InsideCatholic.com - Baltimore priest may be declared a saint

February 09, 2010

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Baltimore priest may be declared a saint

by Zoe Romanowsky

6/30/09

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Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Germany in 1819 and moved to Maryland, where he was ordained a priest in 1843. Known for his wit and compassion, most of his priestly service was spent in the archdiocese of Baltimore. In fact, he was pastor of St. Alphonsus for three years -- St. John Neumann's old parish. Now it turns out he may be a miracle worker as well.

The Vatican is now investigating whether or not the intercession of Fr. Seelos is responsible for curing an Annapolis woman of terminal cancer. According to Arthur Hirsch at the the Baltimore Sun, Mary Ellen Heibel , a parishioner at St. Mary's in Annapolis, was given six months to live after cancer was found throughout her body. She sought medical treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital to merely prolong her life, but to the surprise of everyone, the cancer disappeared. Doctors couldn't explain it, but the bill of clean health immediately followed a novena to Fr. Seelos at Heibel's parish. Heibel had also been wearing a relic of Seelos around her neck for some time.

Hirsch writes about the popularity of Fr. Seelos:

Seelos' following had been building for decades. In New Orleans especially, where he died at the age of 48 in 1867 of yellow fever while tending to victims of the disease, his reputation was enhanced in the early 1970s. That's when a local woman who had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer was found free of the disease after prayers calling on Seelos. An investigation similar to the one in Heibel's case affirmed this as a miracle, and Seelos was beatified in a ceremony in Rome in 2000.

An archdiocesan committee will explore whether this new case constitutes a miracle by speaking to Heibel and ten other witnesses -- including doctors, nurses and others close to the case. The findings will then be sent to Rome.

Although Fr. Seelos was born in Germany and died in New Orleans, he was a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It's always inspiring when things like this are happening in your own backyard.

Readers have left 6 comments.

Quote(1) Untitled
June 30th, 2009 | 12:40pm

Cool.

Much more on Fr. Seelos at the St. Alphonsus site you linked. http://www.stalphonsusbalt.org/

Written by Jamie Hunt

Quote(2) Great News For Our Louisiana Saint
June 30th, 2009 | 4:47pm

Ah I see the sly campaign has begun by the devious Maryland folks to take our "Louisiana" future Saint away. We got dibbs on him firts. The more older and Archdiocese of New Orelans will prevail. Soon it be Maryland that and Baltimore this lol

Written by jh

Quote(3) Re: Great News For Our Louisiana Saint
June 30th, 2009 | 4:57pm

Soon it be Maryland that and Baltimore this lol

— jh

We'll have to thumb wrestle over him. [smiley=wink]

But for the record, the Archdiocese of Baltimore was the first see in the United States, and is therefore, the oldest. Take that, New Orleans!

Written by Brian Saint-Paul

Quote(4) A Son of Germany
June 30th, 2009 | 6:38pm

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is a son of Germany. I hope very deeply that when he is canonized (God willing)the faithful of Germany will take heart and pride in their son who proclaimed the Gospel to America.There is also a priest of the 18th century, Demetrius Gallitzin, a Russian prince who converted to Catholicism, went to America, studied for the priesthood, was ordained in Baltimore and spent virtually the rest of his life proclaiming the Gospel in west central Pennsylvania. His cause is being promoted toward his beatification. If this comes to pass, I'm sure there will be a positive repercussion in Russia.

Written by Joseph Mercieca

Quote(5) Seelos in TEXAS
July 01st, 2009 | 1:41pm

Blessed Seelos is our adopted saint!! In the Diocese of Dallas, many priests have first class relics as well as The Cloistered Carmelites.
Seelos walks the floors of the hospitals. He is there for the sick, the broken hearted and for mothers-to-be with difficult pregnancies.
Last night, Seelos visited a mother in ICU that prayed for healing of a brain tumor. Her surgery lasted over 4 hours. To think that she was sitting up in bed, talking & able to receive Our Lord 7 hours after brain surgery, THAT is a miracle! All glory to God!

Written by mj

Quote(6) Goo News but ignored in Deutschland
July 02nd, 2009 | 7:21am

Wonderful news and I pray that the miracle will be accepted.Here in Füssen it is being totally ignored.The Catholic Paper was even sent the information but ignored it completely.The German website for the Parish of St Mang,where he was baptised & confirmed, mysteriously has lost its webpage about Blessed Seelos.Thank God the former Parish Priest,Now Vicar General of Augsburg Diocese,has a great love for this great son of Füssen.He has taken Blessed Seelos as his example during this Year for Priests.May Blessed Seelos intercede for all Priests that they may all live Holy Lives and follow his example. [smiley=happy]

Written by Myke Rosenthal-English

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