Download/View Newsletter (September 2016)

National Shrine of
Blessed Francis
Xavier Seelos
In the Redemptorist Church
of Saint Mary’s Assumption
Volume LV
Number 9
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 United States. On
July 25 th, 2014 the Congregation for Divine Worship
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. This will be the first year that
we are changing our Annual Memorial Mass to an
Annual Healing Mass. So for those in need, please join
us to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
Annual Seelos Healing Mass
Sunday, October 2nd, 2016
1:00 p.m.
St. Mary’s Assumption Church
(corner of Josephine & Constance)
Presider & Homilist:
Very Reverend Stephen Rehrauer, C.Ss.R.
Superior of the Redemptorist Denver Province
One-on-one intercessory prayer
Anointing of the Sick after Mass.
Veneration of Seelos relics before & after Mass!
You are cordially invited!
13 th Annual Seelos Gala Dinner
Honoring
Fr. Byron Miller, C.Ss.R.
Recipients of the 2016 Seelos Order of Witness
Sunday, October 9th, 2016
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 1st
Gala features Silent & Live Auctions to benefit
Seelos Shrine Ministry & the Canonization Cause
(504) 525-2495
September 2016
Promoting the
Seelos Canonization Cause
Dear Friends of Fr. Seelos,
One of the questions that I am often asked is: “Where are we in the
cause for the canonization of Blessed Seelos?” My fondest hope is
that someday we could say that it will happen soon. Such is not the
case though.
We have the demonstrable reputation for holiness for Fr. Seelos.
There is great devotion to Fr. Seelos as evidenced on the local level
here in the New Orleans area as well as throughout the United
States and beyond. We have reports of many, many divine favors
received through the intercession of Blessed Seelos. What we need
is a certifiable miracle.
By a certifiable miracle we mean one, usually a medical cure that
has no physical explanation. We have reports of such but the first
step, and this seems to be the hardest, is for a doctor or a team of
doctors to say that they have no explanation on a physical level why
this person should be cured or be healed.
Very often here at the shrine we hear from people who testify that
they have been cured or healed through the intercession of Fr. Seelos.
I ask them to go back to their doctors and ask them to put in writing
or at least to say in so many words that they, the doctors, have no
explanation for this cure.
The cures often reported to us are cures or healings from cancer.
These in some ways are the hardest to prove because the people have
gone through chemo or radiation therapies. It is difficult for the
medical people to judge between saying the cure was from the chemo
or radiation therapies or was truly not from that. One woman, who
was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, feels she was cured through
the intercession of Blessed Seelos. Her doctor told her that she is
among the two percent who recover from such diagnosis.
So the bottom line is that we are waiting for the certifiable miracle
and in the meantime we give thanks for all the other miracles that
do take place through the intercession of Fr. Seelos.
Blessed Seelos, pray for us.
Fr. Harry Grile, C.Ss.R.
Reflection From The Administrator
Even before Seelos joined the mission team in 1863
his services were often utilized on the missions. On
such a mission he gave with Father Joseph Wissel in
East Liberty, near Pittsburgh, he preached at Saint
Philomena’s and had the sad task of announcing to
the parish the sudden death of Bishop (Saint) John
Neumann. While the people were glad to see Seelos
in the pulpit that day, their joy turned to tears when
he gave them the shocking news. As Seelos looked out at the tearful
faces of the people, he felt interiorly consoled that the “Great
Bishop,” as he called him, was in heaven, and measured Neumann’s
influence on his own life in six significant words, “He was a father
to me.”
In those days it was evident in many ways that Seelos
was highly regarded by his students. They said so.
One student, George Sniet, was then in Pittsburgh
on sick leave. Just two months before, Seelos had
Bishop Neumann ordain George in the Redemptorist
house in Pittsburgh; both Seelos and Sniet mourned
the loss of their holy confrere. Neither was able to
go to the funeral, but Seelos took Sniet along to East Liberty to
see a mission first hand. The young priest was delighted with the
experience. He noted the zeal of the missionaries and the success
that crowned their work. Seeing the people bring their bread and
coffee in dinner pails so they would not miss any sermons of the
mission was a revelation to him. When it was over, young Father
George Sniet wrote back to a fellow seminarian, Ellis Schauer: “As
for myself, my greatest happiness consisted in being in the company
of Father Seelos. I have spent many a happy hour with him. Now
he is going to leave Pittsburgh and return to Cumberland, Maryland
where he is stationed, the sorrow which I experience on account of
his departure I cannot describe.”
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos intercede for us always...
Brother Leo Patin, C.Ss.R.
“If you don’t find God in the
next person you meet, it is a waste
of time looking for him further.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Seelos Center Services
Pilgrimages to Seelos Shrine &
Museum. Call Center: 504-525-2495,
Open Mon-Fri, 9 to 3; Sat, 10 to 3:30.
Inspirational Message 504-586-1803
 Blessings of the Sick with a Seelos
Crucifix in designated area hospitals:
East Jefferson
Gerry Heigle:
504-482-4404
Anne Batt: 504-458-0310
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
Tori Winters 504-237-2962
Abbeville/Erath/Lafayette
Boniface ‘Boni’ Suire: 337-937-5675
Alexandria
Deacon Bill /Joan Travis: 318-664-7069
Baldwin/Franklin
Patti Ibert: 337-828-0141
Baton Rouge
Gloria Bacque: 225-753-3800
Covington
Dr. Ann Logarbo:
985-886-0218
April Mayo:
985-892-1828
Denham Springs
Kathy Newcomb: 225-978-9284
Iota
Anne Ritter:
337-254-8451
Lacombe/Abita Springs
Billy Bachemin: 985-288-7006
Lake Charles
Lisa Verrette:
337-274-4810
Mandeville
David Brumfield: 985-234-9355
Lisa & Eric Johnsen:
985-276-4445
Mississippi
Gail Garay (Pearl River): 985-863-7562
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 225-644-9438
Shreveport/Bossier City
Tom & Marjorie Rivers: 318-797-3116
Slidell
Mary Jo Graham:
985-502-9033
St. Bernard/Arabi
Patricia Noote: 504-460-2340
Thibodaux
Martha Bourgeois: 985-446-0124
Seelos Center Devotionals
New Seelos Statue: Exclusive 7-inch
devotional statue of Blessed Seelos.
Fine coloring and detail, resin-stone
mix. Base reads “Father Seelos”.
(Donation: $28, incl. p/h)
Farewell to Our dear friend
Seelos Oil: Exclusive 1 oz. bottle to
be used when praying over people
for healing; to bless family members,
homes, and 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)
Mother of Perpetual Help Pillow:
Vivid image with prayer on back brings
beauty & inspiration to every-day settings. Measures 10” x 12” (Donation:
$28, 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)
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)
.999 Fine Silver Seelos Medal:
Round, 3/4” dia., with loop; brushed
image with polished reverse & edge.
Marked with .999 FS on reverse top.
(Donation: $63, incl. p/h)
Death, Where Is Your Sting?: Tender account of Seelos’ final weeks of
life as told by witnesses of his death
to yellow fever. Hardcover, 175 pp.,
photos. ($24, incl. p/h)
Little Way of Faithfulness: 128-pg.
softbound bio of Seelos by Fr. Santa;
reveals how faithfulness in little things
adds up to a meaningful life well lived!
($20, incl. p/h)
PETE FOUNTAIN
Peter Dewey Fountain, Jr., better known as
Pete Fountain, world renowned and beloved New
Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Legend, passed away
peacefully in New Orleans on the morning of
Saturday, August 6, 2016 with family by his side
at the age of 86. Pete, known to many as “Mr. New
Orleans,” was a lifelong resident and Ambassador
for the City of New Orleans. He has shared the
past 65 years with the love of his life, Beverly Lang
Fountain. Devoted father to his daughter Darah,
and son-in-law and Manager, Benjamin Harrell,
his son Kevin and wife Jane Fountain, and his son
Jeffery Fountain and his life partner Paul Ward.
Loving grandfather to six grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren.
He and several of his family members have been dedicated volunteers
at the Seelos Center, helping either with campaigns, daily operations,
or our Annual Gala.
May Pete rest in the peace of the Redeemer, in the company
of the saints and Blessed Seelos, and may he finally enjoy that
“closer walk with Jesus.”
PETE’S ACCOLADES:
(text and portrait printed with permission from the Fountain Family)
Dixieland Jazz got a hold of Pete when he was a child listening to the jazzy sounds coming
from the Top Hat Dance Hall. He performed in the Warren Easton High School Band, the
Junior Dixieland Band and with Phil Zito. In the early 50’s, after joining the National Guard,
he was soon playing with the Louisiana National Guard Band. Pete has also played with The
Basin Street Six, The Dukes of Dixieland and Al Hirt. When Pete joined The Lawrence Welk
Show, he became the most famous Jazz musician on television and became a household name.
He has owned his own jazz club, been the highest selling instrumentalist, formed with a
few friends the Half-Fast Walking Club which just celebrated their 56th year, reigned as
the King of Bacchus and Tucks, and was the Celebrity Grand Marshall of Endymion. Pete
has performed a record 59 times on Johnny Carson’s, “The Tonight Show,” and had guest
appearances on the Ed Sullivan, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Mike Douglas and Andy Williams
specials.
Other credits include his autobiography, A Closer Walk: The Pete Fountain Story; A
Close up of Pete Fountain; Super Bowl Saturday Night; the National Memorial Day Concert;
performed more times for the NFL Super Bowl Half Time Shows than any other artist;
performed for four U.S. State Dinners by command performance for four U.S. Presidents;
and the highlight of his career was performing for Pope John Paul II at the New Orleans
Papal Mass with an attendance of over 400,000 people.
During Pete’s career, he has recorded 56 albums and has been a featured performer
on 44 additional albums for a total of 100 recordings, and received numerous awards for
such works.
DECEMBER 11 TH -25 TH , 2016
 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 also in Spanish & Vietnamese.
Call 504-525-2495. Currently, 1st Class relics are
unavailable.
Please allow up to 2 weeks for delivery.
TRAVELING MISSIONARY ICON OF
OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP
ST. MARY ’S ASSUMPTION CHURCH
Every time we go to New Orleans to
visit family, we make it a priority to visit
the shrine of Blessed Seelos. We have
been touched by his life and his words.
A few weeks ago, a good friend called
to ask for prayers for her husband who
needed a biopsy to confirm the presence
of prostate cancer. Right away we told
them that our family would pray for him
through the intercession of Blessed Seelos
for a complete healing. On the day of the
biopsy, everything went as well as could
be expected. We would know the results
at the end of the week. Friday came
and went and we kept up the prayers to
Blessed Seelos. On Monday, the doctor
called to report his surprise that there was
NO CANCER. Thank you, Blessed Seelos
and our Lord, God!
MOBILE, AL
My name is C.J. and I am 14 years old.
When I was 11, I was diagnosed with a
“pseudo brain tumor”. This tricks the brain
into thinking it has a tumor, causing the
spinal fluid to rise and possibly causing
blindness. I was told by my doctor that if
I did not lose weight, I could very easily go
blind. I was trying my best to lose some
weight and it was slowly working but my
massive headache was not leaving. I
had a spinal tap and a lumbar puncture
and as they did not close the spot of the
procedure, I needed a blood transfusion.
I had a headache for six months straight.
The priest at my home parish anointed me
please send us
TESTIMONIALS
but that did nothing for the headaches.
I found out about the shrine of Blessed
Francis Xavier Seelos when my
grandmother met a lady whose daughter
was very sick and went to the shrine
and was healed. We visited the shrine
and I knelt down before the remains of
Blessed Seelos in prayer for 30 minutes,
that I might have the strength to lose the
weight and be free from my headaches.
Two weeks after I left the shrine, I awoke
with no headache. At my next doctor
visit, the doctor said that my spinal fluid
was greatly decreased. The first thing
that came to mind was Blessed Seelos.
I lost the weight needed and am now off
medications completely. I have only had
one headache since I left the shrine. I
truly believe that Blessed Seelos will be
canonized and I look forward to that day.
Now I would like to serve God and the
Saints in any way that I can.
NAPOLEONVILLE, LA
his cross and prayed with me. Within
several weeks, I was walking and my
facial muscles had returned to normal.
Several therapists have used the word
“miracle” when referring to my speedy
recovery. It has now been three months
and I am writing again (I am left handed)
and have almost complete use of my left
arm. I pray the prayer to Blessed Seelos
daily and continually wear the beautiful
relic scapular. I truly believe this, along
with the blessing of the good Lord, and the
numerous prayers offered up for me are
the reason for my quick recovery. Thank
you, Blessed Seelos!
MARIETTA, GA
Thank you Blessed Seelos for helping me
through the night I scratched my cornea.
I was praying and asking for a little relief.
He did answer my request. I have been
a devoted follower of Blessed Seelos for
many years, when my dear sister and I
would visit the shrine and she received
comfort from her nightly leg cramps. She
and I felt a close bond from that moment
until her passing in 2008. I have placed
more petitions at the shrine and will
continue to pray for his canonization.
On April 15, 2016, I suffered a stroke
from a massive brain bleed. I had to
be airlifted from my local hospital, Our
Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge. The
Denver Provincial Superior:
Very Rev. Stephen Rehrauer, C.Ss.R.
stroke left the entire left side of my body
Seelos Center Director:
paralyzed. While in the hospital, my
Rev. Harry Grile, C.Ss.R.
Seelos Center Administrators: Br. Leo Patin, C.Ss.R.,
cousin brought me a beautiful Blessed
Jan Brown, Nick Punch, Maureen Vicknair
Seelos Center News (USPS 4472) published monthly
Seelos medal and when she pinned it on
by the Redemptorists / National Shrine of Bl. F.X. Seelos
me, told me that I would fully recover. She
Subscription is $12 per year.
The Seelos Shrine is a member of the National Assoc.
told me to pray and touch the medal. A
of Shrine & Pilgrimage Apostolate (NASPA)
few days later, a Seelos blesser brought
your testimonials to share with our readers!
Seelos Center News
FREEPORT, NY
Dear Fr. Grile: In my own way, I want to support the cause of
Blessed Francis Seelos in gratitude for Graces Received & Prayers
Answered. Enclosed is $_________ to be used for:




the ministry & maintenance at the National Seelos Shrine.
my 1-year newsletter subscription renewal ($12)
I can’t contribute this time, but please keep me on the list
other item(s) designated below:
Make a Self-Guided Retreat with Bl. Seelos: All 6 for $15, incl. p/h
 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:
NAME
ADDRESS
Kindly return in the enclosed
envelope with any corrections or
CITY
call (504) 525-2495 or e-mail
mvicknair@seelos.org
Allow a minimum of 30 days to
STATE
process your address change request.
ZIP