His reputation for the special grace of healing was so widespread that one day a man came to him in the parlor of the priests’ house. He was on crutches. When Father Seelos entered, the man said he wanted to have his legs cured and threw his crutches out the window and said he would stay there until he was cured. Father Seelos, dumbfounded, gave him a blessing, and sure enough the man walked out of the house by himself and unaided.
Father Seelos had a fine opportunity to prove himself a special devotee of Mary in Baltimore where he became pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in 1854. A Protestant woman, whose husband had fallen from a scaffold while working on the church, asked to become a Catholic. Her minister, finding out that she was under instruction, arranged that he and Father Seelos discussed the Catholic faith in her presence especially its teaching on Mary. Father Seelos defended devotion to Mary so well that she, in effect, dismissed her minister and said she was even more convinced than ever that the Catholic Church was the true one.
While he was pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Cumberland, Maryland, and prefect of the Redemptorist seminarians, he often had them sing his favorite hymn to Mary during evening recreation. When some students complained about always singing the same hymn, he calmly said, “Once beautiful, always beautiful.” When one of the students had some reservations about the Assumption of Mary, Father Seelos remarked that, even though not defined by the Church, the faithful had always believed in Mary’s Assumption and that it was always better to believe too much rather than too little.
After some few years as pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Annapolis, Maryland, and three years as superior of the Redemptorist mission band, Father Seelos fittingly came to St. Mary the Assumption Parish in New Orleans. Here as elsewhere he distinguished himself as a gentle confessor, an inspiring preacher, and a kindly friend of one and all.
Almost a year to the day in New Orleans, Father Seelos contracted yellow fever in September during the great epidemic of 1867. Already affected by the dreaded disease, he insisted on making one last sick call. He came home, went to bed, and never got up again. He lingered until October 4, during which time he admitted to the brother attending him that he had seen the Blessed Mother often. After singing his favorite hymn to Mary, “Gentle Queen,” with his confreres assembled around his bed, he died the death of the just. As a true devotee of Mary, he was buried in the sanctuary of her church, Our Lady of the Assumption.
It was in New Orleans, as well as elsewhere, that witnesses insisted they had seen an aura of light around Father Seelos as he walked down the street or when he visited the sick. Through the years many cures have been attributed to his intercession. Confidence in his power with God has continued to this day around his tomb. The Seelos Center records monthly some of the favors received through his prayers. The Father Seelos and Sanctity bulletin for April 1998 has these remarks from people who prayed to Father Seelos: “my health has greatly improved,” “a favor I prayed for has been granted” “my daughter delivered a beautiful baby boy by c-section, one month early, after a very stressful pregnancy,” “he has obtained many favors and answered my prayers and this for 28 years.”
Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos was a very happy, cheerful and holy man, always smiling or laughing. A contemporary described him this way: “His look was piety, his glance was comfort, his expression was love. Charity glistened in his eyes, and benevolence played around his venerable aspect.”
The secret of his holiness was very simple: he trusted completely in God, he trusted completely in the prayers of Mary. He used to call God his best spiritual director who arranged all the events of his life in order to lead him to holiness. All that he had to do was to follow the lead of God, accept it, be happy with it and everything would go along nicely and he would become holy.
His cause for canonization has been introduced in Rome and is progressing favorably. The “case” for his heroicity of virtue will most likely be presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints this spring. If this is approved, the way will be open to present a cure that, it is hoped, will lead to his beatification. A woman of New Orleans had cancer of the liver. Very little of her liver was left. She prayed for the help of Father Seelos. She is still hale and hearty today, thirty-two years later.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Servant of God, Francis Xavier Seelos, C.SS.R., write to: The Father Seelos Center, 2030 Constance Street, New Orleans, LA 70130-5099.
Reprinted with permission from the January-February 1999 issue
of Soul Magazine