Byron Miller, C.Ss.R.
Seelos author,
Alicia von Stamwitz of
St. Louis, visited the
shrine for the first
time in August!
Seelos Center News
SHRINE ASHRINE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS
TO
areaforSTUDENTS
A monthly
newsletter
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,
Olivia 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.
The Seelos Shrine is a member of the National Assoc.
of Shrine & Pilgrimage Apostolate (NASPA)
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
Elaine Freeman:
504-341-2213
Mary Grace Orsag:
504-367-7515
Abbeville/Erath/Lafayette
Boniface ‘Boni’ Suire: 337-937-5675
Alexandria
Deacon Bill /Joan Travis: 318-664-7069
Baldwin/Franklin
Patti Ibert: 337-578-1798
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
Denham Springs
Kathy Newcomb: 225-665-1924
Houma/Thibodaux
Dan Montz, L.P.C.:
985-446-1805
Lacombe/Abita Springs
Billy Bachemin: 985-288-7006
Lake Charles
Lisa Verrette:
337-274-4810
Mandeville
David Brumfield: 985-886-9235
Lisa & Eric Johnsen:
985-276-4445
Mississippi
Cannon Fmly.(Wiggins): 601-928-9777
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
St. Bernard/Arabi
Patricia Noote: 504-756-4163
Seelos Center Devotionals
Seelos Prayer Cards with popular
images of Bl. Francis Seelos, prayer,
& biographical information. Assortment of 100 total in 4 styles as depicted.
(Donation: $13.50, incl.p/h)
Seelos Oil in exclusive 1 oz. bottle
to be used when praying over people
for healing; to bless family members,
homes,objects.(Donation:$9 incl.p/h)
Seelos Blanket: Measures 4’x6’
100% cotton. High quality woven
dyed yarn. Handwash/machine
washable.(Donation: $150, incl. p/h)
Faulkner & Friends, by Vicki Salloum. Set in the New Orleans Irish
Channel, fictional characters in this
new novel are devoted to Fr. Seelos
& his shrine. Softbound, 167 pp.
(Donation: $17, incl. p/h)
Seelos Perpetual Mass League:
one-of-a-kind lasting remembrance
for you or for someone dear, living or
deceased. (Donation: $25, contact
Seelos Ctr. or website for enrollment)
Museum
Makeover
In 1986 a breezeway behind Saint
Mary’s Assumption Church was
enclosed to create the Father Seelos
Museum. This space is presently
under renovation in anticipation
of its thirtieth anniversary in
2016. Phase one included upgrading
the A/C system, bathrooms and
flooring. Phase two, in progress,
includes enhanced museum displays
and improved lighting. As part of
the overall shrine experience, a
professional short welcome video
is now available for viewing at the
Seelos Welcome Center. Narrated
by local media personality, Angela
Hill, it features dramatizations by
actor Casey Groves as Father Seelos.
Husband-wife team Glen Pitre &
Michelle Benoit of Cote Blanche have
been designing award-winning museum
exhibits since 1981. Their services
were retained for these projects.
 Seelos
2nd & 3rd-Class Relics/ Seelos
Pamphlets & Prayer Cards also in Spanish
& Vietnamese. Call Seelos Center, 504-5252495 or 2499. Currently, Seelos
1st Class relics are unavailable.
Jan. 31 - Feb. 10, 1864:
St. Patrick, Cleveland (in English)
February 1864:
Ursuline Sisters, Cleveland
(conducted retreat)
Nov. 27 - Dec. 11, 1864:
St. Joseph, Cincinnati (in German)
December 18 - 27, 1864:
St. James, White Oak (in English)
January 1 - 8, 1865:
Holy Trinity, Bucyrus
(in English & German)
January 8-15, 1865:
Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Shelby Settlement
(in German with some English)
Jan. 22 - Feb. 1, 1865:
St. Mary, Massillon (in German)
February 2 - 5, 1865:
Retreat to Sisters, Massillon
November 7 - 11, 1865:
St. Mary’s College, Nazareth
(retreat to students)
November 12 - 21, 1865:
Holy Trinity, Dayton
November 19 - 30, 1865:
St. Francis de Sales, Toledo
April 24 - 27, 1866:
St. Mary’s Boarding School,
Nazareth (retreat to boys)
Gold Seelos Medal: 14 karat yellow
gold, approx. total weight 0.34 gram
with heavy gauge O ring. Makes a fine
gift & keepsake. (Contact Seelos Ctr.
or website for availability and pricing)
A Seelos Vigil Candle will burn
near his sacred resting place in Seelos
Shrine, New Orleans, for a $3 offering.
January 17 - 31, 1864:
St. Patrick, Toledo (in English)
Oct. 22 - Nov. 5, 1865:
St. Mary, Cincinnati
Seelos Mug: 11-ounce ceramic mug
with easy grip handle, has color image
of Seelos on one side and his reliquary
on the other. (Donation: $12, incl. p/h)

April 1862:
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Zanesville
February 12 - 20, 1865:
St. Patrick, Toledo (in English)
3rd Class Relic Cross: 4” wooden
crucifix touched to Seelos’ original
cross & touched to a rare hair clipping
preserved at the time of his death in
1867. (Donation: $10, incl. p/h)
A Life of Blessed Francis Xavier
Seelos, by Hoegerl & von Stamwitz.
108-page paperback biography,
illustrated. (Donation: $12, incl. p/h)
SHRINE ASHRINE AWARDS
Seelos’ Known Missions
SCHOLARSHIPS TO area
& Retreats in Ohio:
STUDENTS
AIRS ON WYES-TV IN OCTOBER!
• Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 PM
• Sunday, Oct. 5 at 9:30 PM
(after Masterpiece Theatre)
• Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 PM
• Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 10 PM
• Sunday, Oct. 26 at Noon
Special thanks to
Beth Utterback, WYES-TV
Executive Vice-President
See Blessed Seelos “come to life”
in this
dynamic
90-minute
performance
by Casey
Groves
as he
alternates
between
the accents
& demeanor
of over
two dozen
characters!
new roads, la
My husband developed complications after
a successful hip replacement surgery in
April. He was readmitted to the hospital
four times in eight weeks. A TUR was
done on his prostate. The pathology report
showed aggressive cancer cells, a 9 on
the Gleason Index (a scale of 1 to 10). I
prayed to Bl. Seelos that the cancer had
not spread to his bones. When he had a
bone scan four weeks later, it came back
negative. The CAT scan was negative too.
The urologist called my husband and said,
“I cannot explain this. It is highly unlikely
that all the cancer cells were scraped out
during the TUR. There is no explanation
for a negative reading.” Of course, my
husband & I knew the explanation: Bl.
Seelos had answered our prayers. My
husband is cancer-free and on the way to
recovery after so many complications.
san isidro, tx
My husband is a diabetic who had some
ulcers on his leg. I prayed to Bl. Seelos and
placed his relic on the leg. Thanks be to
God and to the intercession of my friend, Bl.
Seelos, my husband’s ulcers were healed.
I’m very touched and believe Bl. Seelos is
helping us from heaven. I hope in the near
future to visit the shrine.
harahan, la
After initially being diagnosed with stage
four cancer, further testing reduced the
cancer to stage three. Surgery was
performed, a blessing with a Seelos crucifix
was done, prayers for Seelos’ intercession
for healing were offered, and six months of
chemo provide indications that the cancer
has been arrested. Thanks to Fr. Seelos!
TESTIMONIALS
“There are only two ways
to live your life. One is as
though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though
everything is a miracle.”
— Albert Einstein
covington, la
A neighbor gave me a Seelos relic twelve
years ago. I asked Fr. Seelos the favor
to receive a new kidney. My prayer was
answered in March. My request was real.
I have a new kidney. I wish to thank Fr.
Seelos for his intercession.
new orleans, la
A baby born prematurely weighing 4½ lbs.
was finally able to go home and progressed
to nine pounds, only to encounter a
complicated case of viral pneumonia. The
baby was critically ill in the hospital for
several weeks. After being blessed with a
Seelos cross, the baby began responding
and returned home the following week.
Thanks to Fr. Seelos & the power of prayer!
kenner, la
While visiting my sick mother-in-law in
a hospital, I developed a severe case of
MSSA (staph infection). Whether hospitalrelated or not was unimportant, but I came
within twenty-four hours of death. Doctors
did an experimental operation; after a
month in the hospital and much physical
therapy, I‘m doing fine. My wife & I prayed
to Seelos while holding the relic. We both
believe it was nothing short of a miracle that
I survived, much less, am in great health.
washington state
My son—who had such damaging seizures,
heavy doses of seizure medication, and
serious brain damage—by all rights, should
have motor/speech delays and difficulty
processing language. He shouldn’t be
able to hold conversations or have perfect
articulation. For a child who couldn’t
hold his head up at 11 months, who had
brain shrinkage & seizure activity on
both hemispheres, there is no medical
explanation for how well he’s doing. Before
surgery, the neurosurgeon said that he
“hoped” for some slight improvement, but
that it might be too late. Damage from the
seizures was so widespread in his brain
that a hemispherectomy was mentioned,
although it did not come to that. They
thought part of the temporal lobe would
need removal, as the seizures had already
spread there from the occipital lobe. Praise
God, they only had to remove a small
section in the occipital lobe (the part that
controls vision). We give all glory to God
for his healing, and credit Bl. Seelos. He
is near the critical 3-year period of attaining
seizure-freedom. His miracle occurred
over time and with medical intervention,
so it may not be considered a Vatican
miracle for Seelos’ canonization; however,
everyone who saw him when he was so
weak and helpless, knows that his healing
has been a direct result of prayers. Early
intervention and surgery cannot make a
child like this perform normally and above
average. It can help, but his progress
happened at lightning speed. In a single
month after surgery, he had already
met several of his goals, which should
have taken at least a year, if not two.
please visit seelos.org as we celebrate 400,000 + hits or follow us on facebook!
Dear Father Byron: In my own way, I want to support the cause
of Blessed Francis Seelos in gratitude for Graces Received &
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